Quote:
Originally Posted by Aralith
I guess this is just kind of a discussion of all phobias in generally, but I specifically wanted to mention arachnaphobia because it is something I have dealt with for most of my life. The real question I'm posing is, does anyone know how to deal with such an irrational fear or perhaps even how to cure it?
I know that usually the best way to come to terms with a fear is to learn more about it, make it less unknown. Well, I tried that. I went through page after page of information, forced myself to look at literally hundreds of pictures of spiders to decrease the fear, but no effect. In fact, the reason I am even thinking of this right now is because about 15 minutes ago I happened to see a picture of a spider on an image board I frequent and it scared the living daylights out of me. Right now, I'm constantly looking up at the ceiling with this irrational fear that I'll eventually look up and a giant spider will be up there.
I really don't know how to handle this, as it seems to get worse with the progression of time, and with each frightening I have with a spider, digital, real, or otherwise. It makes me feel even worse that I didn't have any traumatic experience in my childhood or something like that. I have no clue what the cause could be. I'm even afraid of Googling "how to cure arachnaphobia" because they might have a picture of a spider come up. Last time I went to an internet site that I knew would have spiders on it, I had my roommate scroll down the page for me and tell me what I wanted to know so I wouldn't have to see them.
So, does anyone know the origins of this phobia, or any other for that matter, and how to go about curing it?
|
Wow you've got it pretty bad. I don't think it necessarily has to do with a childhood experience; it's a basic instinct to be scared of spiders. Thousands of years ago it could have been all that kept you alive; naturally being afraid of spiders. It's the same with reptiles.
I'm not afraid of spiders, but sometimes when I see one out the corner of my eye, or see one unexpectedly, it makes be jump or recoil; even though I know that it's not poisonous, and I'll quite happily pick it up straight afterwards (fortunately in the UK we don't have poisonous spiders, although there was this time at work that we found a tarantula in one of the delivery crates
). It's just a natural reaction to recooil.
People say the best way to eliminate a fear is to confront it. If you could bring yourself to sit in a box of big, hairy spiders, maybe it would cure you. But I'm pretty sure you wouldn't do that, and if you did it might traumatise you for life.
You could always try hypnotherapy?