Scared or Afraid of Spiders?
Now I am the first to admit to being scared of spiders ever since a very young age. There is no reason behind my fear, none of my family are particularly bothered by them, and here in Guernsey we have no poisonous ones to worry about. This doesn't change the fact that if I see a large house spider charging along the carpet I instinctively freeze and bring my legs up on to the sofa out of reach, (in case it decides to jump me!)
The truly crazy thing is that I actually find the darned things fascinating if I am watching a nature documentary about them. The way they spin their webs and the detail involved, the way they hunt, (whether with webs or not) and the sheer necessity of them being on this planet. But put me in a room with one and I go to pieces.
Okay, I am far from as bad as I used to be, but my memories still haunt me of the times I had close encounters with spiders I would prefer to forget. For example, the instance where I was lying in bed and in the semi-darkness saw a massive spider running along the shelf next to my bed. In hysterics I ran downstairs frantically asking my Mum to come and 'get rid of it', but she wanted to watch the end of the News. By the time she came upstairs it had vanished and I was refusing to go back into the bedroom. Mum obligingly pulled out the bed to try and find this hairy monster, at which point it came hurtling out from under the bed straight towards where I was standing in the doorway. Letting out an almighty scream I crashed into my Sister's bedroom opposite at high speed, slamming the door behind me, and nearly giving her a heart attack in the process.
Meanwhile, Mum managed to catch the spider in a tea towel, but also managed to drop it on the way down the stairs. In case it returned to my room I refused point blank to sleep in the room for at least a week afterwards, and moved into the spare room on the lower floor. Even Mum agreed it was the biggest spider she had seen over here, and her guess was that it was a female carrying eggs, (not a comforting thought believe me!)
Another time I was babysitting for a couple's children, and whilst the couple were out another vast spider decided to taunt me by tap dancing on the carpet in front of my chair. By now I realised there was only one way to deal with this problem if alone. In other words the wine glass and paper trick. I quickly grabbed an empty glass, just about fitting it over the spider, then slid an envelope underneath it. Too scared to risk throwing the spider outside in case the wind blew it back onto me, I placed it carefully on the kitchen table for the couple to dispose of later. What ended up being really funny was how their two year old son was absolutely fascinated by the spider the following day, and I became his hero for providing such great entertainment.
Of course then there was the occasion I was in the bath, and realised a spider was gently lowering itself from the ceiling towards my face. Both me and the bathwater exited the bath simultaneously.
Then there was the time I went to the toilet in the middle of the night having first put on my dressing gown. As I lifted it up to sit on the loo, a large spider fell out of the back of it into the toilet bowl. This really freaked me out, as it must have been against my skin all along. I quickly flushed the chain in case it managed to jump back up on to my bare bottom whilst I did what nature intended.
Lastly, the tale that springs to mind is when I worked in the rat breeding unit, and at lunchtime we came out for our sandwiches in the small shed. The shed was equipped with a sink and electricity, and as I went to fill the kettle I looked down into the sink and saw a huge spider staring back up at me. In horror I leapt backwards, and one of the male staff kindly agreed to remove it. Funny thing was that when he picked it up it actually bit him. Alright, there was no danger of it being poisonous, but he still said it hurt, and I found out later that even some house spiders can inflict a painful, if non-venomous bite.
I want to know if they are truly more scared of us than we are of them, then why do they always seem to run towards us at high speed, rather than in the opposite direction? And what about those ones who seem to be wearing clogs because they are so huge? I am pretty damn certain I am more scared of them than they are of me!!!
As the years have passed I have become much more tolerant of these arachnids, and found that given the time to summon up some courage, I even managed to hold a giant Tarantula that covered both my hands completely, (possibly because it reminded me more of a Guinea-Pig than a spider due to it's size and slow movements).
I have now developed techniques that have really helped me to deal with the problem of finding a spider in my home and not being able to reach it to remove it using the glass and paper trick. I want to share these tips with you, as I know they work, and make spiders far more bearable for those of us who are generally terrified of them.
1) If you find an 'out of reach' spider, such as on your bathroom ceiling, give it a name. Last year I had one in our bathroom for a week or more, and I called him 'Harry'. By doing this I thought of him more as a pet than something to be scared of, and when he vanished on his own I was not too worried about where he had gone. I currently have one living on my car wing mirror called 'Boris', and he is kind of pretty, black with orange dots all over his body.
