What to do when your phobia of arachnids leaves you alarmed.
If this image is enough to give you jitters, chances are you should do something about it.
So you've found this on the web...
Chances are then that spiders really aren't your thing. Like many phobias, you of course are far from alone, with the estimation that between 3 and 5% of all adults in the UK have a phobia of spiders which is diagnosable, with up to 15% of people reporting a strong fear or avoidance of our eight-legged 'friends'. Now, given that I'm in the UK, I'm writing this at the perfect time of year; The evenings are getting colder and it's about the time of year when the scuttly little buggers seem to descend into our homes more than ever. Many people I speak to yearly seem to report that they are somehow being stalked, harassed or even plotted against by a 'small army' of spiders comitting mass home-invasions but the reality is that they're just a bit chilly, and September tends to be when mating season begins, so chances are they're probably just a bit lonely too. This however can present it's own problems, especially for those of you who genuinely struggle to be anywhere near our arachnid companions, of course ranging from mild discomfort, to genuine phobic responses involving heart palpitations, panicking, hot or cold sweats, severe anxiety and many more (please see my full blog post on phobias in general and phobic symptoms here). Given that I have had several run-ins with them, including a particularly unexpected saga involving a boot, I thought now would be appropriate for me to discuss in a bit more detail the best ways to cope with them in and about your daily life, without the need for somebody much less perturbed to 'forcibly eject' them or otherwise...
"I think I might be Arachnophobic" - The web of lies
Now this is something I hear a lot as a hypnotherapist, and it's important to remember that the number of people that do not like spiders is much higher than the 15% or so that I discussed earlier. Phobias are in fact a diagnosable affliction and will be severe enough to genuinely interfere with your day to day life. If therefore you have read this, and even reading about spiders is enough to cause a physiological and psychological response, sweating, anxiety, and other symptoms (again, please see this previous blog post) then there is a chance you may have a diagnosable phobia if you cannot function daily due to the thoughts of spiders, where they might be and those thoughts preventing you from going certain places or undergoing regular daily activities. If on the other hand you do not have a phobia of spiders, this guide is still for you: Chances are you wouldn't have read this far if you wanted to give them a cuddle or tell them a goodnight story before bed.
Pictures of the aforementioned creepy crawlies have not been included to avoid triggering any genuine phobic responses in those reading.
From 'Scaredy-cat' to 'Spiderman'
If you find yourself troubled, tripped up or straight up terrified by any spiders, there are of course changes that you can make to go from a 'Scaredy-cat' to a certified 'Spiderman'. Typically, most of the changes that need to be made to adapt to arachnids will require some willpower, determination and the knowledge that things will get easier and they will eventually begin to seem less scary. Just like any other phobias, there are multiple strategies to be employed that will help you to break free, and in the same manner as many other fears and phobias, the two most commonly employed are both variations of exposure therapy (where you are exposed to spiders in varying degrees until your brain begins to no longer associate them with a fear or phobic response) known as systematic desensitisation, and flooding. You may have heard of both of these but if not, I will make them nice and simple:
Systematic desensitisation
This is a strategy that is perfect for those who are of a more nervous disposition, or are wanting to ease themselves awary from their fear/phobia. In short, you begin to expose yourself to progressively more extreme spider related information to slowly desensitise yourself to spiders themselves. This has in fact already started as you're reading this, having seen the image of a spider web earlier in this blog post. Regardless of whether or not you got a noticable response to seeing it, a path of systematic desensitisation would suggest that next you would look at a picture of a spider until you feel comfortable with it, before then watching a video of a spider until you feel comfortable with that too. After that, perhaps step it up a notch further by being in the same room you know is inhabited by an eight-legged mate until once again, you feel fully comfortable and able to stand being near it. The final step of course, would be full physical contact or at the very least getting very close. When you can do that without any kind of reaction, you have been successful with a new web-spinning housemate.
Flooding
The flooding technique is much faster, for those who feel the confidence to tackle their concerns in a pinch and require a large and immediate effort. Far less complex, flooding simply suggests that you would expose yourself to as much spider related stimili as possible straight away. Now, I'm not suggesting immerse yourself in a tank of tarantulas a-la various game shows, but by simply picking up a spider to hold, or allowing it to crawl over yourself until having the little sod near you feels normalised, you will quickly begin to associate spiders with not being attacked, harmed or in danger and instead recognise that you are actually perfectly safe. After all, this fear is irrational.
What else?
With these strategies being someone based on a similar premise, there is a grey area between the two. Should you feel the early stages of a systematic desensitisation are not sufficient, then step things up, and vice versa trying flooding is not for everyone and can sometimes help people to realise that freeing themselves from fear incrementally is far more for them, so experiment with it and see what works for you. There are also other changes you can make, such as adapting your daily routine so that you might be closer to spiders but somewhere more controlled. Going for a walk outside every day, for example will almost guarantee you find a spider if you look for one, and being outside gives you ample space to back away or move on if you decide you are not ready. Any kind of normalisation of spiders if you have a fear or phobia will be a bit uncomfortable, but it's important to be able to see the outcome in your mind to help you through. Finally, you could get help from a professional if your phobia is particularly strong, or if you need help with willpower or calmness which can make your journey faster, easier and far more supported.
Therapeutic interventions
Feeling lost or struggling with tackling your fear or phobia alone? Here at Piper Therapy Services, we can utilise the full skillset of myself, our hypnotherapist to help you along the way to feeling fully comfortable. By using hypnosis and other interventions, systematic desensitisation can be more gradual and tailored to you, flooding can be more intense and involved, and you will be supported throughout the entire process. We offer hypnotherapy sessions which can be as bespoke as we can possibly make them, designed to work around and for you whether in the office, at home or via video call. From flexible working hours, to fully individual treatment plans, we can offer hypnotherapy that is designed to help you help yourself using scientifically backed methods with an evidence base, with a fully qualified and DBS checked clinical hypnotherapist. What are you waiting for? Enquire today and see what we can do for you.
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