Anyone successfully conquered arachnophobia?

[Seziah]

Just back from a few days in the countryside and the Airbnb was absolutely full of spiders. Most were small but I came down the first morning to two giant thick whoppers and barely slept after that.

I tell myself they can’t hurt me, they’re more scared of me etc. but it just doesn’t make any difference. Completely irrational, and hard when you live alone.

Has anyone tried any therapies to get over the fear? I’ve heard of the spider programme at London Zoo but there doesn’t seem to be any availability, it’s a bit of a journey and not sure if it truly works

I had hypnotherapy and it has helped. I even caught a pretty big one in a glass the other night!

Yes I used EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) you can learn it for free, lots of videos on Youtube.

I wish my brother would learn it and use it, he's terrified of spiders.

I used to dread spider season, now I’m not that bothered. I don’t like them, I still spot them but the house no longer feels ruined by an encounter.

No. Have tried psychotherapy, hypnotherapy, neurolinguistic therapy, exposure therapy, etc etc. I am literally petrified. I don’t think I’m fixable.

Started off being petrified by spiders (to the point I fainted) 20 years ago and then overnight it vanished only to be replaced by snakes. This led to ducks/geese then to hippos, giraffes and alligators but once I'm over it I never look back. In the last year however I'm absolutely petrified of the Himalayan Snow Leopard to thr extent I have had counselling

I have a bee and wasp phobia so I know how limiting it can be when you have a phobia.

ive never treated mine but it ruins every summer for me

My dh is getting over it. After 25 yrs of me having to catch all the spiders. Our new place is full of them and I am sick of having to catch them so I just don't. Dh has had to learn how to catch them.

How many Himalayan Snow Leopards are appearing through your bathtub plug hole?

That’s very random, snow leopards are one of my favourite animals! I’d rather one of them in my bathroom than any type of spider 🙈

What I can tell you is I have several of these around my house. https://www.primrose.co.uk/product/_/pestbye-advanced-whole-house-spider-repeller/classid.8651/
Initially they might draw out any monsters but once they are away, I think it definitely helps reduce them.
Peppermint essential oil used liberally around the place.
Conkers in corners and around windows.
Nets across windows, especially if open at night.
September is the most awful month of the year. But we are more than halfway through!!
🫶🏻🫶🏻

@ShakyBakehow do the new phobias start? I can just about imagine fear of geese could happen. I can also fully understand the fear of snakes, especially if you live somewhere with native dangerous snakes. Or of any animal/bird/insect you could potentially encounter on a regular basis.
Where does the phobia of giraffes or hippos come from? Have you lived on the African continent and actually saw them? What about snow leopard? Have you seen any in their natural habitat?
Maybe, in your case, you could identify the starting point, common denominator and address that situation?

I thought Id shaken off my worst fears until one landed me while I was in bed. The neighbours must have thought WTF!!!!

A few of the therapists I have seen say it is simply unresolved anxiety and a phobia is a way in which it manifests. It is not an actual fear as such, just an outlet for the anxiety.

I did the spider course at London zoo and while I don’t like them I definitely don’t fear them the way I did. I was terrified and not even able to hoover one or kill one never mind lift one in a glass/card set up. I have successfully removed several house spiders since doing the course but I still come across the odd one which is in the wrong position or just too bloody big and I call DH to deal. I don’t feel anxious for ages after an encounter either which is real progress. It was £150 and worth every penny - it actually cost me far more as I had to travel to London and spend 2 nights in a hotel!

Thanks Branster and I know it may seem a little over the top but once I get the idea that something is living in my attic it makes me petrified of that animal. It is actually a possibility too sadly as a couple of years ago I read a rare bat (very large vampire kind) came over in the back of a van and lived for 5 years in an attic going out nightly looking for lambs and the owner had no idea until one day she seen it carry her cat away and there's going to be a film made (horror) based on it

I joined a page of Facebook last year called something like British Spider Indentification and I look at pictures of them everyday. I have learned a lot about them, and I am starting to look at them in a different light.