2) Watch as many documentaries on spiders as you can. They are fascinating creatures and once you watch how they hunt, be them trap door spiders or the spiders we all know who spin webs, you may well find your interest outweighs your fear. Did you know a spider's web is many times the strength of steel of the same diameter? Scientists are still trying to find a way to reproduce this strength to human advantage.
3) Look at a spider web in your garden first thing in the morning when it is covered in dew. Few things are more beautiful in nature, and a spider's web is a work of art.
4) Go to your local zoo and look in the spider section. Learn more about them and you will grow to appreciate them. Watching them through a glass screen will make them seem a whole lot less threatening.
5) If all else fails get a cat. My cats tend to catch most spiders in our home, and whilst I hate them killing anything, I am not usually quick enough to rescue the spider concerned. At best I find a set of legs left behind and the torso gone.
Comments
Cindy Lawson (author) from Guernsey (Channel Islands) on July 27, 2013:
A very interesting and informative post anonymous. Thanks :)
anonymous on July 27, 2013:
Spiders are too numerous and diverse to generalize. There are pretty spiders repulsive spiders gentle spiders aggressive spiders harmless spiders and dangerous spiders. Some spiders are so small that they can barely be seen by the naked eye while others are the size of dinner plates. Unconfirmed reports in South America and Africa claim that monstrous spiders from 3 to 5 feet long exist which eat children pets livestock and any other wild animal they can catch. Many spiders are venomous and some are aggressive with people. Black widows the Brown recluse the Hobo spider the Sydney Funnelweb spider the Mouse spider the Six eyed Sand spider and the South American Wandering spiders have dangerous venoms. The Wandering spiders and the Sydney Funnelweb spider are very bad tempered and bite readily. Some Trapdoor spiders are also extremely aggressive and cranky. Some kinds of Tarantulas are extremely bad tempered such as the Haitian Brown Tarantula and the Rangoon Mustard Tarantula and the Orange Baboon Tarantula. They will raise their large fangs and bite at anyone or anything coming near them. Some kinds of Tarantulas have a nasty venom. Bites from Indian Ornamental Tarantulas cause severe pain nausea vomiting sweating and muscular cramps. The Orange Baboon Tarantula of Africa has an unimaginably painful bite which has been described as feeling like a hot electric iron on one's body or being set on fire. The Orange Baboon Tarantula's venom is one of the worst pains known to man. This cranky spider may have a bite as painful as a Stonefish sting. One female victim said the pain from its bite was worse than giving childbirth. Tarantula venom is fatal to small pets and small animals. An allergic reaction to the venom can kill. The most venomous species may be able to kill a human baby. Unconfirmed human deaths from Tarantula bites have occurred in Central America India China and Borneo. Africa Asia Indonesia New Guinea Sri Lanka and Australia have Tarantulas with very painful bites which can cause serious sickness. New World Tarantulas also have a painful bite and the ability to fling their hairs. The hairs cause itching and rashes. These animals are not harmless. A bite from some species can result in days of suffering or a trip to the hospital. Nausea vomiting headaches and muscular cramps are among the symptoms. Despite these risks theres a large number of people who collect Tarantulas as pets and who have a genuine love for these animals. Some of these people handle the most aggressive and most venomous Tarantulas. Some of them have suffered bites. Some of these spiders are docile such as the Chilean Dwarf Flame Tarantula and the Pink Zebra Beauty Tarantula and some of them have pretty colors. Spiders are full of contrasts and contradictions. Im only scared of dangerous and aggressive species. I find the Trapdoor spiders repulsive. Spiders are both wonderful and horrible depending on species and depending on one's point of view.
