By Ethan Kwassman (NCC News)
Dec. 1, 2010, 1:00 pm
SYRACUSE, N.Y.- A new TLC show about agoraphobia that will air at 10 p.m. tonight, features the Rosamond Gifford Zoo.
The final challenge of the TLC program, "Housebound: Trapped Inside" was filmed at the zoo at Burnet Park. Psychiatrist and show host Dr. Keith Ablow helps Syracuse resident Jody Dunham overcome her extreme panic attacks.
Agoraphobia is an abnormal fear of crossing or being in open spaces. According to the TLC website, the episode tonight "reveals the hidden worlds of two women with severe agoraphobia."
Other noteworthy details regarding Syracuse's ties to the episode:
- Cast and crew spent several days in early October filming in Syracuse
- You can tune into TLC's Housebound on Time Warner Cable channel 49 and 139 on FIOS
- The zoo played a role in helping Dunham to overcome her fears
- In this episode, the two women with severe agoraphobia will "confront brutal psychological truths as they stuggle to break free from this devastating mental disorder."
According to Zoo Spokeswoman Lorrell Walter, it wasn't easy to convince Dunham to leave the house.
"They had been working with her for several days. She hadn't been able to leave her house in a couple of months. And they surprised her and said, we're going to go into the zoo," Walter said.
Walter also thinks that the zoo played a role in helping Dunham overcome her fears.
"Her boyfriend enjoyed visiting zoos, but they haven't been able to come to our zoo together because of her illness. That was the goal, to get them together, and it worked," he said.
Listen to my reporter wrap on this story for Newscast #8 below:
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