Arachnophobia, or the fear of spiders, is one of the most common fears people experience. Seeing spiders causes some human anxiety, and ignoring a particular fear is a difficult thing to do. You don't have to love spiders, but you can learn how to overcome your fear of them.
Step
Part 1 of 2: Facing Fear
Step 1. Expose yourself to spiders
Most treatments for phobias include exposure to the object/creature that triggers it. You have to face the fear you feel in order to overcome it. If you are uncomfortable and afraid of being around spiders – but not panicking or worrying too much, you may be able to overcome this fear on your own.
If the thought of spiders makes you feel really scared, anxious, or having a panic attack, don't try these self-help techniques. Exposure therapy is the most effective way to deal with phobias
Step 2. Develop a record of the exposure hierarchy
Make a list from 1-10. Number 1 is the situation that scares you the least (e.g. just thinking about spiders), and 10 is the situation that scares you the most (e.g. touching a spider). Do it one at a time by getting used to number 1 – think spiders, then work your way up to number 2 and so on until you reach number 10. Make sure you have the support you need at each step. Here's an example of a marketing hierarchy:
- 1. Looking at the picture of the spider
- 2. Watching spider videos
- 3. Holding the toy spider
- 4. Visit the spider area in the zoo
- 5. Go outside and look for spiders
- 6. Catch the spider and watch it
- 7. Visiting a friend who raises spiders
- 8. Seeing the friend's spider in an uncovered cage (if the spider is harmless)
- 9. Watching the friend feed the spider
- 10. Watching the friend hold the spider
- You can start with the simplest things. This is what the fear hierarchy list is for. Rate your anxiety level from 1-10 (1 being the least worrying, 10 being the most anxious) based on your level of involvement with the source of the phobia. If you're getting more and more anxious, you can take a step back (take the previous action), or take a break. If you're overly nervous and can't get relief even after prolonged exposure, your fear may grow stronger. Be careful and seek consultation with a mental health professional.
Step 3. Determine how much time you will spend on exposure therapy
You must commit to setting aside enough time for this therapy to be effective. Doing it sporadically or irregularly will result in the results you want not occurring. Try to set aside at least an hour of exposure several times per week.
- Remind yourself that while you may feel anxious, you are not in danger. You must be able to overcome the anxiety that arises.
- Try to get past the initial experience of anxiety or fear by practicing deep breathing. The longer you commit, the better your chances of success.
Step 4. Start by using pictures and spider toys
In order to overcome your fear, you must learn to get used to the spiders around you. Start with someone who is supportive and can help you reduce your fear and anxiety. Sit near the person as he or she picks up a toy or a picture of a spider. Try sitting still for a few seconds. Repeat this process several times.
- Try increasing the time spent staring at the spider toys/pictures each day. When you feel safe or have gotten used to it, try to touch the toy or picture. Once you are able to do this, increase your interaction time with the toy/picture.
- Once you get used to seeing pictures of spiders, try increasing the discomfort factor by watching videos of the spider or holding the toy. Remember: you may feel uncomfortable, but as long as you can hold it in, you should move on.
Step 5. Tolerate the presence of spiders
When he's near you, don't hit him, run away, or yell at someone else to kill him. Stand away from the spider and stare at the animal until your fear subsides. Be aware that you must verify and identify that the spider is not a dangerous species (for example, not a Black Widow spider). Then, approach him a little and stand still and stare at him for a while. Continue until you are next to or very close to the spider. Remember, it will not harm you. If you continue this for a long time, your fear will naturally lessen.
- Visiting the cobwebs at the zoo can help you tolerate them.
- You can also go outside and look for spiders. Once you find it, watch it from a distance.
Step 6. Catch the spider
If you have a spider in your house, try catching it with a glass cup, then stare at the spider. Seeing spiders up close is a type of exposure that can help overcome the phobia of arachnophobia. Stare at the spider and don't move until you start to feel comfortable and safe. You can even talk to him! While this may sound strange, you can feel as though you are communicating with him, which will reduce your fear.
You can move the animal outdoors. Watch him walk away and think that you have more control over his life than you do the other way around
Step 7. Increase interaction with spiders
Touch the harmless spider if you dare. You can try touching non-aggressive spiders, or going to a pet store and asking permission to handle the spiders they sell.
If you have a friend who has spiders, ask permission to watch them with the cage lid open (make sure it's safe beforehand). Watch your friend as he feeds and handles the spiders. You can also ask to hold it
Step 8. Consider following treatment
If your fear of spiders is overwhelming and interferes with your daily life, you may need professional help. There are several types of therapy to help people who are afraid of spiders. The most common form is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which can include Exposure and Systematic Desensitization treatments.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) involves the process of rearranging thoughts (about spiders) to change feelings (fear) and behavior (avoiding spiders). CBT can be very useful to replace thoughts that will increase your fear of spiders. For example, instead of thinking, "That spider is going to hurt me," think, "That spider doesn't worry me. It's harmless." You can ask a therapist to help you do CBT yourself so you can reject the automatic thoughts in your brain.
