Arachnophobia - fear of spiders: causes, symptoms, treatment of phobia

Arachnophobia is an uncontrollable fear of spiders, in other words, it is a condition when the subject experiences a panicky fear of spiders, not only large and exotic ones, but also ordinary individuals common in our latitude. Arachnophobia can be caused not only by the spider itself, but even by its image.

According to studies, every fifth man suffers from arachnophobia. The rates among the female population are even higher. Individuals susceptible to arachnophobia feel discomfort in any place where spiders may be found or where there are traces of spiders (webs). Just at one glance at an arthropod, arachnophobes begin to have an acute, uncontrollable panic attack.

What is arachnophobia?

Nature has genetically implanted mechanisms in humans that protect them from dangers in order to preserve life. One of these is the feeling of fear. There are no fearless people. Fear is the driving force on the basis of which an individual begins to take measures to eliminate or avoid a dangerous factor. Therefore, it is completely normal that we sometimes experience a feeling of stiffness, increased heart rate, and a surge of strength when we see an object that threatens our safety. The topic of fear is covered in more detail in a separate article here.

Some animals pose a huge threat to people. Sharp fangs, saber-shaped claws, highly toxic poison - all this forces a person to avoid contact with a dangerous object.

Most arthropods have a characteristic appearance - a chitinous, jointed body, up to six pairs of limbs covered with small hairs, small fangs, and four black eyes. All this evokes mixed feelings - from tenderness to disgust and terrible fear.

Arachnophobia (from the Greek “arachno” - spider, “phobos” - fear) is a special case of zoophobia, characterized by an inexplicable fear of spiders. Most people experience fear at the sight of not only huge, hairy, but also small, harmless chitinous creatures. Such people are called arachnophobes. A true spider-phobe will not be able to answer the question of what is the reason for his fear. On a psychological level, he set himself the following attitude: “I’m very afraid of spiders, but I don’t know why.”

Symptoms and signs

How does an ordinary person feel when he sees an angry German Shepherd running towards him? Arachnophobes who discover a spider crawling next to them experience the same sensations:

increased heart rate and pulse
trembling and numbness of the limbs
stiffness followed by a sudden surge of strength
obsessive fear and concentration exclusively on the object.

Why does arachnophobia develop?

Arachnophobia is called a psychological disorder that has many causes. Genetic determination, upbringing, testing “in one’s own skin” - all of this together is a stimulus for the development of arachnophobia.

What dangers are there in fear of spiders?

A constant fear of spiders affects the general psychological state of the body. Regular obsessive thoughts and animal horror at the sight of small chitinous creatures lead to neuroses. Neurosis is a serious pathology that manifests itself as insomnia, apathy, and increased irritability. With such symptoms, a person cannot function normally and interact with society.

In simple words, an arachnophobe, seeing that a cobweb has appeared in his chest of drawers, will most likely want to throw out the entire closet to make sure that there is no arthropod.

The following set of techniques will also help effectively combat arachnophobia

We use the dissociation method to change the scale of events.

Using dissociation, it is necessary to reduce the scale of the object of the phobia. Reducing its significance and abstraction will help significantly reduce anxiety. So let's use our imagination. When faced with a spider, imagine that you are looking at it from a distance of 10 meters. Then think about what the object of your fear would look like if you looked at it through a glass window while you were outside. Now ask yourself what it would mean to you if it ended up on another planet. You will then only be able to see it through a telescope, and even then it is unlikely. Then what is the difference if the object is the same? The only difference is your perception! So your imagination helped you reduce the scary and frightening spider to a small insect unworthy of attention.

Dissociation over time.

When faced with an object of phobia, while experiencing anxiety, think about what it will mean for you tomorrow. And in a week, a month, a year? Most likely, you will simply forget about it the next day. No matter how much you try to recall the feeling of anxiety and the accompanying physical symptoms, you will not be able to experience it again on purpose. Therefore, when experiencing fear, mentally transport yourself to the future. Remember that it is passing, and tomorrow it will not have any meaning for you.

Changing "submodality".