Earlier this week, I was able to capture a smallish Spider in a jar and release it into the garden..I know it's horrible, but previously I woild have just squashed it.

I think I would still struggle with a Giant House Spider if I saw it in the flesh, but previously I couldn't even look at a photo of one. Although not fully cured yet, it has definitely helped and I am hoping in time I can be brave enough to deal with the whoppers!

Yes. I used to be terrified of spiders. I once phoned my BF - now DH - in the early hours of the morning when he was hundreds of miles away cause I saw a giant house spider in my bedroom then it ran and hid somewhere and I was absolutely petrified.

Now, approximately 15 years on, I keep pet tarantulas, feed the wild spiders, and look forward to the autumn influx!

I swapped fear for fascination. I started watching YouTube channels of people who keep tarantulas. Eventually I started to find them more interesting than scary. I got my first tarantula about 5 years ago and that the time I was still a bit scared of them. Now I adore them.

Do you have children? That’s what cured me. My first DC was really into bugs, including spiders. I couldn’t let her see that I was scared of them because it was obviously irrational, and I loved her passion for nature and didn’t want to pass on my fear. That kind of cured me because every time we saw one and she wanted to get close for a look, I had to pretend to be relaxed about it. I still don’t like them and would struggle to get rid of a large one if I was alone in the house (because whilst I don’t want them in my house, I also don’t feel comfortable killing them). So in that situation, I’d shut the door and sleep in a different room if necessary 😂

DD still likes insects but her brother, who is a foot taller than her, is scared of spiders. If he has one in his room, he calls her to evict it.

No, but one of my proudest parenting successes it that I hid my severe fear of spiders from my daughter well enough that now aged 8 she has set up a spider catching business where I pay her to catch and remove spiders from the house, she even gives me discount codes for multi spider deals!! 😂

Nope. I did kill one the other night though. Normally I have to ask someone else to.

Following with interest!

I've got a huge phobia (to the point where it's caused me various levels of grief; I've been trapped in my car and had to get a passing delivery driver to save me, locked myself out of the house more than a few times by accident, accidentally flashed my father in law (I was completely naked) due to one, ran away from my 20 month old because a spider was on her, almost cancelled a huge holiday to Brazil - dawned on me what kind of monsters might be over there, even though I wasn't going anywhere near the Amazon, but the thought was enough to consider cancelling, countless frantic phone calls to neighbours to capture them for me when DH isn't around, not to mention the numerous hysterical nightmares about them where I literally jump out of bed which scares the crap out of DH).

It's honestly so debilitating for me - but the thought of doing therapy makes me wanna die a little because I know what you have to do and I just can't bear the thought.

I thought having kids might fix it, but it hasn't! If I've seen one outside in their garden toys for example, we just won't go in the garden unless another adult is there to deal with inevitable...

My house is full of old wives tales about repellents as well (peppermint, conquers etc). I also can't actually do anything with them either - I can't get close enough to throw a bowl over them or something, and if I used a hoover then I'd genuinely have to throw the hoover away. I'm aware it's totally irrational, but I'm also convinced that if I killed one, it's friends would see and then come back for revenge. Am perfectly aware it's irrational!!!

I used to think I was scared of spiders because I grew up with a mother who made a big song and dance whenever there was a spider.
Moved to the countryside and got used to them, realised it was just imagination. I might be slightly bothered by one big enough to eat me but mostly I don't even bother to pick them up and throw them out.

Hard relate to all of this 😭

This isn’t a phobia, it’s anxiety. Spiders are a very real thing in most homes. Snow leopards are not.

I can relate to this. For me it’s completely overwhelming.
For example even reading this thread I scrolled through extremely slowly with my heart racing incase someone had posted any photos. I can’t even look at a picture.
I thought having children would cure me but I have an 8 year old daughter and have passed my fear to her :(