shedd aquarium: I have a really severe insect phobia that is really starting to impact my life. I can't even get myself to go outside sometimes. Most say phobias can begin from trauma which in this case, IS THE CASE. When I was very little, my dad had a huge joshua bug land on his shirt in Zion National Park. He flicked it off of his shirt and it landed square on my face and dropped to my shirt. YES- I was screaming, running, and crying, HENCE- My bug phobia was born. I've tried almost everything to let it pass from coming up close to a bug and just studying, to checking out books and reading about them. I've forced myself outside a few times to let them buzz around me. Nothing is working and it's really tearing me apart. If I hear anything that even resembles a buzzing noise or a feeling of something crawling on me, I FLIP OUT. Is there anything I can do to help get over this? Thank you for your help =) No Im not crazy- Just deathly afraid of bugs.|||First of all: BELIEVE. Now we can begin: 1. Read about bugs. 2. Look at pictures of bugs. 3. Watch YouTube videos of bugs. 4. Observe bugs from far away in the park/garden (or through a window). 5. Come closer and observe. 6. Poke some bugs with a stick. 7. Get a bug to crawl on a stick/leaf and hold it above the ground. 8. Get some REALLY SAFE bugs and try to catch them with a net (butterflies and ladybugs work well). 9. Put a ladybug on your finger. 10. Have nothing more to do with bugs, just remember how confident you felt when you dealt with them before.