This method is based on visualization of the situation. So, in your room the object of your fear is a spider. Imagine the whole situation in the form of a black and white picture. Now start modeling the image. Let the spider first increase in size and fill the entire room. Color it in bright colors to suit your taste. Now imagine how it begins to melt before your eyes - it decreases in size, its bright color fades. Reduce it to the size of a grain of sand, which will simply get lost somewhere on the floor.

Exercise "Killing a Spider"

This is an easy and simple exercise that, when performed regularly, gives good results in the fight against arachnophobia. You can do it yourself. But if the anxiety is too intense, then it is better to seek the help of a psychotherapist.

Make your own figurine of a spider from ordinary plasticine of the size and color that scares you the most.
Place it in front of you and concentrate all your attention on it. Remember all the emotions that spiders cause in you, the feeling of fear, panic, your physical state.
When you have managed to concentrate on your negative feelings, transfer them to the plasticine “monster”. Your emotions and the object that causes them should merge together in your imagination.
Look at the situation objectively, tell yourself mentally that your fear is caused by just a small arachnid. And quite defenseless. And then have fun “killing” your spider by crushing it with your palm or stomping on it with your foot. Imagine how, together with the “killed” spider, you crushed both your fears and all the unpleasant sensations that it provoked.

An interesting fact should be noted: some peoples do not even know what fear or hostility towards spiders is. And all because arachnids serve as their daily and ordinary food. There is a lot to learn!

We hope that this article was informative and useful for you and helped you learn more about arachnophobia. We also tried to select for our readers effective and useful exercises and practical recommendations that will help to successfully combat the fear of spiders. We will be glad if you join our desire to help people in the fight against phobias and fears. To do this, leave your opinion, review or wish in the comments.

Causes of arachnophobia

Neurobiology and psychology have paid close attention to the study of arachnophobia and explain why a person is so afraid. According to the scientific concept, the reasons for the panic fear of spiders are hidden in the following:

inheritance from ancient ancestors. When people lived alone with nature, animals posed a great threat to them, which they had to face every day. Poisonous arthropods killed unwary comrades, so they were avoided and terribly feared. Rudimentary fear remained with descendants, and for some in an exaggerated form
personal experience. A painful tarantula bite suffered in childhood will leave a lasting imprint on a person’s mind in the form of a mental disorder, including arachnophobia.

carriage of pathogenic microorganisms by spiders. Tick-borne encephalitis, various forms of meningitis, the Epstein-Barr virus - all this repels people from even the slightest contact with arthropods.
genetically determined psychological disorder. Parents suffering from arachnophobia are unlikely to be able to raise a child without such a disease.

How dangerous are arachnids really?

Among the representatives of arthropods there are indeed owners of highly toxic poison that can kill several adult men with a minimum dose. Tarantula, carakuta, black widow, Brazilian wandering spider - although these comrades are carriers of highly effective neuroparalyzing weapons, do not forget that they use them only in rare cases, and humans are not among their opponents.

Arachnophobes have an irrational fear of all chitinous insects. Man is afraid of all spiders - from small to large, from poisonous to harmless.

How to distinguish a phobia from “simple” fear

Let's look at the difference between fear and phobia using a real example.
There are a sufficient number of people who are afraid to travel in the subway. If the cause of fear is fear, it must be caused by certain negative experiences in the past. For example, a person once felt ill on the subway. If the reason is fear, then the person will prefer to move around the city by ground transport, but if the need arises, he will still go down to the metro. Naturally, this will be accompanied by certain experiences, but will be controlled by common sense and logical thinking. In the case of a phobia, the problems will be much more significant, depending on the severity of the phobia. In the mildest cases, a person will still go down to the subway, but any, even the most insignificant, stops of the car between stations will cause a pre-panic and panic state. In the most severe cases, a person will not be able to force himself to go down to the subway even in case of emergency, contrary to logic and common sense, and any attempts to force this by other people can cause severe psychological trauma. Is this relevant? According to world statistics, every eighth inhabitant of planet Earth has phobias. Thus, phobias, as a type of neurotic disorders (Neuroses, depression, fears) are a widespread phenomenon.

Consequences of arachnophobia

If you're afraid of wolves, don't go into the forest. A person suffering from arachnophobia is not much different externally and psychologically from a healthy person. But as soon as he sees a spider peacefully moving along the ceiling or floor, all his attention switches only to his eight-legged comrade. Until the arachnophobe is absolutely sure that the insect has left or been killed, his life will not return to normal.

