I have a extreme fear of spiders. Especially tarantulas. When i see pictures of spiders in magazines i get panic attacks, my palms sweat, my heart races and i cant breathe, I throw the book so far from me and im freaked the whole day.Its really starting to dictate my life, everyday is a battle. I believe one day when its my time to die i t wil be as a result of a heart attack from a fright i got froma spider...how can i overcome this ? Please dont tell me to let it walk on me...il NEVER EVER do that!
2007-02-22 01:23:50 · 17 answers · asked by Anonymous in Social Science ➔ Psychology
I also have a STRONG fear of spiders. I can't be in the same room with them. I can't squish them. For one, I don't want to get that close and two, I don't like to feel that crunch when you squish their bodies. I realize that the fear is irrational and that most spiders don't hurt, but the phobia persists. Honestly, at this point, I have no desire to rid myself of the fear, I just married a man who doesn't mind killing them.
You can try some desensitization techniques (I think they actually did a Dateline on it). You're not going to like what I am going to say, but if you want to rid yourself of this fear, you may want to try these. These techniques are usually best when done with a behavioral therapist. Basically, you want to gradually expose yourself to spider stimuli, starting with something safe until you are able to touch a spider. First, teach yourself some relaxation techniques that you can do if you are having trouble. Then, start with something fairly benign. Watch a movie or documentary with spiders. Then move up to holding a picture of a spider. Then maybe hold a toy spider. If you have a lot of anxiety during this, do your relaxation techniques, or pull away and start again at a slower pace. The beauty of this technique is to move at a pace you are comfortable with, to help your body adjust to the fear. You can then try just being in the same room with a spider. Then move up to holding a spider in a container. Then, take it from there. The point is to build up a tolerance to spiders (and to kind of retrain your nervous system to NOT going into fight or flight mode when you see the 8 legged creatures).
2007-02-22 01:39:27 · answer #1 · answered by psychgrad 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
I know exactly how you feel! I once had to send an sms to my brother (he was in his bedroom and I was in mine) to come and kill a spider that was in the middle of my doorway! The other time I was in the shower and there was a spider above the door. My mom found me about 30 minutes later, crying 'cause I couldn't get out.
Unfortunately I have no advice to give! I must admit I'm much better than I was. I had a huge spider once in our flat and I had to kill it myself while my husband was at work. I was scared it might crawl somewhere I couldn't see it and then jump on me or something. Thought I would never make it through that day! And on top of it all, I saw it had a buddy that was just as huge. So I had to kill two that day! Was terrified for a long time, wouldn't walk underneath a door if I wasn't sure there's no spiders!
Hope you get someone that can help, as it is a terrible phobia to have! I won't let a spider walk on me either!
2007-02-22 01:40:16 · answer #2 · answered by Charmaine V 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
To overcome your fears, face them as what the saying goes and I used to have a extreme fear of rats from back when I was little because I got bit by a rat as a child one day that took some meat out of my hand when that rat did bit me but every since then I had a fear of rats and a few years ago my mom whent and got me a hamster which is the same as a rat but don't got a tail, I was afrade of them hamsters until I started putting my hand in the cage without looking and let the hamster walk on my hand and arm and next thing I did was started holding the hamster each day.
2007-02-22 01:35:43 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have the same problem, If I see a spider thats like 20 feet away Ill still run as fast as I can to get away from it. The only way that Im even half way ok with seeing a spider is if its on TV, and even then Im a little squemish. I would suggest going and seeing a psychologist if you want to get over it. best of luck.
2007-02-22 01:30:56 · answer #4 · answered by ? 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You don't have to go that far, during the desensitisation process. It would help if you learned techniques that enable you to deal with fear, panic, and anxiety, by learning to find your centre of consciousness: visit: www.relax7.com/7.php and see the blogs of Shan Eris on "tackling depression" at www.myspace.com In Australia we have 2 killer spiders, the redback and the black funnel web. I sat on my motorbike for weeks, unaware that there was a redback inside. Normally I put a glass jar over spiders, slide a bit of thick paper underneath, then let them go in the garden, but have killed 3 redbacks and seen one funnelweb, which I thought better to leave alone, as it wasn't near my home.
2007-02-22 01:47:08 · answer #5 · answered by CLICKHEREx 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Drive this fact deep into your mind and allow it to surface every time you see a spider: Without spiders in our world, the balance of nature would parish at an extremely fast rate, thus mankind would be replaced as the dominant species of life...
2007-02-22 01:48:32 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Visit Paul McKenna.
2007-02-22 01:26:47 · answer #7 · answered by fatherf.lotski 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
omg i am so sorry!! i am deathly afraid of spiders as well. i can't stand to look at one even on tv and i cringe whenever i see or think about one. honestly i need help with this as well....i dunno, maybe you should try a hypnotist or something. i don't know if it will work, but if this affecting your everyday life that much, then i suggest you try this. good luck!! ~a fellow arachniphobian~
2007-02-22 01:39:07 · answer #8 · answered by Essie 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i used to be sh!t feart of spiders,i used to get them in my house all the time and the only way i got over it was by going near them,closer and closer.....i was froze with fear but everytime i done it the less it would scare me,eventually i was able to pick them up and put them out.i went to Australia with my gf and seen **** loads of them (piousness) ones to but because i faced my fear i wasn't scared... altho i never picked up the ones in the oz but they never bothered me,they'll only bite you if you back them in a corner or running around like an idiot trying to kill it!
2007-02-22 01:41:46 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Move to Iceland. Or buy a big slipper to kill the little sods with.
2007-02-22 01:27:37 · answer #10 · answered by ? 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