While the reactions of other arachnophobics…like YOU might seem to be absurd and irrational to others, you are not alone in your throes of embarrassment due to this phobia! Almost all sufferers are in the same boat as you.
Irrational or overwhelming fear of spiders, in medical jargon termed as arachnophobia, is one of the most common among all phobias.
In fact, Arachnophobia is reported to affect 3.5- 6.1 percent of the population in U.S.A alone!
Just like in the case of other ‘phobias’, on seeing a spider, or even by assuming that there is a spider nearby, arachnophobics can get so panic stricken that they might refuse to stay in any spot that they assume could have spiders lurking around – including their homes-until they manage their anxiety! In fact, in extreme cases, even a realistic picture of a spider can trigger this irrational fear and the sufferer could break into sweat, get petrified, feel faint etc.
There is no shortcut to treat this condition of yours. But given that the fear is all in your mind, certain techniques that can ‘calm’ and ‘train’ your mind to perceive differently, can prove to be helpful! Certain alternative treatment options such as self-hypnosis, can be an effective cure for different forms of phobias, you can consider practising it to overcome your fear of spiders.
But before that …
It is imperative that you identify the actual causes responsible for you developing arachnophobia
You are most likely to develop arachnophobia if:
- You saw your parents and/ or near and dear ones reacting hysterically to spiders during your early childhood.
- You have had an extremely traumatic experience related to spiders.
In most cases, arachnophobia has been found to be a result of any traumatizing encounter with spiders in the sufferer’s early childhood. However, the arachnophobic might not remember the experience. The conscious mind often forgets the actual cause of the phobia, leaving the sufferer to believe that his fear of spiders is innate.
Hence, the steps to free yourself from arachnophobia effectively include:
- Identifying the real cause of your phobia and then
- Neutralizing the false belief that heightens this fear.
Here’s a video which can help you to overcome your phobia gradually but surely.
You can also bring home an audio CD, called Overcome Fear of Spiders with Hypnosis and try the techniques taught via this CD to deal with arachnophobia.
Once you get to understand the underlying cause behind your fear and ‘decide’ and start believing that you will overcome this fear, you surely can!