- Although exposure therapy is the most research-based type of psychotherapy for dealing with phobias, there are alternative treatments such as: biofeedback, learning relaxation skills, meditation, mindfulness, and stress tolerance.
- If your phobia is severe, you can also take medications including antidepressants (Zoloft, Prozac), anticonvulsants (Lyrica), and tranquilizers (Xanax).
- You can contact your health insurance service provider to get a list of certified health workers.
- You can download an app developed by a doctor, called Phobia Free, to help overcome your fear.
Part 2 of 2: Understanding Fear and Thinking Differently About Spiders
Step 1. Understand the difference between a normal fear and a phobia of spiders
Several studies show that the fear of spiders is part of human evolution and is actually a form of adaptive behavior. However, if your fear of spiders is interfering with your life and making normal tasks difficult, your phobia may need professional help.
Step 2. Determine the source of your fear
The fear of spiders may arise as a conditioned response. This means that you are experiencing it because you have encountered a negative situation related to spiders, and then developed a fear reaction to it. Try to find out why you are afraid of spiders or what makes them scary to you. Once you understand specific fear-related thoughts, you can turn them into a more positive reality.
Talk to a trusted friend, family member, or therapist and ask them to help you understand the specific reason for your arachnophobia. Have you ever been walked by a spider as a child? Have you ever heard a story about a spider killing someone? Did you choose to hate it consciously? Remember when your fear started and start from there to try to overcome it
Step 3. Learn the positive aspects of spiders instead of all the scary parts
Changing your thinking about spiders is important for conquering your fear and making you feel more comfortable when you encounter spiders. Know which spiders are native to your area and dangerous; learn how it looks. In fact, there are very few spiders in some countries that are truly deadly. Other areas of the world are inhabited by more dangerous species. In addition, the hospital in your area may have a cure for all attacks by dangerous spiders.
- Understand that spiders do more good than harm, and can help protect you because they eat pests that can spread more serious hazards, such as disease. Spiders only bite as a last resort for survival.
- Try watching a children's movie or reading a storybook about spiders.
- Take the time to appreciate her beauty. Watch documentaries and learn more about spiders.
- Draw a happy and harmless looking spider on a piece of paper. Imagine that he wants to be friends with you. Talk to him and ask imaginary questions that you know the answers to, but pretend that you get them from the spider. This can help you to perceive spiders as more friendly creatures.
Step 4. Don't believe the common myths about spiders
We are often given wrong information about the dangers of spiders. For example, actually spiders in your house are usually harmless because they are unable to penetrate human skin. Also, spiders don't attack humans on purpose. It only bites to defend itself. Spiders are antisocial arachnids and want to be left alone.
Step 5. Understand the spider's behavior
When he encounters a human, he generally hides, runs away, or does nothing. Their eyesight is also poor, but spiders are easily startled by loud noises or shocks. Spiders don't want to scare us, but they are sometimes curious and want to see who you are. Depending on your reaction, he may just want to visit. However, if you panic and try to kill it, the spider may try to defend itself.
Step 6. Accept and understand that spiders are a natural part of this world
Be aware that spiders are almost everywhere and sometimes unavoidable. Spiders are native to every continent, except Antarctica. However, also understand that this does not mean that you will always run into a spider. Make sure you maintain a certain perspective. In addition, spiders are useful for keeping the house free of insects and pests. If there were no spiders in this world, we would be attacked by a colony of insects!
Step 7. Use positive suggestions
One aspect of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is changing automatic negative thoughts by talking to yourself (giving suggestions). If you're afraid of spiders, think, "Spiders aren't dangerous, I'm just afraid of their appearance." Or, you can repeatedly tell yourself that spiders won't do you any harm.
Tips
- Be patient as you work on overcoming your fear. Fears and phobias are not easy to overcome and may take time. Accept the fact that a slight fear of spiders may be natural and a part of you in the long run.
- If you are helping someone overcome their phobia of spiders, make sure they are comfortable and don't try to scare them. Remember, he trusts you to help him. Saying or doing something that scares him can make his fear worse.
- Tell yourself and others that you like/love spiders. This is a trick to trick yourself into believing that you actually like spiders, or at least are no longer afraid of them.
- Spiders can be scary, but remember, they may be more afraid of you than the other way around.
Warning
- Don't equate spider behavior in horror movies/stories with spider behavior in real life! Spiders do not perceive humans as prey or try to hunt them.
- Some types of spiders are dangerous. Be careful, even if you are not afraid of him. Small bites can go a long way when you play with the wrong spider. You can avoid risk by studying all the poisonous spiders that live in your area. In addition, also study their common habitats. For example, spider Black Widow usually live in old garbage piles and dark places. These spiders are also easy to identify.