Cindy Lawson (author) from Guernsey (Channel Islands) on January 10, 2013:
Thanks for your comment Herman. I confess that the spiders were something that put me off visiting Australia as I heard so many horror stories about them hiding under toilet seats, in shoes or in beds. It freaked me out the very thought of it.
herman on January 09, 2013:
a lot of people that move to austraia that are scared of spiders just get used to them.
herman on January 09, 2013:
i live in Australia and we get lots spiders big and small some poisonous ones some even deadly. they don't really bother me and we gets lots of red backs around although they can be deadly they are not aggressive and don't move around much. there is a red back on my front porch in the corner that i have seen grow the red gets very bright. although i don't look everytime i get home its never not there. we just have to be careful here in adelaide when getting things from sheds etc. occasionally you get them inside but never running across the floor or on your bench like huntsmans just in quite corners.
Cindy Lawson (author) from Guernsey (Channel Islands) on October 23, 2012:
LOL Josiphina, I would never describe myself as 'loving' spiders,, I just don't 'hate' them any more. God only knows how you got close enough to let it bite you, (I wouldn't dare to pick one up with my bare hands, and it makes it very hard for them to nip you if they are inside a beer glass at the time).
Josiphina on October 22, 2012:
I hate those damn spiders!! One sec, I found one on my roof... Ok I'm back, it took me like 30 minuets to get it out of there, but to you it was probly 3 seconds:( it bit me and it hurts... I hate them, if you hate spiders and want to rule there world of h*ll, then respond to this!!!!!:D
Cindy Lawson (author) from Guernsey (Channel Islands) on May 20, 2012:
Now that incident would freak me out too Yus. Spiders in places like India, Australia, Africa etc seem so much bigger than those in Britain, and the size is definitely a determining factor in how scary they are. Bizarrely though I was less freaked out by the Giant Tarantula when given the opportunity to hold one, possibly because it was not 'in the wild' and was used to being handled. It also moved very slowly and methodically, which made it far less scary than a smaller, faster moving spider.
Condolences over poor Timmy too :(
Yus on May 19, 2012:
I can stand the spiders that are like dots, i used the method of naming them :P. The problem is that if its any bigger than that i get freaked out. They can't be a meter close to me. We had two spiders one in the upstairs bathroom and one in the downstairs bathroom. I talked to them every time i saw them - i named them Timmy and Tommy and they were the only spiders i wasn't scared of. One day i came downstairs and my mom was vacuuming the washroom and i saw Timmy get sucked up. :(
One time i visited my family in India and we were talking and suddenly i saw this huge spider! It was missing three legs and it was 2 and a half inches long and i freaked. It was walking really fast and i was terrified. i watched it walk over my cousin who was sleeping... i started shrieking surprisingly she didn't wake up but the whole time we were in India i didn't even try hugging her my max distance when coming close to her was two meters away. My parents are the kind of people who say it's just a spider, so one of my cousins picked it up and threw it out the window. I stayed awake the whole night. :P
Cindy Lawson (author) from Guernsey (Channel Islands) on May 08, 2012:
Yikes, I would hate the idea of one on my face, never mind it biting me. Luckily our spiders are not poisonous, and only the big ones would bite, and then only if you try to pick them up (which I would never do). We have a few spiders living in our house in places I know where they are. e.g. there is one inside our back door area in the beams above. Bearing in mind the amount of flies we get here in the summer I am happy to leave him be because he can help me to get rid of them. I have called him 'Frank'.
Kelly Umphenour from St. Louis, MO on May 07, 2012:
I can not stand spiders - or snakes thank you! Your hub makes some great points - almost like desensitizing yourself to them...acclimatization to spiders! Lol
I woke up one morning not too long ago - the left side of my face was swelled so badly I went to the doctor. He found a wound he believed was a spider bite. I live next to a corn field...oh I get those huge wolf spiders! I have my house sprayed quarterly - even in freaking winter which really makes my husband mad:) lmao! He says I'm the only one on the block who has the exterminater here when there's ice on the ground! LOL. So - isn't that when they would MOST want to come in??
I had to take antibiotics and I looked like a freak! I'd been cleaning my closet...so I bet anything I disturbed someone's home!
Cindy Lawson (author) from Guernsey (Channel Islands) on March 22, 2012:
LOL Rusticliving, that final line of your comment is just the best yet. I can totally understand a fear of a venomous spider, especially after the story about your boss. I have my basic phobia of all spiders under control, but I still would not want to have a house spider on my body anywhere.