Naturally, spiders accompany people everywhere, and the constant fear of arachnophobes is reflected in the qualitative state of their psyche. Spiderphobia can reach such an extent that its carrier becomes a patient of a psychiatrist or psychiatric clinic. Of course, you can’t live according to this situation, and any illness must be treated

Phobia concept

The concept of “phobia” is well known to everyone, but not everyone can coherently explain what exactly it is. Translated from Greek, “phobia” means “fear, fear.” In reality, fears and phobias are very close, but there are significant differences between them. Fear is a natural protective function of the body in the face of real danger, physiologically manifested in the release of hormones into the blood, rapid heartbeat, autonomic dysfunction, etc. An interesting fact can help to understand the nature of fear - a person is born absolutely fearless. Little children are not afraid of falling from a height, drowning in the bathtub, or touching fire with their finger. Only later does the feeling of fear come with experience, and, basically, these fears are useful. Basically, the feeling of such fear helps to escape from dangerous situations or prevent them. This feeling of fear is completely conscious and controlled by common sense and logic. Phobias are fears that are characterized by very significant stability, are not based on common sense (irrational) and are constantly present in the human psyche. Moreover, these fears most often are not of a real threat, but fears “within us.” Phobias, unlike fears, are very difficult to control by thinking and common sense.

How is arachnophobia treated?

“I'm afraid of spiders. What should I do, doctor? — what complaints did arachnophobes seek medical help with? As with other diseases, therapy for spider phobia is sequential and consists of 3 stages: diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation.

Diagnostics

After the conversation, the psychotherapist establishes the cause of the fear and makes it clear that he is not the only one suffering from such psychopathology. The doctor, in search of a compromise method of treatment, tries to hammer into the patient’s head that his fear of arthropods is unfounded and irrational.

Then the severity of arachnophobia is assessed: the psychotherapist suggests drawing a spider, preparing the patient to meet the object of fear, then analyzes his behavior in the immediate vicinity of the insect. Based on the information received, a treatment method is prescribed.

Methods for treating arachnophobia

Modern psychotherapy has answered the question: “How to overcome arachnophobia?” Hypnosis remains the main treatment method. During the session, the doctor, like X-rays, penetrates the patient’s consciousness, sets settings at the level of neuronal connections and changes the worldview regarding arachnids.

Another equally effective method is cognitive behavioral therapy. In simple words, the spider itself will help you get rid of your fear of spiders. The psychotherapist creates conditions under which the patient will be forced to contact the insect for a long time. First, he needs to be in the same room with the spider, and then not be afraid to touch it.

Good to know: actor Tobey Maguire suffered from a similar disease before filming Spider-Man. It was cognitive behavioral therapy that allowed him to see eight-legged arthropods as “chitinous friends.”

Modern methods of treatment

Computer technology allows the patient to plunge into a game where he, being an avenger for his suffering, destroys all virtual spiders. The 3D model is so realistic that the user develops an attitude on a psychological level and replaces fear with hatred or indifference.

Methods

You can carry out independent work, which, in combination with treatment from qualified specialists, will give more effective results, and perhaps speed up the process of recovery and release from tension.

Computer games and programs

Yes, computer games are not always about addiction; sometimes they really help a person feel better.

There are programs with the help of which the phobe interacts with the source of his horror, only in safe conditions. After all, this happens in virtual reality.

Arachnophobia Free (iOS devices only). In the first levels, a person encounters cute, cartoonish spiders throughout his house, which he must deal with in different ways. As the tasks become more complex, their appearance also changes, becoming more realistic. And at the very end, the game background is replaced with the camera image. That is, it seems to the fob that there really is a tarantula running around in his room. This application is paid, but it is worth the money, if only because it has a healing function rather than an entertainment one. In addition, it was developed directly by psychiatrists.
Itsy (virtual reality). The player sees funny and touching spiders in different costumes, which are becoming more and more numerous. The task is to stay in place, without running away, because these cute creatures gradually become more realistic, attacking from all sides.

