London Zoo Spider Course

[brokenwand]

Hi, I suffer very badly from arachnophobia & am considering doing the London Zoo spider programme.
Has anyone done this or can recommend anything similar & does it actually work?
I really need to improve on this as it really affects me eg won't go in the garage in case I encounter a spider & it's really affecting parts of my life

It's a good thing I'm not arachnophobic, because I've not come across a cat yet who'd come to my rescue. Ours catch the many-legged ones when they are within reach, as long as they can be bothered and then we find a poor little chewed-up body on the kitchen floor. Some people with arachnophobia find this hugely unhelpful, so it's probably better to go on a structured course rather than rely on the caprices of an animal that's known for them!

I have booked my place - not sure if i'm excited to conquer my fear or terrified

Be excited. Its life changing.
Maybe your doctor would prescribe a beta blocker to help you over the initial panic?
Honestly I was soooooo phobic and I’ve never looked back.
Let us know how it goes!

thank you, I will report back in June.
Beta blockers I take already for a heart issue so unfortunately i'm down to good old fashioned being very brave :-)

I got the pre-release email for tickets but they'd all sold out 😥

is there anything else similar? Or might they release more tickets?

I don't know - I got the pre-release tickets but went onto the web site 5 min s early & tickets were available so was lucky.

The email did read to me like there may be more tickets available when they go on general release but unsure

It’s a really good course but they are lacking in disability awareness so if you have any access needs please make sure you let them know exactly what you need before you go. I use a walking stick, so a very clear aid but still they took off at a rate of knots from the course room to the spider enclosure. I really struggled to keep up and was absolutely aching by the time I got there due to having to walk much faster than I am able to.

I have a huge phobia I feel quite sweaty just reading this thread!
The idea of touching a tarantula is my wost nightmare

Im fine with spiders outside though , but I have to leave the room/house, and get help ( I've even asked people I don't know, to come and get one!!🤣) if there is a big one indoors

You don't have to touch the tarantula if you don't want to.

You don't have to do anything you don't want to!

And there will definitely be one person in there more hysterical terrified than you.

Good luck OP, I hope it helps and frees you from the phobia.

I did the Edinburgh Zoo session last year. Before the course I was absolutely, hysterically phobic. I had a panic attack during the first half of the session when I saw a large brown rubber spider in the leaders hand, and ran out the room. I'm not dramatic about any else in my life ever!

I did stay until the end of the session but didn't participate in the 'catch and release' exercise, I just watched from a distance.

When I left I felt it had made no difference at all and was pissed off at spending over £200 and hours travelling however... I am no longer terrified of spiders. I'm jumpy about them and I certainly do not like them but I can deal with them now and I can go to sleep knowing there's a spider in the house. So long as it's not too big.

I think the London Zoo course is much better than the Edinburgh one though, and I plan to go on it one day.

Good luck, I know how brave you are being and it is worth it.

Why did I assume this was a spider obstacle course? 🙈

i'm just the same, I was telling DSS about the course at the weekend & all the hairs on my arms stood on end & I got goose bumps & that was just talking about the course

Thank you Tolber, it is a big thing for me to just book it.

I appreciate the support from everyone, thank you

Ahh well done OP, you will do do well.
It was literally life changing for me. I couldnt go in the garage/i actually had waking nightmares for years and sleep walking paralysis linked to my fear to the point i was worried for DC safety (re when they were babies i might try to evacuate them ans make a mistake during my nightmare/sleepwalk)

Anyway somehow they reprogramme your brain before you even see a spider. Every single person (even those shaking and crying in the reception area) did the minimum of touch a large house spider and do the glass and card trick.

It's been great for my kids too, they used to be sacred but now they see me jump a little when i first spot it then a split second later my brain says "oh it's only a spider" and my kids now like to look at its markings and study it before i evict it.

@brokenwand the teacher told us taking the step to book it is the biggest/hardest so you've done most of the hard work! You're on your way to becoming an (in a non weird way) arachnophile! ;)

@Tolber at london zoo they don't show you a spider until thr end. It's very much talking and breaking down your fear amd they're very clear that you won't see a spider until you're in the arachnid bit.

I echo what someone else said before, they did walk quickly and it was quite a way so if you have mobility issues you would need to plan with them how you will get extra time to travel beforehand

Thank you, useful to know as I have heart issues & quite slow when walking

Hopefully you'll find it as useful as I did! Just a heads up - at no point during any of the morning do you feel like you've done anything to 'fix' the issue - you talk in general about what phobias are/how they start. You talk about how yours affects you, fears, all the silly thoughts you have about spiders etc. You have a nice guided relaxation session, then you go across to the bug house - on the walk you're ALL going "but wait, we haven't done anything, I feel the same, I'm still scared, how is this meant to work??" etc etc...

But it just works. Magic. (Or some other much more likely psychological explanation. But feels like magic hehe)

So Saturday is the big day, feeling quite nervous already but also looking forward to it in a strange way as really want to be better at this.

I have been trying to prepare by joining a British spider ID group on facebook & looking at the pictures but it really hasn't helped so far

Wish me luck :-)

Good luck! You won't need it, just trust the process 😄

Good luck! My sister did a spider course at Bristol Zoo. Things have definitely improved. Whilst she still doesn't like them, she can manage to get them out of the house.

Wow this sounds so interesting, i didn't know this existed .. going to look it up now, and hope there aren't any pictures on the website 😣

Thank you - will let you all know how it goes

Have a great day today, you will be a changed woman!

Agree! Best pest controller ever.