Liz Rayen from California on March 22, 2012:
OMG. This was the coolest Hub! I am not afraid of spiders except for two types which are predominate in our area, the black/brown widow and the brown recluse. I fear the day I may be bit by one of these. About 9 years ago, I did some accounting work for an office in the desert and the manager there had his knee all wrapped up and was limping. I, being the curious one asked him what happened. He told me he was bitten by a brown recluse and it literally was eating his knee away from the inside out. At one point in the day, he had to change the dressing and I never saw anything so horrify as I did with this mans knee. The whole knee cap had a gapping hole in it about 1/2 inch deep with pus and blood and all kinds of "ick" oozing. It's didn't gross me out, but it made me never want to come in contact with a brown recluse! Great hub Misty! I have a wolf spider that hangs out my window sill... I think I will call him...... "Pane in the glass" Voted up!
Cindy Lawson (author) from Guernsey (Channel Islands) on March 20, 2012:
I doubt you need 'mental treatment' chamilj, but aversion therapy, hypnosis etc can help, or of course the methods that I describe here that allow me to cope quite well with spiders these days :)
chamilj from Sri Lanka on March 20, 2012:
I really scared of spiders. Some times I think I should see a doctor for mental treatment.
Cindy Lawson (author) from Guernsey (Channel Islands) on March 20, 2012:
LOL, thanks for commenting 'Name' and glad you enjoyed this. Sounds like you have the right idea and your friends just don't 'get it' :)
Name(: on March 20, 2012:
Wow, this is a very useful and entertaining story. I loved it ! I am not that afraid of spiders (and I'm only 12!) It first sight, they freak me out, but I calm down, then I say things like: "Hey there little fella!" or I give them a name as it really does what you explained. I love spiders, even though they freak me out at first, I seem to overcome my fear. My friends do think I am a bit eerie for thinking this way, but their loss ! Anyways, I loved your story, very entertaining and useful ! -Happy Writing(;
Cindy Lawson (author) from Guernsey (Channel Islands) on December 28, 2011:
Just in case you do pop back here Nay, thanks for the giggle you gave me over the vacuum cleaner line :) I really do wish you the best of luck with your phobia.
Nay on December 27, 2011:
Im quite lucky in the fact I am rarely alone as my boyfriend aka hubby doesn't work away from home but in that situation I close the door put something under it and don't enter that room until the problem is fixed. I couldn't use a vacuum cleaner to suck one up as that involves the spider coming towards me very very fast!!
lol This will probably be my last reply on here as my computer likes to take me to the top of the page where there is an eight legged beast and I think my nerves are on their witts end!
Thank you for your posts. If this spider phobia starts to get in the way of my job (like it did my first job which I had to leave due to an incident with them) then I will go and look into hypnosis. I wasn't fond of my first job so I didn't mind looking else where but I like my current job!!
Cindy Lawson (author) from Guernsey (Channel Islands) on December 27, 2011:
Hi Moonlake, I reckon close up like that they all look ugly, not an attractive creature, but not their fault either!
moonlake from America on December 27, 2011:
That top spider is an ugly guy. Our grown kids run from spiders.
Cindy Lawson (author) from Guernsey (Channel Islands) on December 27, 2011:
Well good luck Nay. In your situation I would look into the hypnosis idea just so I didn't need to rely on other people so much. I mean what do you do if you are on your own at home at 03.00am and you go to the bathroom only to find a massive spider in there??? Yikes, big problem if no-one else is home.
Nay on December 27, 2011:
I do sometimes manage to look at the spiders web cant get too close in case they are occupied though. Hypnosis is the only thing i think will work but unless its stopping from doing what i need to do to go about my daily life then I'll just deal with it lol.
Cindy Lawson (author) from Guernsey (Channel Islands) on December 27, 2011:
Wow Nay, your phobia is off the scale by anyone's standards. Have you considered hypnosis as an option, it might be your best bet. In the article I also suggested "Look at a spider web in your garden first thing in the morning when it is covered in dew. Few things are more beautiful in nature, and a spider's web is a work of art."
Nay on December 27, 2011:
Hi I managed to read the comments so I gathered the main tip was naming them. I couldn't read the article though.I couldn't face the pictures so unfortunatly that hasn't helped. Im terrified of any spider even the tiny money spiders I have to leave the room if there is one in there. I cant get within about 2 meters of one if I do I will freeze tremble and if its still there then I will cry until the problem is fixed by hubby, son or a neighbour or even when my son was a baby and one got in his pram a nearby stranger.
I can't look at any pictures I had to get my dad to close down a website that had a picture of one on once as I just couldn't get near enough to use the mouse to do it myself.
I could never dream about watching a documentry about them,
sometimes my phobia is so bad I imagine one running out of somewherethen I will trial run my escape route just in case.
I couldn't do that de sensatiation theropy I would end up in a straight jacket in some padded room somehwer slowly rocking back and forth lol.
My phobia extends to crane flys too aka daddy long legs they are just flyig spiders. I think its the way they move one leg at a time... why would you need to do that. I know they have no muscles so they blow air down their legs to move them like hydrolics... its just plain wrong.
I cant kill them even when they are dead orjust a leg they still scare me. I've run to a nearby shop to get someone to remove spiders dead or alive before now.
I have learnt to accept my phobia and just deal with it as it comes it not too often I have learned to not look for them although this does work if i go into a garage or a porch or any wooden structure... but if i do i tend to just close my eyes and hop for the best!
Cindy Lawson (author) from Guernsey (Channel Islands) on November 15, 2011:
That is a severe phobia StotheAtotheRAH, perhaps hypnosis might be the solution in your case. I really hope you can at least get your fear under control to some degree.
Good Luck
StotheAtotheRAH on November 15, 2011:
I'm petrified of spiders :( I nearly threw up because someone told me there was a giant spider on the gardening tools shed, and I hadn't even seen it! I've tried everything, like picking them up, but i always drop them and start hitting myself. I feel really sick when i see them, but people think i'm just wanting attention! I used to love spiders, but ever since i woke up and one about the size of a four year old's palm was right next to my face, I've had the phobia. It really sucks not being able to get rid of them myself, and I always have to call mum or dad to get them now, even if it's tiny. I find them fascinating when looking at them through maybe a window, but as soon as there's nothing inbetween me and the spider, I panic. I really don't know what to do, because it's really embarrassing. :(
Cindy Lawson (author) from Guernsey (Channel Islands) on November 09, 2011:
Probably do what I do and name them Andrew, at least if they are in your shed or your home etc. Another thing you could try is spend a whole load of time around a place where they are kept in tanks, watch them and try to psyche up the courage to handle them. It was a major breakthrough for me when I managed to hold a Giant Tarantula even though I was terrified of spiders in general. I reckon I could still do this now, but would actually struggle with 'smaller' ones funnily enough (too much like house spiders). I reckon if you spend enough time around any creature or thing you are scared of you will begin to become desensitized to those creatures or things. The reason for this (in my opinion) is that it is all but impossible to maintain a constant level of panic and fear if constantly around the source of that fear.
Just my thoughts :)
Andrew on November 09, 2011:
I must admit I find spiders fascinating but I'm absolutely terrified of them but knowledge hasn't helped in this case, so what should I do next?
Cindy Lawson (author) from Guernsey (Channel Islands) on October 14, 2011:
Good luck when you move Lindsay, hopefully there will be less spiders for you to have to deal with, and with a bit of luck less deadly ones.
Lindsay on October 13, 2011:
I have suffered with arachnophobia for forever. I can't stand them! If I see one I have to see what has happened to them because I will not leave the room until it is removed or sometimes killed. I live in southern California in the High desert. And we have daddy long legs and thick legged black widows I have seen ones in my house as big as 3 inches! I am moving to florida on of these days and I hope the spider community is as populated over there as over here
Cindy Lawson (author) from Guernsey (Channel Islands) on September 28, 2011:
Hi Wilot, I loved your comment by the way, it did make me giggle. I am sure you will find the naming them helps. My latest one appeared on our lounge wall the other night, so I called her Belinda. I couldn't be bothered trying to catch her because it was an awkward spot to get to with a glass and paper, so I left her there. She was gone the next day, so hopefully moved out voluntarily. This time of year is a nightmare in Britain, as the Autumn is when they all head indoors. I am removing about 1 a night from our living room carpet at the moment, always when it is dark outside. My two garden sheds seem suddenly full of large spiders, and I can't name all of them (it would get too confusing remembering which was which). I prefer to avoid the sheds as much as possible until the Spring comes around again, but if I absolutely have to go into the shed I am in and out as quick as I can.