Meditation

It is important to learn to relax, concentrate on your inner feelings, experiencing peace and harmony. This is not easy, given the amount of stress modern people are exposed to every day.

But it is very necessary, because the inability to relieve tension is what provokes the development of most diseases, including mental disorders.

The most effective results for achieving relaxation are shown by meditative techniques.

The site shows a lot of ways in which you can take care of your health and mental balance, just go to the “Meditation” section and you will get all the necessary information.

Now I want to introduce you to another application that will be a good help in the fight against panic attacks - Flowy.

You will learn to control and track your breathing, because this is the first thing you need to do when panic occurs in order to return to normal.

The task is to breathe simultaneously with the cloud from the game, thus controlling the boat, which in no case can be drowned. Otherwise you'll have to start all over again.

By the way, you will also be able to get statistics on how far you can progress, in which cases there are more errors, and so on.

Self-help for arachnophobia

As experience from psychiatric practice shows, arachnophobia can be treated independently, without the help of specialists. But for this you need to have desire, courage and willpower. A person must face his fear and learn to live with it. Some arachnophobes get a pet in the form of a tarantula or tarantula. Others go searching for cobwebs in their home to get to know its author better. In any case, self-help involves direct contact with the insect.

Non-traditional methods of treatment (dietary supplements, herbs, acupuncture)

Most people claim that alternative medicine and traditional methods of treatment will help overcome arachnophobia.

Acupuncture therapy is successfully used in practice in Central Asian countries. Treatment involves influencing bioactive points of the nervous system: in the back, neck, arms, head. There have been cases of healing of patients with arachnophobia after several sessions of the procedure.

Ancestors believed that plants were the cure for all diseases. Modern science does not exclude the place of plant materials in the treatment of arachnophobia. Thus, the soothing herbs motherwort, peony, and valerian are used; the antidepressant properties of St. John's wort and the tonic ginseng and eleutherococcus play a great role.

The complex drug treatment for spider phobia includes biologically active additives (BAS): tryptophan granules, vitamin preparations, tablets with magnesium and B6.

It is worth noting that self-medication does not always lead to a positive result. Moreover, without the help of specialists, the patient will not only not get rid of arachnophobia, but will also develop new “sores”.

Arachnophobia: prevention at home

If therapy answers the question of how to stop being afraid of spiders, then prevention prevents the formation of fear. Psychotherapists say that most diseases come from childhood, and arachnophobia is no exception. In this case, a large role is assigned to parents and their upbringing. Parents must ensure the normal mental and physical health of the child, monitor his behavior and reaction to animals, including insects. Having seen his fear of arthropods, they take measures to eliminate it, explain what a phobia is called, when you are afraid of spiders and why you should not be afraid of them.

About the dangers of self-medication for arachnophobia

A common mistake made by those who face obsessive fears is trying to solve their problem on their own.

When panic attacks occur, doctors categorically do not recommend purchasing and using drugs that have a sedative effect.

This will not have a calming effect without regular sessions of individual psychocorrection.
Drugs are selected individually, taking into account the characteristics of the person’s condition. Before starting treatment, it is important to make sure that the disease actually exists. The diagnosis can only be made by a psychoanalyst based on a survey of the patient. The fact is that a real phobia and a dislike for arachnids are often confused. The main symptom that distinguishes these signs from each other is the presence of panic attacks that occur with one type of spider.

Doctors' advice for combating and preventing fear of spiders

As N.I. said Pirogov, the best treatment is prevention. You should not start a pathological process, but rather, prevent its formation. Psychotherapists in the case of arachnophobia adhere to the same principle.

Don't scare children with spiders

Parents are used to punishing their children for their offenses with sanctions in the form of “babes”, monsters or spiders. Should not be doing that. If a child for hooliganism receives his father’s threats about a big, evil arthropod that comes out from under his bed at night, then the child’s psyche will form the attitude: “I don’t want to explain, because I’m very afraid of spiders.”

Don't watch horror movies

Modern films are so realistic that they keep not only children but also adults awake. Don't be surprised if, after watching Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in the evening, you will be woken up in the middle of the night by a child's crying associated with Hagrid's huge chitinous monster Aragog.

