Arachnaphobia

[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?

[Nietzsche]

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?

Buy a pet spider. That's the easiest way to get over it. Facing it in a controlled environment.

[Verrick]

Find some spiders and stomp on them. Show yourself that spiders are beneath you and cannot harm you.

[Twilight Wolf]

Originally Posted by Rhalen

Find some spiders and stomp on them. Show yourself that spiders are beneath you and cannot harm you.

Unless it's a black widow. Then stay the hell away.

[GarmGarf]

You could always image what the spider in front of you is feeling. You are a super giant to it. Like, incredibly massive. You can destroy its home, and all its family in a mater of seconds with a vacuum cleaner.

Presuming the spider isn't poisonous, 1v1 death match, who would win? You, obviously, even with just your naked body.

[Tazryl]

You could do what Ron Weasley did in Prisoner of Azkaban, picture tap dancing

[Riddle_Box]

I conquered my fear of spiders however back hwen i got into Zelda i was terrified of Skulltullas.

[Aralith]

Originally Posted by Nietzsche

Buy a pet spider. That's the easiest way to get over it. Facing it in a controlled environment.

As much as that probably would work, I would probably just be way to scared to live with that thing. Worried it would sneak out in the middle of the night while I was sleeping or something.

Originally Posted by Rhalen

Find some spiders and stomp on them. Show yourself that spiders are beneath you and cannot harm you.

I've squished my share of spiders in my 19 years. It hasn't done a thing for me other than qualm the fear I was feeling at the time from seeing them alive.

Originally Posted by GarmGarf

You could always image what the spider in front of you is feeling. You are a super giant to it. Like, incredibly massive. You can destroy its home, and all its family in a mater of seconds with a vacuum cleaner.

Presuming the spider isn't poisonous, 1v1 death match, who would win? You, obviously, even with just your naked body.

I've thought of this several times before. And I know its the truth, but it hasn't helped qualm this fear yet.

Originally Posted by sethpenguin

I conquered my fear of spiders however back hwen i got into Zelda i was terrified of Skulltullas.

Speaking of spiders in Zelda. I was playing TP alone one night when I went into the Temple of Time. The little mini spiders, and even those somewhat cartoonish four-legged things freaked me out, but I was able to deal with it. I could not do the boss though. I couldn't. That giant spider just scared me to death. I had to save the game and wait until the next day when someone else was there before I could do it. I don't want it to be like that anymore. I really wish I didn't have to do things like that.

Here's the thing that's most confusing to me about this whole ordeal. I've tried just about everything I can think of, short of that pet idea, and it hasn't done anything for me. And to compound that confusion, I don't have any traumatic event to explain why I have the fear in the first place. But then that it won't go away? I just don't know.

[Riddle_Box]

has anyone here heard the urban legends about the Camel Spiders?

[GarmGarf]

Originally Posted by Aralith

I've thought of this several times before. And I know its the truth, but it hasn't helped qualm this fear yet.

Yeah, I'll admit that I have a moderate fear of spiders, provided that they are of medium size or greater. The tiny one's don't bother me, and I don't mind spiders on a screen, but I think I know what you are feeling about the big ones.

So yeah, I guess the truth isn't helping either of us so well.

[Orici]

I used to be slightly afraid of spiders. Till I found out my backyard was infested with Black Widows and Brown Widows. Then I became non-afraid once I learned to live with them

[Eggys]

I used to be slightly arachnophobic. I did exactly what you did, look up hundreds of pictures of spiders and tarantulas, but it seems that your case is worse than mine was. I didn't stop though. I kept researching everything about spiders, all they do, as my fear did nothing more than fascinate me.

Eventually the fear went away. In the end I realized that the main reason I was scared of spiders was because I let myself be subject to the fear. You have to overcome that, not by just staring at pictures of the scariest spiders you can find, but by assuring yourself that spiders are just creatures of life, just like us, and they are more scared of us than we are of them. It was just more of a phase than anything.

Well, I hope that helps.

[Aralith]

Originally Posted by Freedom G

if you said you weren't afraid of spiders, think again

there is no getting over it.

Okay, not cool. I do not want to be worried about going into my own thread to find the very thing I am afraid of staring me in the face.

[Orici]

One thing you could do is purposely put yourself next to a spider, or spiders.
It may be scary, but over time you might get used to it, and your fear would slowly diminish.

I'm weird about spiders...certain ones I'm not afraid of at all. But the poisonous ones...I can't stand them. Like I said before, my backyard is infested with Black and Brown widows. In fact just the other day I saw a bunch of baby ones flying off from a web or something. But anyway, just being around them long enough has made me less afraid of them.

[Kouten]

Follow the law: If you don't bother it, it won't bother you. It usually works. I mean, think about it for a minute. Humans are not a spider's diet. Their venom is only meant to paralyze insects they consume. Still be cautious but don't obsess or freak out about it.