I still can't kill them though, makes me cringe even thinking about squashing them, and it seems so unfair on them as they are very useful to us most of the year round, catching flies etc.
wilot on September 28, 2011:
I am supprised by how humane you all are, I have three in my shed, and I bet there are more.
my fear, has got better over the past few years, but that was using a kill kill kill, method. if i see a spider i switch to Kill mode, find something good and heavy and then mash time.
but these three in my shed, they are sneaky. one i was tolirating. the other two i thought were just cheeky. so i decided to go for good old kill mode. but Gee, the first moved like it sensed the attack (i would guess the web told it). and now i am here trying to find another way. So i am going to try nameing them. I guess Lucky is good name for the first one.
and Hinge for the 2nd as it is just above the door. feels a bit better already, just need to name the third.
with this said if there is a spider just fafing about, i think i will just revert back to mashing.
no good. I
Cindy Lawson (author) from Guernsey (Channel Islands) on August 21, 2011:
Hi Jack, I totally get your fear, even though mine is mostly under control now thankfully. I recall waking up one night as a child of about 10, and just in time to see a huge spider running along side my bed on the wall, just inches from my face. I frantically ran downstairs to get my Mum to remove it, but she wanted to watch the end of the news first. By the time she came up to my room it had vanished. I stood nervously in the corridor as Mum pulled out the bed, and then there it was, running at full pelt straight towards me. I screamed and crashed into my Sister's room slamming the door behind me.
Mum managed to catch it in a tea towel, and agreed it was huge and possibly carrying eggs. As she went downstairs she dropped it by accident. We never did find it, but I avoided the entire floor for weeks afterwards. Gives me shivers even now!!
Cindy Lawson (author) from Guernsey (Channel Islands) on August 15, 2011:
Sounds like a nightmare Mick, and I really do feel for you. I just hope you do find a way to get this phobia to a manageable level, be it through hypnosis or using the techniques that got it to bearable levels for me.
mick on August 15, 2011:
my fear is how you would say beyond extreme, but never fear i cant move close enough to one to actually kill them, within a meter my body freezes completley, or putting it another way, i have goose bumps and my eyes are water whilst i type this, i also cant stop looking at the floor every 10 seconds to see if one is sneaking up to bite me.
that being said yes they are fascinating, very much so. but my fear tends to get in the way of observing them.
luckily i have a really understandable flat m8 that clears them for me ( humainly ) and my missus helps out aswell
Cindy Lawson (author) from Guernsey (Channel Islands) on July 24, 2011:
I certainly understand the phobia much better when the spiders native to your country can be deadly Mikayla. The question is does this make you scared of the ones that are harmless too or is it only the ones that can harm you?
Mikayla on July 24, 2011:
I live in Australia and this is the home of deadly spiders. My kryptonite is the Golden Orb Weaver!!! OMG
Cindy Lawson (author) from Guernsey (Channel Islands) on July 09, 2011:
Perhaps something like hypnosis might be your best bet Ana as your phobia is particularly extreme by the sound of things.
ana on July 09, 2011:
i am scared of spiders and when i see 1 photo here i run from the room. i cant see photos of spider and i cant touch them.
Captain Kirk on February 16, 2011:
Mr. Spock, have you seen my gold shirt? It's laundry day and it could use a washing after that Gorn fight. That Gorn was such a D bag lol. All that I have clean right now is my green shirt. Could I borrow a blue shirt from you? I promise I would give it back after my laundry is done.
Cindy Lawson (author) from Guernsey (Channel Islands) on February 08, 2011:
Hi FossilHunter007, I know it's hard to get over any phobia, and some people never do. I sincerely hope you can ta least find a way to get it under control to the degree I have done. Good Luck
FossilHunter007 on February 08, 2011:
I am TERRIFIED of spiders and the pictures up there didn't help don't ask me why I just am and I have a feeling that is never going to change
Mr.Spock on November 30, 2010:
have you watch it its on youtube
Cindy Lawson (author) from Guernsey (Channel Islands) on November 28, 2010:
Nice one, well done :)
Mr.Spock on November 27, 2010:
Mistyhorizon my and my friends made a movie its called Return of the Borgs Halloween special
Cindy Lawson (author) from Guernsey (Channel Islands) on November 15, 2010:
Thanks "I'm not Scared of Spiders". I agree that the more you confront the thing you are afraid of the weaker the fear gets. It is also very difficult to maintain that level of fear indefinitely when constantly being exposed to it.
