Arachnophobia: What it is and how to overcome it

josue783 (41)in #psychology • 7 years ago

People suffering from arachnophobia feel terror and repulsion to spiders. Like any phobia, this disorder involves an irrational fear and an obsessive abhorrence, in this case by the arachnids

The specialists affirm that it is one of the most frequent phobias. People who suffer from this evil seek to remain at a distance from the places where they think they can live spiders. They also tend to move away from spider webs, as it is an indication of the presence of these animals.

The irrational component of arachnophobia is seen in many details. There are individuals who, if they know that there is a spider in a room, are welcome to enter it, even though there is almost no chance of establishing direct contact with the arachnid due to space issues.

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In its most extreme manifestations, arachnophobia can influence the decision of the person regarding where to reside or where to travel on vacation. The arachnophobic can even stop walking outdoors for fear of spiders.

When it comes to overcoming this phobia, which is the most frequent type of animal, it is necessary to carry out a certain psychological treatment. Hence, we must resort to professionals in this health area to end the fear that, in many cases, can determine a lot the life of those who suffer from it.

In this sense, as has been determined by experts in the field, three are the most frequent treatments used to put an end to this phobia. One of them is what is called "deconditioning" and consists in a basic way in uniting pleasant objects for the patient with stimuli to which he is afraid.

The second technique used against arachnophobia is the so-called "flood" and is perhaps the "most aggressive" of all those used. And basically it is about subjecting the patient directly to the situation that gives him dread while trying to convince him to stay in it until he feels more comfortable. The progressive exposure of the same to this circumstance will be the one that in the end will end his fear.

And finally the third procedure used is the so-called "systematic desensitization". Very similar to the previous technique is this although with different nuances. In this specific case that concerns us when the person who has the phobia is in a relaxed state is gradually submitted to the situation to which he is afraid. That exhibition can begin being something imaginary until becoming the most absolute reality.

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symptom

If you suffer from arachnophobia, it is likely that you modify your behavior or way of acting to avoid contact with spiders.

When you find a spider at home you can react in two ways:

scream and run
be paralyzed with fear

Although you may be able to kill or capture the spider, you may trust a friend or family member for the task. If you are alone, you may choose to leave the house or close the room instead of dealing with the spider.

Over time, you may feel that you have limited your activities in an attempt to avoid spiders. Among the activities that can be difficult or impossible for fear of crossing with an arachnid, we find:

trekking
camping
order rooms or warehouses
other similar tasks

In extreme cases you may be afraid to visit a zoo or participate in sports that involve being in a field.

Causes

Experts are unaware of the causes of arachnophobia, although there are some theories.

One of the most common was proposed by evolutionary psychologists. This suggests that arachnophobia is a survival technique of our ancestors.

Since a large number of spiders are poisonous (although the vast majority of spiders do not pose a problem for humans) fear of spiders gave humans more chances to survive and reproduce in contrast to, say, vermiphobia , fear of worms.

Other psychologists argue that many animals were a threat to prehistoric humans, from tigers and crocodiles to rats and snakes. However, animal phobias are not so common.

Because of this, psychologists believe that arachnophobia may be based on cultural beliefs rather than the nature of spiders.

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How to overcome it?

Psychological treatment. In these cases, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy is usually one of the most effective, since it works on the behavior of the person to promote change, developing strategies to overcome arachnophobia. Also some experts recommend NLP that aims to convert irrational fear in front of the spider, into a calm and relaxed behavior.
Relaxation techniques. Like all phobias, arachnophobia is an anxiety disorder, so the techniques of relaxation and breathing are fundamental. These help to release the tension produced by the phobic situation, in this case, the presence of spiders.
Control. The fundamental step to overcome the fear of spiders is to try to face the situation. For this, it is necessary to try to control the situation, but this must be done gradually.
Knowledge Try to inform yourself about spiders, get closer to their world. If you can, also, try to see pictures of spiders. This is your first approach to be able to overcome arachnophobia.
Do not limit yourself. Once you convince yourself that you are in control, try to go to places where you can find spiders, but you have to be calm. If you consider that it is not yet time, respect your time.
Think about the situation. Imagine that you meet a spider and elaborate mental strategies about how to deal with the situation. Think about what you would do, how you would react. Do not forget that you have control.
Approach. When you have enough confidence, begin to approach small spiders. Use the breathing technique to face this situation. Stay calm, breathe softly and do not let fear invade you. If you overcome this step, you can go for more and try to face larger spiders.