Be at one with nature

Fresh air, clean green forest, warm river - all this is the natural habitat of insects. While in it, you will get to know most of their representatives better and understand that they are not so scary and aggressive, but friendly and harmless.

Think logically

Don't be an elephant who is afraid of Moska's barking. Spiders are creatures that are 1000 times smaller than you. They have no need to attack a person. According to statistics, more people die each year from cow attacks than from spider bites.

Connect your creativity

Use your left brain and get creative. If you, being an arachnophobe, saw a spider on the ceiling, and it does not allow you to continue your business normally, then imagine that it is not a spider, but an ordinary ant that peacefully goes about its business.

Try to eat spiders

Of course, this method is not necessary, but in the kitchens of Central Asian and Latin countries you can find fried or baked hermit or black widow on the menu. The taste of spider meat resembles the taste of other chitinous representatives - crayfish, shrimp, crabs

Symptoms

Behavioral

Arachnophobes suffer from insomnia because they believe that in a dream a spider will climb into their ear, nose or even mouth and lay eggs with larvae there.

Which, naturally, is very frightening in itself, in addition to the likely health difficulties that will certainly be accompanied by acute pain.

And if you don’t sleep at night and don’t get enough sleep, your body will gradually become exhausted. After all, he spends colossal resources during the day. Anxiety alone only takes away most of the energy, let alone the work he does and other feelings.

In severe cases, they categorically refuse to leave their home, because it is unknown how much nasty stuff is hidden on the street, in the grass, in the entrances.

Hallucinations are sometimes observed. That is, a person thinks that he is being attacked by hordes of arthropods and is trying to fight them off and shake them off.

From the outside it looks like he has gone crazy. His behavior is frightening and poses a threat both to his life and health, and to those around him, whom he may accidentally offend at such a moment.

Somatic

During a panic attack, the phobe experiences tachycardia, nausea, dizziness, vomiting and increased blood pressure. Also pain in the stomach and chest. It looks like he's about to have a heart attack and die.

There is not enough air, so a person may suffocate in a moment of panic. Inhaling carbon dioxide, which we release as we exhale, will help us return to normal on our own.

The fact is that due to shallow and frequent breaths, the level of oxygen in the blood becomes excessively high, which causes asphyxia.

Place your palms on your face and breathe in them for a couple of minutes, this will help you calm down and get rid of dizziness, preventing loss of consciousness.

In addition to the above symptoms, tremors of the limbs and increased sweating are observed. An arachnophobe loses control over himself, so he usually tries to run away, throw off what he considers a dangerous animal, and kill it.

Naturally, his actions are accompanied by screams and crying. The voice trembles, breaks down, his hands are not able to hold the objects with which he tries to slam the animal.

He risks getting into an unpleasant situation when he tries to hide, because he is unable to adequately perceive the surrounding reality. For example, getting hit by a car, falling through a hatch, falling down a ladder, etc.

After the panic attack ends, the phobe experiences fatigue and shame, literally toxic. This only worsens the general condition and provokes further development of the disorder.

Let's sum it up

The fear of spiders is called arachnophobia. It is characterized by indescribable fear and avoidance of contact with arachnids. Today, psychological illness can be successfully treated.

Yes, spiders are not the nicest living creatures on the planet. Among them there are poisonous, fanged, hairy creatures. Although special ones can kill a person, meeting them is not a reason to tremble. To get rid of an unwanted phobia, you need to gather all your strength, go to an appointment with a psychotherapist and follow all the doctor’s recommendations.

Types of phobias. Classification of phobias

Currently, more than 500 types of phobias have been described. The most common of these are social phobia and agoraphobia.

Social phobia is a type of phobia that is characterized by a pronounced fear of being the center of attention of strangers, or of behaving in a way that will cause humiliation or embarrassment. This type of phobia manifests itself in social everyday situations - during a meeting with friends, lunch in a cafe, the need to speak at a meeting, and others.
Agoraphobia is a type of phobia associated with “helplessness if things suddenly become bad.” This type of phobia manifests itself in the fear of traveling unaccompanied or being among strangers.

All other types of phobias are classified into the group of so-called isolated phobias.
Below are examples of just a few of them. Phobias of animals or insects: