Eight-Legged Nightmares: Overcoming Arachnophobia

When I applied for the job in a local pet store, one of the first questions that the owner asked me was whether or not I was afraid of snakes and other reptiles.

"Oh no," I replied, "I've been around them all my life. I used to catch snakes in the back fields all the time when I was little."

The second question was whether or not I was afraid of spiders.

Busted.

I was an arachnophobe.

What is Arachnophobia?

Arachnophobia is, simply put, an irrational or extreme fear of spiders. This fear can vary from a slight increase in the heart rate to panic-induced immobilization. Some people who suffer from Arachnophobia will even refuse to enter an area unless it's thoroughly checked to ensure no spiders are present.

Arachnophobia is a mild inconvenience to some while, for others, it can severely hampers one's day-to-day life. At the very least, it leaves those who suffer from it feeling like others perceive them as weak, silly or even comedic, - no matter how terrible their fear is.

In truth, Arachnophobia is no laughing matter. Did you know that Arachnophobia dates clear back to the rise of civilization? We know that around the time that Christ was born, there were parts of Abyssinia that were evacuated due to plagues of spiders. Some scientists believe that Arachnophobia is a throwback to our natural survival instincts that developed from prehistoric man. Back then, man had to fear spiders because they were larger, more vicious and far more dangerous to the human race. Regardless of where the phobia stems from, however, the fear of spiders is a very serious and often debilitating condition that should not be taken lightly.

Unfortunately, it's not uncommon for arachnophobes to find themselves the brunt of family, friends and co-workers jokes and hi-jinks. Most arachnobics will tell you that they have experienced episodes where it feels as if everyone is making light of their fears. From personal experience, I can say that it's no fun for the arachnophobe. In fact, seemingly harmless pranks can even intensify one's fears and do more harm than good.

A Bad Spider Experience

When asked if I was afraid of spiders, I truthfully answered that I was. Fortunately, however, I was reassured that the spiders were kept in closed and locked tanks. Even when they arrived from the breeders, they were transported in these Tupperware-style dishes - all you had to do was remove the lid and gently ease them into the tank. Easy enough, right? Suuuure.

Truth be told, I worked there for several months without incident and often took the opportunity to peer at the spiders through the safety of thick glass. We frequently got three main kinds of spiders - The Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula (named for his rose-colored hair), the Pink-toed Tarantula (named, you guessed it, for his pink piggies) and the Red Baboon. The Red Baboon, I was told, was one of the largest and most aggressive of the Tarantula family, sold in the pet trade. As if that wasn't intimidating enough, I was also informed that they were commonly known as bird-eating spiders (you can figure that out for yourself) and that they could reach the size of dinner plates.

What!?!

Knowing this bit of background is essential, however, as it explains what moved me to action the day that a new little pink-toe decided to hop her barricade (yes, tarantulas hop) and go visiting. Despite my fear of spiders, I have a soft-heart when it comes to animals and, when this happened, all I could think was that the pink-toe was in the cage with the grumpy red baboon and soon to become an entree. I quickly reached back into the cage with my little Tupperware dish and attempted to scootch her back into it, but she had other ideas.

I'm not sure if the red baboon moved, her spidey senses warned her, or if he said, "Can I get some fries to go with that shake," but she vaulted over the dish and onto my hand before quickly scrambling up my arm like an Olympic athlete.

At first, I was totally paralyzed with fear. Then, a sort of wild panic kicked in.

The blood-curdling scream brought customers and co-workers flying in time to witness me sweeping the spider onto the counter and the little arachnid scuttling rapidly after me, no doubt looking for protection and a tall thing to climb on. I didn't realize that, however.

I was pretty sure that she was coming to eat my face.

Thankfully, co-workers intervened and I survived the ordeal (as did the little spider), but it was a valuable lesson for myself and my co-workers about how helpless an arachnophobe is when confronted with their phobia. Ever since, I have tried to push myself to overcoming my fear.

