Arachnophobia

[Unabashed]

What is it about spiders that people find so repulsive?

[andy hughes]

As a confirmed arachniphobe,I can vouch for the imagined creepy feeling that would be produced by their legs moving over me, combined with an irrantional disgust at the speed with which they move. Strangely, the larger slower moving varieties like tarantulas I find interesting, and would not object to holding at all, but leave me in the room with one of those little tennis ball-shaped ones with the really long legs that move like Sebastian Coe with his shorts on fire, and I can't even get close enough to put a glass over it! It is irrantional, but that's the definition of a phobia, so everyone can leave out the "It's more frightened of you..." argument, because a phobia is not subject to rational statements, thank you.

[Unabashed]

Are you scared of any other insects, because i am not scared of spiders but show me an ear wig and I'm outta there. Is there a name for people with a phobia of earwigs or am I just weird.......?

[mikewith]

beenee wrote a great answer to a similar question earlier in the year: "Well, even if you dont manage to get over your phobia completey, make sure you dont keep psychologicaly rewarding yourself to accept that spiders are harmful or dangerous. The last thing you want is to become paralyzed if, God forbid you do come across an arachnid in an unfamiliar environment. I have found (being a psychologist in training) that phobics are at times proud of their fears and subconciously relish reinforcing the perceived danger of the feared object. Give your self positive suggestions about spiders, or better still - consider them too frivilous an entity to even think about."

[andy hughes]

Hi Unabashed - I'm the same with moths - I once slammed a door so hard, trapping my finger and opening the flesh to the bone, to avoid a Spitfire-sized moth flying towards me. Don't ask me why, but butterflies fascinate me, and I'm happy to walk round butterfly houses and watch and feel them flying round me. It has to do with butterflies' delicacy and fragility, as opposed to moths with their fat furry bodies - ugh!

[Unabashed]

andy hughes, I totally agree with you on moths, they're vile.It's the speed they fly and the way they have no sense of direction just flying round like maniacs. It was only a few nights ago I was climbing all over the house trying to get away from the half rat half bird ceature named "THE MOTH".....maybe I'm over reacting but I really hate the things.

[ravenhair]

Both butterflies and moths scare the living daylights out of me. Strangely, my partner and parents all seem to find this hilarious and are always threatening to take me to the local butterfly farm as "a special birthday surprise". Honestly, I can't even bear to look at a picture of a butterfly, and as for those vile ornamental ones that people have on their walls, well . . . I feel faint just thinking about it.

[andy hughes]

Ravenhair's phobia I find really interesting - I am unphased by any spider or moth which can't 'reach' me, but to be phobic about even a picture is a severe case of the condition, and I sympathise. Please ignore your insensitive comrades - non-sufferers seem to find a phobia highly amusing, my dad did, always teasing my mother about a moth "... dragging her off to its nest ... har har!" until one flew into her face and she fainted. He never found it so amusing after that!

[snaykz]

One of those huge spidery buggers crawled (or rather, rocketed) past my head last night when I was in bed. It took me until 5 o'clock in the morning to dare to go back to bed. Strangely, like andy I find larger spiders fascinating and the ones that freak me out in the home don't really bother me when I see them outside. This leads me to believe that it's all a matter of territory. I guess it's built into our nature to defend 'our patch' and feel a little uneasy if it is 'invaded'. I also dislike moths in the house, the way they always seem to fly as if drunk and aim straight for your mouth. I recently went to a butterfly and moth house and didn't feel uncomfortable at all, even though they were flying around everywhere. Weird.

[Unabashed]

I could'nt agree with you more snaykz, It's bad enough when one of those creatures invades your house and then attacks you.But what could be more scary than not actually finding the thing after you have fled the scene of the crime for safety...I still havnt found a spider that was above my bed weeks ago, it actually winked at me as I was hurling myself of the bed which gives you an idea of the size...I'm shaking just thinkig about it...

[KEJ2000]

I was once bitten by a single spider which left more than 40 itchy, painful (raised, round) welts in a cluster on my abdomen. It happened while I was asleep in my own bed, I didn't feel a thing until the next morning. It took months for those red (then pink) spots to completely disappear. I was afraid they would be there forever and I'd be scarred. Worse yet, I found the culprit one day after I was bitten-- it was huge and black with very thick, strong legs. I tried to smash it, but it jumped faster than I could move, and vanished. Another day passed (I got no sleep the previous night!) and I saw it again and managed to kill it. Spiders are my #1 enemy, if you ask me!!!

[luke85]

Every summer i get those huge house spiders in my bedroom. The worst part for me is walking into my room as normal, turning round and suddenly seeing a huge creature on my wall where ive just been standing near. Most times i sleep in another room and get someone else to get rid of it before i can go in again. Aparently they can live for months without food or water (there goes my plan of starving it out). Does anyone know if hamsters eat spiders because i may have to invest in one.

[lizy1647]

im terrified of spiders but love all other creeepy crawlies i hate it! i rang my dad at 2 in the morning to drive round to my house and get rid of a monster from my room its appauling! in answers to luke85 i dont no about hamsters but my rats used to love spider for dinner, but that was pretty tramatic cos they would leave bits in my bed..argh! has anyone had any successful help for their phobia?