"Monitors" with Mild Phobia Step 3
Now that you are a little more in control of how you feel around spiders you are ready to begin considering dealing with spiders a little more directly.
This final stage will prepare you to be able to remove spiders from your home. Now that you have more control over your behaviors and are beginning to understand your fear better, you can begin to try and make physical contact with spiders, followed by getting rid of them.
Find a Spider Substitute
So, first try the exercise with the video elements that we already used, but do it with a non-spider creature, like an ant or something similar that you find less unappealing. After that you should be able to feel more comfortable doing it with a spider as well.
Interact With the Spider
Your first step is to find your spider, whether it's a toy (if you think you might need more getting used to the idea) or an actual spider. Next, leave it alone and go find either some tissue or a container. Make sure to break eye contact with the spider, so that you can begin the processes from parts 1 and 2. This way you'd be able to calm yourself and make sure you are prepared for what you are about to do. Having now calmed, you should be able to return to the spider, and make contact.
Don't Rush
The key to this step is not rushing yourself. As someone who prefers to avoid, rather than deal with spiders, it may be difficult for you to even consider handling one. The first part is to try and pick up the spider in a tissue, just for a second, and put it back down. Repeat until you feel comfortable holding the spider. After that, it's a simple matter of either taking the tissue and carrying it outside, or scooping up the spider with your hand or a container and removing the spider from your home.
Repeat Regularly
This set of exercises, if done regularly and with patience, should really help you get over the fear of spiders that you have, as well as make you really popular among your friends as a spider problem-solver! Try continue with the exercises a bit longer, even after you reach your goal, because sometimes people who like to monitor spiders find their fears creeping back up on them - like a spider!
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Full reference:
Liya Panayotova (Nov 25, 2015). "Monitors" with Mild Phobia Step 3. Retrieved Dec 13, 2024 from Explorable.com: https://explorable.com/e/mild-monitors-step-3
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