How to overcome your fear of spiders

Many people suffer from a panic fear of spiders. The majority of those affected find the sight of a spider nauseating. In addition, fear, which sometimes extends to panic, makes the spider appear larger and more dangerous than it actually is, but there are different ones Ways to Overcome the Fear of Spiders.

Why are we afraid of spiders?

Fear intensifies the feeling that the spider appears huge and threatening, while other people who are not afraid of this animal appear small and harmless. The reasons for fear of spiders are very diverse. Many of those affected may have had negative experiences with spiders in early childhood, which can later lead to an anxiety disorder.

It is often enough if one parent is afraid of spiders. Another theory is that it is caused by a fear of all forms of life that are very unlike humans, such as the unusual way a spider moves. Still others fear that the spider can pose a threat and hazard. There are helpful and simple ones Methods to overcome the fear of spiders.

5 tricks to overcome your arachnophobia

If you are afraid of spiders, professional therapy is often not necessary. With a direct confrontation and a lot of willpower, it is possible to help yourself and to overcome fear:

* Consciously deal with spiders

Experts advise reading books that write about spiders and provide explanations about the animals. This helps to consciously confront the spider. If the person concerned has coped with this sight, it is advisable to look at pictures of real spiders until they are no longer afraid to look at a spider. Videos about spiders could be the next helpful step as being able to endure the animal's movements is also important.

* A toy spider to get used to

The sight of the object of fear, that is, for example a toy spider, activates the fear network in the brain, which has formed over time. It is now important to incorporate newly learned positive information in order to rebuild the network in this way. The aim is for the person concerned to notice that he can endure this situation, later even to stroke the spider and thereby reduce the fear. Often it even disappears completely.

* Learn to tolerate the presence of spiders

By touching a spider, the person affected is confronted with the animal directly. He should remain in this situation for a short time in order to learn that the dreaded event, for example a spider bite, does not occur. Spiders don't attack people, they avoid them. In addition, it should be taken into account that spiders are also useful because they destroy harmful vermin, for example.

* Catch a spider

Catching a spider is surely the most difficult of all steps. It is best to start with very small animals. It is advisable to pick up a spider, touch it and watch it. This shouldn't be so difficult and scary for very small spiders. In this way it is possible to get used to the animal and thus to conquer the fear little by little.

* Look at spiders in the pet store

Another tip is to go to a pet store to see a real spider from a safe distance and thus overcome fear. Dealing with the spider, but also touching it, are basically the way to the goal. It is always important that the situation is endured in order to come to the realization that the situation was not as bad as expected.

If the panic is too great, seek professional help

When the fear of spiders reaches panic-like levels, it is advisable to see a psychotherapist. Mostly in this case there is a pathological phobia in which the life of the person affected is so limited by the fear that they can sometimes no longer even cope with their everyday life normally.

So-called behavior therapy is used here. The therapist tries to confront the person with spiders step by step. First of all, it can just be talking about the animal or looking at a spider in a photo or video. Later in the therapy, the patient should look at a real spider and finally touch it. Basically: Phobias can be easily treated with therapy.

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Understanding fear helps overcome it

Many people cannot realistically assess what the animal can do to them, or rather that the danger from a spider is very low. As a result, the fear is basically unnecessary. The likelihood of being bitten by it is usually vastly overestimated. The danger posed by spiders in Central Europe, especially for humans, is much lower than is often assumed.

According to current estimates, only three species can bite a person and cause him damage in the process: These are the water spider, the garden spider and the thorn finger. If the spiders are not attacked in our latitudes, they are not aggressive either.