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Spider fear/phobia

iLao

iLao

macrumors member
Original poster
Dec 26, 2007
97
0
Slovenia
Hi there,

Today my father found a big spider on the stairs, I was near, so he warned me to stay back. He knows I have spider phobia. When I think about spiders I get all sweaty and scared... I hate spiders!
It was winter past four, five months, so there was no spiders around. But it is starting to get warmer. And when summer comes, the spider invasion comes too...

So todays spider reminded me to do something about this horrible spider fear. (I know this will not be easy, probably impossible, doh)

I googled for some solutions, but there were many pictures of ugly spiders, so i was too afraid to look.(argg) Also I looked at an existing thread on this forum, but some idiot put a picture of a really ugly spider in it. You can imagine my reaction! (reading, reading,.. BAM, a spider!!!)

This guy has very similar or almost identical spider phobia as me. As you can see it is very extreme.

So, is there anyone who also has spider phobia, extreme as mine? Has any of you defeated(i know the word isn't right, bad eng.) spider phobia, and how? Interesting question: Is it genetic? my parents aren't afraid of spiders. So it might pass away when older.(i really, really hope so!!!)

Help!

Oh, IMPORTANT: Don't post any spider pictures in this thread, I am serious!
 
Hah, I was gonna post a photo too :p

Nah I hate the buggers. Can't go near them, not even small ones. I don't mind mice, rats, snakes or anything else that people have phobias of. Just spiders (and heights, but thats another topic :eek:).

Luckily we've not had many in the house in recent years but I think that was down to my dog, who unfortunately passed away in the summer so I guess we'll see what happens now.
 
I have no phobias myself, but I had a roommate who was as horribly afraid of spiders as you are. One time, in fact, when he saw a spider in his room, he started yelling and stood on a chair :rolleyes: mind you he is no dainty looking guy, either, which made it only that much funnier. Granted, this was the spider that had been biting him on his legs in the middle of the night for a few months that he could never find to kill......
 
Absolutely terrified of them.

The only spider I like is Spider-man.

I spaz out just seeing a teeny tiny spider in the tub.

Interestingly enough - they're the only thing I'm afraid of. Minus dying a tragic death all alone, but that's another topic.
 
raggedjimmi said:
Hah, I was gonna post a photo too :p

Nah I hate the buggers. Can't go near them, not even small ones. I don't mind mice, rats, snakes or anything else that people have phobias of. Just spiders (and heights, but thats another topic :eek:).

Luckily we've not had many in the house in recent years but I think that was down to my dog, who unfortunately passed away in the summer so I guess we'll see what happens now.
Click to expand...

Interesting, I'm afraid of heights too, but I think being afraid of heights is natural. If you fall you die, but if you see a small non-poisenous spider you aren't going to die or something, haha. :p Also I don't mind mice, rats, snakes, etc. (When I was about 15 I wanted a snake pet, hehe)
 
I'm in the same boat as you, iLao – I can't stand the bloody things either.

People laugh and say that they can't hurt you, put when there's a chemical leak and they start growing to the size of houses then they'll be sorry...
 
A co-worker of mine is just terrified of spiders, more so of admitting it. So one day whilst cleaning out my desk I found a fake plastic spider and the wee light bulb above my head lit up. Tied some floss to one of its legs and tucked the other end of the floss in the ceiling tile in his office. It was set up perfectly at eye level so when he walked in his office BAM right in face would be the spider:D I must have lurked around his office for like an hour waiting for him to show. When he did it was with Wendys he picked up for lunch. So he goes in and all I hear is AAAHHHHHH and I'm on the floor at this point, then the cursing starts. :eek:Uh oh'. So I move towards his office peer in to see wendys all over the floor and and a frosty running down his leg. I felt pretty bad at the time but we are able to have a chuckle about it now though...
 
iLao said:
So, is there anyone who also has spider phobia, extreme as mine? Has any of you defeated(i know the word isn't right, bad eng.) spider phobia, and how? Interesting question: Is it genetic? my parents aren't afraid of spiders. So it might pass away when older.(i really, really hope so!!!)
Click to expand...

I don't want to be a jerk, so I won't post a picture. However, know that a fear is not going to just go away - I think it's best to try confront it. Start slow, look at some pictures and then move onto seeing some spiders behind glass (pet shops etc). I know this is much easier said than done - I'm not bothered by spiders but I've got some pretty bad fears too. Good luck!
 