Methods for Treating Arachnophobia

Fortunately, people who suffer from Arachnophobia are not alone. Believe it or not, Arachnophobia is believed to be the most common phobia in the world (followed closely by Claustrophobia). Wow, it's hard to get any love when you've got 8 fuzzy legs!

But because Arachnophobia is one of the most common fears, it is also one that has been widely studied and, because of this, there are a wide variety of treatments for this fear of spiders. Some of the most common methods are as follows:

Exposure Therapy: Perhaps the most popular method for overcoming Arachnophobia is to undergo a particular kind of behavior therapy known as "Exposure Therapy." Using a series of different stimuli, a person learns to confront their feared situation or object by reliving a traumatic experience while in a controlled and therapeutic environment. It sounds traumatic, doesn't it? But don't be so quick to scoff and brush this treatment aside - According to Dr. Todd Farchione, Assistant Professor of Psychology at Boston University, 90% of people who undergo Exposure Therapy are successful in overcoming their phobias. Talk about some amazing odds!

Desensitization: For those who want to bypass some of the more shocking techniques, there is the more gradual route known as Systemic Desensitization. Using a series of steps, the patient learns to slowly overcome their fear and then graduate on to the the next step of desensitization. This might start out with having the patient look at a picture of a spider in the first stages and end with the patient finally overcoming their fear and holding a live spider in their hands. The allure of this method is that, not only is it a slow and more gradual way of overcoming one's fears, but this can often be accomplished without a series of costly therapist's visits.

Hypnosis: Hypnotherapy has long been used as a method of overcoming various phobias and anxieties. Hypnosis for Arachnophobia can often work, because it helps to calm the patient and place them into a near-meditative state before introducing stimuli to the subconscious mind. In turn, the subconscious then helps the conscious mind overcome the fears, changing the way one thinks and reacts to the stimuli (in this case, spiders).

Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP): Developed during the 1970's, Neuro Linguistic Programing is a process by which a therapist analyzes the words and phrases that a person uses, as well as body language and facial expressions, to determine the root cause of the fear. The therapist them uses attitude and the patient's own self image to effect the positive changes they desire in their lives and to promote the mhealing process.

These are only some of the more common methods that are employed in an effort to try and help a person work through their phobias. Which one will help you? That all depends on who you are and which method you respond best to.

How I Overcame My Arachnophobia

My own fear of spiders used to be a crippling aspect of my life. It not only made working at the pet store difficult at times, but it also made me feel poorly about myself. It troubled me that I had to call one of my children to come and squish a spider while I cowered in the corner and despite her begging and pleading, it made me deny my daughter the pet spider that she wanted for years.

There is, however, a happy ending to this.

It took a great deal of willpower on my part but, one day, I took my daughter into the pet store and surprised her by buying her the spider that she'd wanted for years. It was a big step for me but, over time, I am happy to say that I have been learning to face my fear of spiders. In fact, I was able to hold "Squishy" on a few occasions and even fed and cared for her when my daughter was away.

Am I ready to replace my Boston Terrier with a pet tarantula? Not on your life. But at least I know we can cohabitate without worrying that one is going to come and eat my face.

Sources:

Personal experience, as one who suffers from a phobia of spiders
http://www.earthlife.net/chelicerata/arachnophobia.html - Definition of arachnophobia
http://www.pbs.org/thisemotionallife/people/expert/todd-farchione-phd - Discussion on exposure therapy
http://www.drozfans.com/dr-ozs-advice/dr-oz-arachnophobia-fear-of-spiders-overcoming-phobias-fears/ - Interesting Dr. Oz snippet
http://www.personal-development.info/self-hypnosis/arachnophobia.html - Article on hypnosis and Arachnophobia
http://www.neuro-vision.us/Articles/arachnophobia-how-to-overcome-spider-phobia.html - Article defining NLP