Or Going Bananas?

[4legsmax]

Have name changed for this, just in case….

I am a rational person. Really I am! But, I am scared of spiders, really scared. Thanks to recent reports in the press about poisonous spiders being found in bananas and spiders emerging from bananas, I am now too scared to buy bananas. I cannot even pick them up in the supermarket. I know that the probability of there being a deathly (or any spider) in the bunch that I select is low, but that doesn't seem to matter when I am in the supermarket!

Is it only me?

That sounds like a classic phobia. Not just being scared when confronted by the object, but avoiding situations that might result in you meeting it.

The bad news is, avoidance actually reinforces the fear. You avoid bananas, don't see spiders, so your brain thinks 'aha, avoiding bananas is keeping me safe'. Problem is, you then read about a spider in the bath and start avoiding baths, and before you know it you're living your whole life in fear of meeting a spider.

You could try CBT and systematic desensitisation. Basically, you learn relaxation techniques and work your way through a hierarchy of situations that would normally cause you anxiety, and teaching yourself that there is nothing to fear. As one situation no longer causes you fear you move on to the next, slightly scarier situation. For example it might be reading the word 'spider', seeing a cartoon picture of a spider, seeing a more realistic drawing of a spider, seeing a photo, seeing a real one at a distance...

There are lots of people offering treatments. You might be able to find self help info on the internet, see your GP for a referral, or seek a private therapist. But you don't have to let it control your life.

i have considered going to for spider phobia treatment - I know you can go to London Zoo for example… I cannot imagine actually doing it though! I would like to be able to have a banana without having to get someone to pick it up and inspect it for me though!

Yes, YABU but phobias are unreasonable. You do need to get some help for it though, whether professional, online or self teacher.