I'm not Scared of Spiders :-) on November 15, 2010:
GREAT information, thanks :-) I used to be scared of spiders, but then I lived in Southeast Asia for a while - where there are in fact poisonous spiders and snakes and nasty bugs - and even though it was very uncomfortable, somehow I lost my fear of spiders. I guess the more you confront the thing that you're afraid of, the weaker the fear gets.
Mr.Spock on October 24, 2010:
can you visit my hub now and leave a comment
I need a starship crew is the name of the hub
Cindy Lawson (author) from Guernsey (Channel Islands) on October 11, 2010:
Thanks so much for your feedback Amy, I really do sympathise as I would probably do the same (even now), if a spider fell out of the sun visor on to me. I am cool with them from a short distance, cool with pictures, documentaries etc, just not with physical contact, but for me that is still major progress! I sincerely admire the fact you avoid your sons seeing this fear in order to stop them 'learning' the same fear.
Amy on October 11, 2010:
Ugh, I had to have my hand over my mouth the whole time I was reading your hub so I wouldn't scream... or puke, because of the pics O.O But I was really interested so I kept reading XD
I had the 'spider falls from the sun visor in the car' thing happen to me a couple of months ago. I was hysterical! And my husband was taking his flipping time pulling over. My brother in law was in the back seat and was as bad as me. I ended up getting the lock up and falling from the car just as it came to a stop, where I promptly threw up :o( I had also killed the poor spider with my frantic flailing.
I really wish that I wasn't so afraid of spiders because I can appreciate the fact that they are fantastic at keeping insects at bay and the Athena/Arachne story is one of my favourites. The best I can do is not kill them on purpose and try not to allow my sons to see how terrified I am of the little creatures.
Cindy Lawson (author) from Guernsey (Channel Islands) on October 09, 2010:
Good tip Health Wise, it isn't an easy phobia to conquer so the more 'weapons you have in your arsenal' the better.
Health Wise on October 09, 2010:
I cant stand spiders either. Ive used subliminal messages in the past to cure my fear and they worked quite well.
Cindy Lawson (author) from Guernsey (Channel Islands) on September 24, 2010:
This is a bad case of the phobia, but don't give up yet, I used to be just as bad as you are. Try to make yourself watch documentaries on spiders and learn how amazing they are. Practice touching a picture with your eyes closed at first, then bring yourself to a stage you can open your eyes. Next you can work on looking and eventually touching a dead spider, it is only a matter of time before you may well be able to manage live ones, especially if they are slower moving such as pet Tarantulas.
Even if you simply get to a stage you can catch a house spider in a glass with an envelope and put them back outside you have made massive progress, and I found this happened when I lived on my own for the 1st time and quickly realised that either I made myself do it, or the spider stayed in the house with me, a great cure LOL.
Jenn on September 24, 2010:
I hate spiders. So is my mum and my sister. We don't have poisonous ones here but some are huge! They really freak me out because they could bite you and they always seem to run at you. Just today I found a ginormous one and ran for my oter sister (who isnnt afraid of spiders) to get rid of it, then 5 minutes later, another one! I couldn't even look at the pictures on this, I had to cover them up - but not with my hand! I no that sounds stupid, they cant come out my computer screen, but still. They also make me feel really itchy, im still itching from my encounter with them earlier, and that was about an hour ago!
Cindy Lawson (author) from Guernsey (Channel Islands) on September 23, 2010:
LOL, just remember the old mantra "If you want to live and thrive, let a spider run alive".
Every creature has a right to live regardless of how we feel about them. Killing it is not the answer, after all, would you expect your cat hating neighbour to kill your cat and justify it this way!
I am not totally cured, but I am at a level I can cope with now which is good for me (and for the spiders). Keep trying, you might reach the same place in time :)