I have a fear of heights. I don't think it's a phobia because it's not that severe, but I still hate it. Whenever I'm really high up, my mind automatically flashes the worst possible scenarios into my mind and I begin to freak on the inside, though usually I'll keep cool on the outside. I just rode my first ferris wheel a couple of months ago and I seriously freaked. I held onto the pole in the middle of the car. Eventually I relaxed some and began to enjoy the view, yet I never let go of that pole. What's worse, my younger sister laughed at me.

The only time this fear doesn't apply would be for roller coasters. That same day, I rode a roller coaster easily 3 times it's height without feeling anything at all. But that's probably just because I'm a coaster-fanatic.

[Aralith]

Originally Posted by Kouten

Follow the law: If you don't bother it, it won't bother you. It usually works. I mean, think about it for a minute. Humans are not a spider's diet. Their venom is only meant to paralyze insects they consume. Still be cautious but don't obsess or freak out about it.

And there is my dilemma. I know all of these things. But they still bother me. That's what bothers me most about my fear is that it is so irrational. I know all of the facts, I know all of the ways to get rid of the fear and I've tried most of them, but nothing has helped me.

[Kouten]

Originally Posted by Aralith

And there is my dilemma. I know all of these things. But they still bother me. That's what bothers me most about my fear is that it is so irrational. I know all of the facts, I know all of the ways to get rid of the fear and I've tried most of them, but nothing has helped me.

Yeah, that's when it's a phobia.
Here's my advice then:
People will be able to offer you ideas on how to get over it, but really, only you can overcome it. Try every method you can think of (as long as it isn't too extreme). Maybe even go buy yourself a harmless spider and keep it as a pet (play with it often ). Also, be patient with it. I offer this as a solution to a lot because it's true. So many things can be resolved with merely time itself. Oh, and good luck.

[FluidConcept]

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?

[Aralith]

Originally Posted by Kouten

Yeah, that's when it's a phobia.
Here's my advice then:
People will be able to offer you ideas on how to get over it, but really, only you can overcome it. Try every method you can think of (as long as it isn't too extreme). Maybe even go buy yourself a harmless spider and keep it as a pet (play with it often ). Also, be patient with it. I offer this as a solution to a lot because it's true. So many things can be resolved with merely time itself. Oh, and good luck.

Yeah, a harmless pet spider might be the way to go. It'd take me a while before I worked up the courage to play with it, but just going to sleep with it in the same room would probably do me worlds of good.

FluidConcept, you are right. No way would I put myself into a box of hairy spiders.

And I have to say, Sage of Earth, that's kind of strange one. And I thought the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth (arachibutyrophobia, if you're interested) was odd.

[Eternal Legend]

I'd rather live in a room of spiders than to be in the dark. I am sheesh-scared of the dark.

I think the best way to overcome arachnophobia as everyone has already mentioned here is to buy a pet spider and to approach it and do everything with it until you're as comfortable holding it without the need to look and watch it constantly.

I think spiders are beautiful creatures. I don't mind most of them, except for the massive hairy trantulas. Those I will run away from...

[Latex Glove]

Well, truly, is the "condition" one which interferes with your everyday lifestyle? If so, then advancement in coming to terms with these creatures is an absolute requirement; however, if indeed it is not, then I see little reason to really worry about conquering your fear of them.

Although, even if this fear did not interfere with your lifestyle, I can see how it would bother you in the light that it is a weakness of sorts.

As to how to conquer it, the most likely way is the manner in which you would never wish to have it done, and that would be through exposure.

[Elshape]

My brothers and I have cured our mothers arachnaphobia:
She used to scream if she saw a money spider, now just recently she held a
4 1/2inch tarantula, she lost her fear because we have two tarantulas in terrainiums.....it helped her(us owning tarantulas)because she could see them, in a place were they could not harm her(emotionaly harm), were she could watch and they could not crawl on her, she screamed the first time she saw our tarantulas, and tried to run out of the house, but slowly she warmed towards them and now has affection for them.

[dinodude]

Me too. I'm horrifyed of spiders. I made them allies of the devil infact. Although I treat lizards like equals. I loved one when it eat a spider. It must be from a photo of a big hairy spider eating a gecko. Although, I scared of spiders. I do not even care about a huge snake. It must be from 340 million years ago. When, tiny lizard-like animals get eaten by giant spiders. I more scared of a tiny spider then a lizard. I would rather have lizards then a dog. I also like birds. Well, they are reptiles. I think I'm quite strange. I have to see a spider just to get to the lizards. It is getting in the way to see the geckos that are to the side of the big hairy spider. People show me a picture of a tarantula just to make me panic. I screamed and ran in terror, and it embrassed me alot. I'm sadden by this. I can't cure this. I just ran in terror.