Arachnophobia - fear of spiders in panic - is considered one of the most common fears. Women suffer from this phobia twice as often as men. And attacks of fear are caused not only by living individuals, but also by their images.
The causes of arachnophobia
Arachnophobia in humans could arise as a result of evolutionary development: even primitive people knew that arachnids are dangerous - the poison of some species is fatal. And they passed on this fear to their subsequent generations. In addition, human instincts make him subconsciously fear everything fast, many-legged and hairy. For this reason, many people are afraid not only of spiders, but in general of all insects and even butterflies.
Another reason for the occurrence of arachnophobia is the surprise with which they appear in front of a person. If a child once becomes very frightened by a spider that has descended on his head, this fear is likely to persist for life.
Meanwhile, there are peoples among whom arachnophobia does not occur at all, for example, some uncivilized tribes. These people eat spiders, and their children calmly stroke large and hairy individuals, not at all afraid of them. This fact suggests that arachnophobia can arise as a copy of the behavioral model of a loved one: if the mother has a fear of spiders, then the children will begin to be afraid of them.
Signs of arachnophobia
Not every fear is considered a phobia. You have arachnophobia if you sense at least two of the following when a spider approaches:
- strong heartbeat;
- numbness of the body;
- sweating;
- chills or hot flashes;
- choking;
- chest pain;
- dizziness;
- trembling and tremors;
- fear of death;
dry mouth;
- shortness of breath;
- panic, loss of self-control;
- nausea or abdominal pain;
- a feeling of unreality regarding what is happening and one's own "I".
Arachnophobia treatment
To treat fear of spiders, doctors use a variety of techniques. One of the most common is confrontational therapy. Its principle is based on direct and close communication with the object of fear - the spider. First, the patient observes him, studies his structure, behavior. Then the person begins to touch the spider and realizes that he is not at all scary and not dangerous. After this therapy, people often start to have spiders as pets.
The second popular treatment for arachnophobia is based on the graphical method. A person suffering from a fear of spiders begins to draw an object of fear. At first, the spider is portrayed as large and scary. Such drawings are destroyed. Then the spider is drawn less and less. The therapy continues until the patient ceases to be afraid of panic.
Anyone should know that arachnophobia is easy to instill in oneself. To prevent this from happening, control your fears and remember - it is not fear that controls the person, but you control it.