What is Arachnophobia?

It comes from the combination of the Greek words for "spider" or "arachno", and "fear" "phobos". But for a lot of people, the fear is not limited to just spiders. Sometimes it's all kinds of gribbly nightmares with too many legs like scorpions or ticks. Interestingly, it was good old Sigmund Freud that highlighted how important phobias are to people, and as a result they have their own section in the DSM, the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Health.

What Does Spider Phobia Feel Like?

For many people Arachnophobia is a very serious problem, as the anxiety they feel about spiders can make them change the way they do things; some may go as far as refusing to leave the house at certain times of the year. More commonly, people experience an intense fearful response, either screaming or getting very sweaty and trying to run as far away as possible. Often this comes from a surprise encounter in the shower or under the sink. This is never helped by sayings like "You're never more than five feet from a spider!", which people always bring up whilst you are screaming about how awful spiders are. This can make dealing with spider phobia quite difficult. However, in order to get through it, you often need to build up a tolerance to spiders, and for most people who experience this phobia that is very difficult.

You're Not Alone!

So, what you are experiencing is an anxiety response to spiders and spider-like creatures. That's okay though, because around 33% of people in the Western world also experience this same phobia! In fact, it's the most common phobia in the world. Understanding a bit about spider phobia is the first step to helping you get over it, so that is what we shall do next. After that, we can determine how bad your phobia is, and then teach you some ways to begin dealing with it. This will help you identify which are the best ways for you to help yourself.

Let's give it a go!