Contents:
- Medical Video: Arachnophobes Meet Spiders
- What is a spider phobia?
- What are the symptoms of spider phobia?
- What caused it?
- How to handle it?
Medical Video: Arachnophobes Meet Spiders
Phobias are often interpreted as a feeling of excessive fear of a thing that tends to make no sense. Whether it's in a place, situation, object, to a living thing. You may hear someone who has a high phobia, a dark room, or a small room. Well, did you know that it turns out that someone has a spider phobia?
What is a spider phobia?
Arachnophobia or spider phobia is an anxiety disorder that results in a person experiencing excessive fear in spider animals. In general, many people might prefer to avoid spiders because they feel disgusted, afraid to be bitten, until they are considered poisonous.
However, the normal fear of spiders is different from that of people who have phobias. A person with arachnophobia will never even touch a spider. Let alone touch, just look at them maybe they have run away scared.
People who are spider phobias are also reluctant to do any activity that risks meeting spiders. For example camping in the open, down to the basement, or enter a storage warehouse that can be ascertained full of spiderwebs. This fear will always haunt people with arachnophobia wherever they are.
What are the symptoms of spider phobia?
Just like other phobias, people with arachnophobia will also show some signs and symptoms when dealing directly with spiders, such as:
- Uncontrolled attacks of fear, anxiety, and panic when imagining spiders
- Experiencing excessive fear when seeing spiders, even prefer to scream or escape to a safe place
- Trembling all over his body
- A cold sweat
- Heart palpitations
- Chest tightness and difficulty breathing
- Nausea
- Dizzy
- Fainted
People with spider phobias are unable to deal with spiders alone. They will depend on others when they see spiders, or prefer to go instead of having to deal with spiders. Some places that remind them of spiders will also be avoided.
This is certainly different from the amusement of spiders in general. You may not get sweat, palpitations, let alone nausea and shortness of breath as in people with spider phobias.
What caused it?
The most common causes of arachnophobia are due to past trauma or bad experiences. For example, having been bitten by a spider until injured, having an accident caused by a spider, watching other people experience bad things with a spider, as well as various other scary situations related to spiders.
On the other hand, there are many theories from experts who relate the spider phobia to cultural backgrounds. Because, there are certain areas that believe that spiders are dangerous and deadly animals that must be avoided. Finally grow fear about spiders in someone.
How to handle it?
This type of phobia is divided into two, namely specific phobias and complex phobias. Now, this spider phobia falls into the category of specific phobias, so it is more often treated using cognitive behavioral therapy.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) or cognitive behavioral therapy is a therapy that focuses on controlling negative suggestions or thoughts about spiders, then slowly replaces them with suggestions or other thoughts that make more sense.
To optimize the process, there are two main techniques used, namely cognitive reframing and systematic desensitization. Cognitive reframing is a method that helps you to change the perspective of spiders so that they no longer consider it a scary thing. While systematic desensitization is a relaxation technique that aims to manage fear well.
You might also be advised to routinely do breathing exercises and yoga at home. If necessary, doctors can give antidepressants to relieve symptoms of spider phobia at some time. It is important to remember that this drug is not a long-term treatment, but a treatment that is given when an arachnophobia sufferer is not able to control the symptoms that are felt.
You can overcome spider phobias by consulting a therapist directly or who is an expert at dealing with phobias. That way, your phobia can be overcome properly.
