Phallophobia

I'm a 19 year old lesbian, and penises scare me.
I don't know why.
It's gotten so bad that I close my eyes while walking by dorm rooms with drawings of cartoon dicks on the door, and I try not to look at any of the graffitti in the bathroom stalls. I skip past the sex scenes in romance novels. I thought I would grow out of it, but it seems to be getting worse, especcially living in a co-ed dorm.
The only 'cure' for phobias I could find is toughing it out until it doesn't scare you anymore. This isn't working. I tried making myself look, but I'm still petrified.
I can't avoid them for the rest of my life.
Suggestions?

Hi,

'Toughing' it out doesn't sound too great. What would be better would be to face the fear in a controlled fashion. usually, this involves minor exposures to the fear, and then gradually increasing the intensity/level [of exposure]. You could plan ahead to look at a drawing of a penis on a particular day, for example, and then do it. Once you have seen it - in a controlled manner - let the fear go and plan the next 'viewing'. Over time, the fear should decrease and you might find one day that it has vanished.

Good luck,
Kevin