Arachnophobia, or fear of spiders, is an intense fear of spiders or arachnids. When confronted with spiders or other such animals, people experience intense fear and panic. Physical symptoms such as difficulty breathing, rapid heartbeat, nausea, sweating and trembling may occur. When spiders are thought to occur or when spiders are visualized in their minds, these individuals may want to move away from where they are. This situation usually creates negative conditions in the life of the individual and it may be necessary to seek psychological help at the point where there is no solution. Arachnophobia can be overcome by applying various treatment methods. As with other phobias, arachnophobia can be completely resolved with psychological help.
Fear of spiders is one of the most common phobias. In particular, some studies claim that this phobia is the result of evolutionary selection. According to this point of view, there may be a tendency for people to be afraid of all spiders because some spiders are poisonous.
One of the important points about this fear is that the prevalence of the disease known as arachnophobia varies in different cultures. For example, in Western societies there is an intense fear of spiders, but in Africa the spider is considered a wise animal.
What are the types of arachnophobia?
Animal phobia can be mentioned in anxiety disorders and one of them is spider phobia. If people are faced with factors that trigger the phobia, they may experience intense and irrational anxiety.
Fear of spiders is one of the specific types of phobia and therefore, instead of diversifying it, it can be evaluated and treated under a single roof. Therefore, spider phobia is generally examined under the heading of specific phobias and animal phobias in particular.
What are the Symptoms of Fear of Spiders (Arachnophobia)?
It is one of the diseases of psychological origin. It is possible to talk about quite different situations within the symptoms of arachnophobia. The main symptoms of fear of spiders are as follows;
- Reactions such as heart palpitations and shouting when encountering or at risk of encountering a spider
- Tremor
- Panic attacks
- Feeling like fainting
- Don't be unresponsive
- Inability to look at pictures with spiders or spider webs
- Avoidance of outdoor activities
How Do Fear of Spiders (Arachnophobia) Attacks Happen?
Fear of spiders attacks are characterized by sudden reactions such as fainting, nausea, dry mouth and tremors. When a specific trigger occurs, these attacks may show symptoms such as sweating and momentary loss of consciousness.
Facial flushing, burning, blood pressure disturbances, blurred vision and shortness of breath are some of the most obvious indicators of an attack. Even if there are no spiders anywhere, any feeling of uneasiness that there might be one can cause attacks.
How is fear of spiders (arachnophobia) treated?
When treating fear of spiders, it is first determined by an expert whether the usual fear is a phobia and arachnophobia is diagnosed accordingly. Then, according to the intensity of the fear experienced by the individual, the most appropriate treatment method is determined according to the characteristics of the person.
Here, it is the therapist and the client who suggest the method and manage the process. The communication between them is also very important for the treatment to be beneficial. Since some clients experience severe fear, cognitive behavioral therapy methods may be used, while for others, various techniques such as exposure therapy may be recommended. This is the result of the expert therapist choosing the most appropriate technique for the individual and deciding together with the client.