There is an episode of Mythbusters in which they did some experiment with spiders.
One of them was afraid of spiders. You might want to watch it.

FYI the best way to confront a fear is to look at facts.

Facts
Spiders kill harmful insects such as mosquitos, so they are actually your friend
Spiders rarely sting humans
Spider stings are mostly harmless
Unless you live in a very exotic locale, you will have a much higher chance of getting hit by lightening than to get any kind of injury from spider
 
If you truly have a phobia, which it sounds like you might, DO NOT take any advice you get on an internet forum... except for this piece of advice :)

Go get help. Phobias are seriously hard to break. It's not just a fear of something, but an irrational, overpowering fear. It is tied in with anxiety disorder and other medical illness. Not saying you necessarily have these, but it needs to be treated cautiously.

Go see a psychiatrist, psychologist, or a licensed therapist. He/she will evaluate you and help you get over your phobia. Things like cognitive behavioral therapy can help. If it's serious enough, medication can help. Don't try to gradually face your fear without doing so under the guidance of a professional. There is a right way and a wrong way to do it, and if you do it the wrong way, you'll make it worse.
 
pooky said:
Go get help. Phobias are seriously hard to break. It's not just a fear of something, but an irrational, overpowering fear.
Click to expand...
Not really. Being scared of heights, of tight places or certain insects/animals isn't irrational. They're a preventative measure to keep you safe even if they do seem over the top.

Go see a psychiatrist, psychologist, or a licensed therapist. He/she will evaluate you and help you get over your phobia. Things like cognitive behavioral therapy can help. If it's serious enough, medication can help.
Click to expand...
I disagree with this. As a society we're being spoon fed too many unnecessary drugs. If it's too serious and life limiting (like agoraphobia) then seek psychiatric help for sure. If you're scared of one class of insect then it's nothing at all.
 
Little guys don't bother me, but anything large enough to make a web between close trees/etc I do not like. (OMG, did I just swallow one??) Anyone got a face-full of web, and wondered??

I don't go out of my way to kill them though, for they do good work keeping flying bugs down.
 
raggedjimmi said:
I disagree with this. As a society we're being spoon fed too many unnecessary drugs. If it's too serious and life limiting (like agoraphobia) then seek psychiatric help for sure. If you're scared of one class of insect then it's nothing at all.
Click to expand...

Exactly. Spider phobia is annoying and I hate it so much, but its not destroying my life. I don't need professional help. And I also think that I will always be afraid of spiders no matter what. I just can't imagine holding an ugly spider in my hand!:eek:

To Consultant: I have watched that episode of mythbusters.
And yes I know most spiders are harmless, and I am not afraid of them because I think they will kill me or something. I just can't stand watching, touching them, even thinking about them. Sometimes I can't sleep because there are spiders on my mind and I can't think of something else.(if you know what I mean, bad english sorry)

Thank you for the replies!
 
iLao said:
Sometimes I can't sleep
Click to expand...

Sleep???

Oh oh, don't Google that one.
terical.gif
 
A few years back I was close to buying a tarantula to force myself to overcome my fear of large spiders.

That idea came to an immediate halt when the pet store clerk told me a story of her mother. Her mum was just about to let one of those hairy, fanged buggers crawl onto her hand but it instead leaped onto her face and scared the crap out of her.

That story quite completely ended my desire to attempt such a foolish thing as to become comfortable with a hairy bug that has fangs, is venomous, eats meat and has eight eyes.
:eek:
 
iLao said:
So, is there anyone who also has spider phobia, extreme as mine? Has any of you defeated(i know the word isn't right, bad eng.) spider phobia, and how? Interesting question: Is it genetic? my parents aren't afraid of spiders. So it might pass away when older.(i really, really hope so!!!)
Click to expand...

My sister used to be terrified of spiders. So much so that I remember once occasion where she found one in her bedroom (at 17) while Mum was on holiday and barricaded the door, living off the clothes in the laundry/ironing baskets until Mum returned.

She decided then that it was getting ridiculous so went for counselling and a course at the local zoo on spiders and now she's OK with them. She's not their greatest fan but she can watch one run across the rug now without having the screaming heebie jeebies.
 
it took me 10 minutes to scroll trough this thread cause i didnt want to see a picture of spiders, its only the big ones i can't stand though.
 
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