help for my phobia?

Question

This may sound silly as everyone has fears of something but mine is really getting me down. I am scared stupid by house spiders. I think it's the way they move so quick and their legs that scare me. The thing is, it's getting to the point where I'm scared of being at home alone incase I see one, I'm having disturbing nightmares about them being in every room of my house and I have to get my boyfriend to check the room before I can settle down to sleep. It is a fear that just seems to get worse and it's getting me down. Is there anything I can do to try and cure this or maybe even to try and see spiders in more of a positive way? Please help me! Thank you.

Answer 1

i am so sorry to hear your phobia,
but i have the same phobia it is so frightening,i now can sense when there is a spider around the house,i am mortified of them.
i was once told i could get hypnotised,but it is sitting in a room and all these 3d pictures are shown and you scream and scream and when you stop you are holding a little spider how true this is i don,t know.i do now buy a product called spider stop from clean easy or betterwear,it doesn't kill the spiders but deters them from entering your house,the cost is£4.99 and i wouldn't be without mine.spray it around your door and windows and they will not come in.
iff you do get a cure for this phobia i would like to know.so keep in touch.and all the best,

Answer 2

There are three things you have to do to resolve any phobia.

1. Know your enemy
2. Learn to breathe properly
3. Confront the problem.

The reason we develop phobias is due to faulty learning. This is twofold.

Firstly bad experiences have associated spiders with fear. Maybe you have had nightmares after watching a horror movie.

Secondly, when you think about spiders, your heart rate increases and you hyperventilate. Hyperventilation causes your brain to think you are short of oxygen and this means you will hyperventilate even more. You need to prevent this happening.

The best way to control your breathing is by practicising a proper deep breathing technique. Drugs or hypnosis can be used if necessary.

When you have mastered breathing then you are ready to confront your fear. Set your self goals to expose yourself to spiders.

Let's say your first goal is being in a room with a spider and the lights on. When you go in, as soon as you feel uncomfortable use your breathing technique and you will soon calm down. Stay in there as long as you can, don't rush it.

Repeat the same process with, lights out. Touching a spider etc.

Answer 3

To be honest, you really should see a professional person to rule out certain types of mental illnesses..however, I know that most Phobia's will respond to exposure.
That means, to slowly expose yourself to the thing that scares you.
You start in a safe way, maybe looking into a room that has a spider trapped in a jar. Slowly you get used to that, and little by little get closer until you can hold the jar and study the spider. Do this until your are no longer afraid

Answer 4

Yes! Specific phobias of things like spiders can be cured through Hypnotherapy and NLP (Nero Linguistic Programming)

While if done the wrong way, it won't help - doing it the right way would cure the person of their phobia.

Several qualified individuals are certified to treat specific phobias, like yours.

Here are a few

Promind
Offer a free mini consultation
[e-mail] 0208 7044 333
London
http://www.promind.co.uk/index.php?pg=fears.xml&st=health

Terry Doherty
You can speak to him directly
[e-mail] 0845 389 0060 or 07931 381262
Buckinghamshire
http://mind-works.co.uk/Hypnotherapy-for-Phobias.html

David Ridgeway
Free consultation
08452 600 113
London and Horsham
http://www.davidridgeway.co.uk/phobiaclinic.html?gclid=CN3X2e_ipI4CFQxtMAodsH5kSA

Paul at Horizon Hypnotherapy
Free Consultation
[e-mail] 020 8658 2233
Based in Kent
http://www.horizonhypnotherapy.co.uk/?gclid=CIu4_vfipI4CFQaHMAodzzy2TA

Susannah Saunders treats phobia and charges £70 a treatment.
Central London
[e-mail] 020 7907 4640
http://www.cityhypno.co.uk/

I hope this helps.

If I was you I would try to discuss this with a supportive family member or close friend and find someone who will help you though it.

Good luck.

Answer 5

it is not being silly because u are scared of spiders , approach a small one and look at it and try and calm down just think a spider is scared of you more than you are scared of them,we all have phobias i have had a water phobia since i have been 11 i try to confront it but i am lucky my husband calms me down once i get into the bath without him i scream so learn to relax and calm down get someone u know that has the same phobia and if she/he is cured ask them to help you go through this ordeal

Answer 6

Many people are scared of spiders I don't like them either,and I spent 8 yrs in the Army Special Forces.They creep me out and you have good reason some are poison.I had a friend who thought the little spiders were cool until he picked up the wrong one it was a recluse bit him and he almost lost his hand.It still bothers him after 4 surgeries and some skin graf off his a.s.s.Stay away from them or spray your place real good like I do,only spider I see in my house is a curled up dead one.

Answer 7

I have anxiety and depression and have been trying an alternative therapy called Emotional Freedom Technique and it has really worked for me and helped me a lot. Since using it I have been feeling a lot better. It's very good at getting rid of all kinds of negative emotions and dealing with all kinds of issues quickly. It does sound bizarre but does work. Might be something that can help you with your phobia. If you type arachnophobia in the search engine of emofree.com your should find lots of articles about EFT being used on people with arachnophobia.

Answer 8

Hey, your not alone, Ive hate those leggy little beasts! One thing Ive found that works, for months at a time is Emotional freedom therapy or tapping. It sounds ridiculous, you tap certain points on your body while saying a positive phrase and you stop being afraid. I was looking it up for a friend and did it on my self for spiders and it worked straight away! There was huge dead spider in my shed and did this tapping thinking of that. Before it completely grossed me out, couldnt get near it, couldnt look at it with out shuddering. After I could go right up to it, examine it closely and it didnt bother me at all! Later on I had to do it again, visualising a moving spider and that worked to. I cant say Id want to actually pick one up, but I can now get one in a glass or something and dispose of it. Look it up on line for yourself but heres one link I found
www.eft-therapy.com
Hope this helps because I now how stupidly debilitaing it can be to be so afraid these leggy little beasts!

Answer 9

My husband is deathly afraid of spiders too. To put his mind at ease we bought spider traps and set them up around the house. and he was the one to take care of them when they needed to be tossed out. It's a lot easier to deal with a dead spider than a live one.

Answer 10

Everyone has fears and phobias it is quite normal these days but you could try getting your house fumigated for spiders that way you definatly wont have them in your house.