"Monitors" with Strong Phobia Step 3
With this final step, you goal is to practice the skills and techniques you have learned so far, and include a real spider in your routine. This approach will unable you to finally relax around spiders and be less affected by their presence.
This bit may be the absolute worst for some, while surprisingly simple for others. This is where we try and move you past caring there is a spider at all. This step should help you carry on with your life as if there are no spiders bothering you.
Focus on Something Else
So go back to the settings that you chose in exercise 2 and have the spider placed somewhere in the room. Enter, and begin by acknowledging where the spider is. This time, however, you are going to do something specific, like pick up a shirt, wash a dish or grab a cushion (something small to start with) and then leave the room for 30 seconds.
Practice Ignoring the Spider
Next, go back in to replace the cushion or shirt, or wash another dish. Repeat this, noting the spider, until you are able to build up to a minute out of the room. A really good way of trying to make it easier is to put on a personal music player and put headphones on, so that you are slightly distracted from the spider.
What to Expect
This final exercise should make it easier for you to control the way you feel when you are around a spider. This is specifically for when you know there is a spider in the room with you. You should soon be able to take control of the way you feel and react to spiders, not necessarily meaning that you will fall in love spiders, but rather than you'd remain calm around them.
Final Goal
Your goal is to be able to do this with a real spider as well, after you have practiced with the toy spider for a while. So, next time you see a spider in your home or somewhere else, use the techniques you have learned so far, in order to calm yourself and to make sure you are able to coexist with the spider.
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Full reference:
Liya Panayotova (Nov 26, 2015). "Monitors" with Strong Phobia Step 3. Retrieved Dec 01, 2024 from Explorable.com: https://explorable.com/e/strong-monitors-step-3
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