If even the thought of spiders makes you feel extremely afraid or anxious, or triggers a panic attack, don’t try self-help techniques. See a licensed psychologist or therapist for help with exposure therapy. Exposure therapies are highly successful at treating phobias. [3] X Research source
1. Look at spider pictures 2. Watch videos of spiders 3. Hold a toy spider 4. Visit a spider exhibit at the zoo 5. Go outside and look for spiders 6. Capture a spider and watch it 7. Visit a friend with a pet spider 8. Look at the spider with the top off (if safe of course) 9. Watch the friend feed the spider 10. Watch the friend handle the spider It’s okay to start small. That’s why you built your fear hierarchy. Rate your anxiety level from 1-10 (1 being least amount of anxiety, 10 being extremely high anxiety) throughout your engagement in exposure. If you find yourself becoming increasingly anxious, it may be time to go down a step (redo the previous step) or stop exposure for a brief time. If you become too anxious and do not seem to get relief even with prolonged exposure, it could make your fear worse. Be careful and seek consultation with a mental health professional.
Remind yourself that while you will probably feel anxious during your sessions, you are not in real danger. You will make it through the anxiety. [6] X Trustworthy Source HelpGuide Nonprofit organization dedicated to providing free, evidence-based mental health and wellness resources. Go to source Try to bring yourself through the initial experience of anxiety or fear by using deep breathing exercises. The longer you can commit to staying with the exposure, the more likely it is to work. [7] X Trustworthy Source HelpGuide Nonprofit organization dedicated to providing free, evidence-based mental health and wellness resources. Go to source
Each day, try to increase your time spent with the toy spider or picture. When you feel safe or comfortable enough, try touching the toy or picture. After having worked up to touching the toy or picture, increase your time spent having contact with the toy or picture. Once you have gotten used to looking at spider pictures, try upping the discomfort factor by watching videos of spiders or holding a toy spider. Remember: you will probably feel discomfort, but as long as you don’t feel completely overwhelmed, you should keep going. [10] X Trustworthy Source HelpGuide Nonprofit organization dedicated to providing free, evidence-based mental health and wellness resources. Go to source
Visiting a spider exhibit at the zoo can help you tolerate being near one. You could also go outside and look for spiders. When you find one, observe it from a distance.
You could relocate the creature outside. Watch it walk away and focus on the idea that you have much more control over the spider’s life than it has over your life.
If you have a friend with a pet spider, ask to view the spider with the top of the enclosure removed (provided this is safe, of course). Watch your friend feed and handle the spider. You could also ask to hold the pet spider.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) involves restructuring your thinking (about spiders) in order to change your feelings (fear) and behaviors (avoidance of spiders). CBT can be especially helpful in replacing the thoughts that reinforce your fear of spiders. For example, instead of thinking, “That spider is going to hurt me,” you could think, “That spider is not worried about me. It is harmless. " A therapist can help you with this process so that you can begin to use CBT on your own in order to challenge your automatic thoughts. While exposure is the most research-based psychotherapy for phobias, alternative treatments are: biofeedback, learning relaxation skills, meditation, mindfulness, and distress tolerance. [15] X Trustworthy Source HelpGuide Nonprofit organization dedicated to providing free, evidence-based mental health and wellness resources. Go to source If your spider phobia is severe, pharmacological treatment is also an option including antidepressants (Zoloft, Prozac), anticonvulsants (Lyrica) and anti-anxiety medication (Xanax). [16] X Trustworthy Source National Health Service (UK) Public healthcare system of the UK Go to source One option is to contact your insurance provider directly for a list of approved clinicians. You can download an application developed by a doctor called Phobia Free to help overcome your fear. [17] X Research source
Talk to a trustworthy friend, family member, or therapist and have them help you understand your specific reason for fearing spiders. Did a spider crawl on you when you were younger? Did you hear a story about a spider killing someone? Did you think yourself into hating them? Remember when it first started and you can work from there. Determining the origin of fears can be challenging at times, but it can be helpful to perform a careful assessment that involves when the fear began, the context and variables involved in the development of the learned fear response, and mechanisms that have reinforced the fear over time, such as avoidant behaviors.
Understand that spiders are more helpful than harmful, and help protect you by eliminating pests that may spread greater dangers like a disease. Understand that for spiders, a bite is a last defensive resort. Try watching little children movies or reading little children’s storybooks on spiders. Take the time out to appreciate the beauty of these creatures, watch documentaries and learn more about them. Draw a happy, non-threatening spider on a piece of paper. Imagine it wants you to be its friend. Talk to the paper spider and ask the imaginary happy spider questions that you know the answer to but pretend it’s telling you. This may help you to find the spider more friendly.
