To ask if anyone has had successful EDMR treatment for phobias?

[IchWill]

Just that really. Definitely want to hear from arachnophobes. My biggest phobia is spiders.

I know I'll get flamed by those that don't understand phobias, but to indicate just how bad it is, the biggest spider I've ever seen in my life got lost in a room in my house. I have never been back into that room. It's been 10 years. I'm not even joking. Typing that out, i totally see it's ridiculous.

And I understand my phobia is irrational and unwarranted. But I literally can't get past the fear. It's crippling. I check under pillows before sleeping, shake shoes upside down before putting them on, shake towels before use and won't go anywhere where there could be spiders

I'm already mentally counting the days until spider season in September.

I would just love some first-hand experience of treatments. Especially successful ones. There's hypnosis and EDMR at the forefront of my mind.

I definitely couldn't do the friendly spider course. My best mate is as bad with spiders as me and she did the friendly spider course and it didn't help.

Please be kind. I'm trying to take control of my phobia by seeking some treatment. I also have a phobia of flying, nowhere near as bad as spiders as I'll get on a short flight after a few gins. But if I can get treatment for spiders, then I'll look at fear of flying too.

Following with interest as I am also terrified of spiders, not quite as bad as you but nearly. It's crippling and affects everything, so you have my sympathy. I have also done the friendly spider programme but it didn't work. Also tried CBT and hypnosis, they didn't help either. I am desperate to be cured of this!

Thank you for your input on treatments you've tried. Sorry they failed. Fingers crossed for some advice here. Hope you get some help from this thread.

One of my friends is petrified of moths. They don't bother me and I can get rid of them for her. (She will reciprocate with spiders where possible.) Even though less common, I think her phobia must be worse. Morhs can fly at you and into your face!

I had EMDR for ptsd and it helped massively. It was like the trigger became less scary. So i can see how it would be successful for phobias. Good luck!

Thank you. I'm so glad it helped you.

I have a friend who’s a doctor and has trained to use EDMR. I can’t tell you whether it’s specifically useful for phobias, but I know she’s definitely been really pleased with its effectiveness for PTSD and similar types of trauma.

My phobia of spiders is so severe that I don't even want to be cured. Not helpful.

I tried it for anxiety and to help me with my fear of driving on motorways, as I feel claustrophobic and fear I would faint (I never have, but I faint it I see blood/needles).

because of this I only drive on local roads where I am happy and relaxed.

I had EMDR and it hasn’t cured it but I feel that if I was to find myself in a situation where I’m anxious, I now have tools to help me relax and I don’t feel helpless any more.

If you can afford it (i was lucky my health insurance covered it), I would definitely try it as it’s non invasive and it could certainly work for you.

By the way, I had hypnotherapy before getting pregnant and it really worked, I had numerous blood tests and a wonderful natural labour that I know I couldn’t have coped with before hypnotherapy.

unfortunately, a couple of years later, I had a blood test and fainted and it brought it all back.

Have you tried hypnotherapy already?

They’re both very similar in which you have to think of your fear, they difference I found was that in hypnotherapy the therapist guided me into looking at things in a Different way (we visited the event that led me to fainting for the first time), and in EmDr, you think about it as the therapist taps you left and right (in my Case I chose my knees) and it’s supposed to file those memories away.

im sure there’s more to each method, but that’s in a Nutshell.

EMDR can be really useful for phobias, it helped a colleagues phobia of flying, but they do need a quick top-up session every now and then, especially before a flight.

You don't need to be completely cured of arachnophobia to be able to deal with most spiders. I'm still shit scared of big, leggy or fast ones but can catch most of them and put them outside. I use a special jug that is not see through, a plastic chopping board to slip underneath, and a piece of card that goes under that. I usually have to get someone else to open the door and I lob the whole lot outside while screaming.