Many people suffer from a panic fear of spiders. The majority of those affected find the sight of a spider disgusting. In addition, the fear, which sometimes extends to panic, makes the spider seem larger and more dangerous than it actually is, but there are several ways to overcome the fear of spiders.
Why are we afraid of spiders?
Fear reinforces the feeling that the spider appears huge and threatening, while to other people who are not afraid of this animal, it appears small and harmless. There are many reasons for the fear of spiders. Numerous affected people may have had early negative experiences with spiders, which can later lead to an anxiety disorder. In this case, it is often enough for one parent to have a fear of spiders. Another theory is that the reason is a fear of all life forms that are very dissimilar to humans, for example the unusual way a spider moves. Still others have a fear that the spider may pose a danger and threat. In this regard, there are helpful and simple methods to overcome the fear of spiders.
5 Tricks to overcome your own phobia of spiders.
A fear of spiders often does not require professional therapy. With a direct confrontation and a lot of willpower, it is possible to help yourself and overcome the fear:
* Consciously confront spiders.
Experts advise reading books that write about spiders and provide explanations about the animals. This helps to consciously deal with the spider. Once the sufferer has coped with this sight, it is recommended to look at pictures of real spiders until it no longer instills fear to look at a spider. Videos about spiders could be the next helpful step, because it is also important to bear the movements of the animal. * A toy spider to get used to.
The sight of the fear object, that is, for example, a toy spider, activates the fear network in the brain, which has been formed over time. It is now important to incorporate newly learned positive information to rebuild the network in this way. The goal is that the affected person notices that he or she can endure this situation, later even strokes the spider, and the fear thus becomes smaller and smaller. Often it even disappears completely. * Learning to tolerate the presence of spiders
By touching a spider, the affected person is directly confronted with the animal. He should remain in this situation for a short time in order to learn that the feared event, for example a bite from the spider, will not occur. Spiders do not attack a person, but avoid him. In addition, it should be taken into account that spiders are also useful, for example, they destroy harmful vermin. * Catching a spider
Catching a spider is certainly the most difficult of all steps. Here, it is best to start with very small animals. It is advisable to take a spider on your hand, touch it and watch it. This should not be so difficult and scary with very small spiders. In this way it is possible to get used to the animal and thus little by little conquer the fear. * Viewing spiders in the pet shop
Another tip is to go to a pet shop to look at a real spider from a safe distance and thus overcome the fear. Engaging with the spider, as well as touching it, is basically the way to go here. It is always important to endure the situation in order to come to the realization that the situation was not as bad as suspected after all.
If the panic is too great, seek professional help
If the fear of spiders assumes panic-like proportions, it is advisable to see a psychotherapist. Usually in this case there is a pathological phobia, in which the life of the affected person is so much restricted by the fear that they can sometimes no longer even manage their everyday life normally. In this case, a so-called behavioral therapy is used. In this, the therapist tries to confront the affected person with spiders step by step. Initially, this can only be a conversation about the animal or looking at a spider on a photo or video.In the later course of the therapy, the patient should then look at a real spider and finally touch it. Basically, phobias are easily treatable with therapy.
Understanding the fear helps overcome it
Many people cannot realistically assess what the animal can do to them, or more likely, that the danger from a spider is very small. This basically makes the fear unnecessary. The probability of being bitten by it is usually quite significantly overestimated. The danger of spiders in Central Europe, especially for humans, is much lower than often assumed. According to current estimates, only three species can bite and harm a human: These are the water spider, the cross spider and the thorn finger. If the spiders are not attacked in our latitudes, they are not aggressive.
