Arachnophobia

Arachnophobia is a type of specific phobia and can be defined as an unusual fear of spiders. The term arachnophobia is derived from Greek words 'arachne' and 'phobia' meaning spider and fear respectively. Many people experience fear only mild while some people have great fear for spiders.

Arachnophobia is one of the most wide spread phobias and is more common in women than in men. About half of ladies and 10% of men are arachnophobics.

Is arachnophobia an act of cowardliness?

Arachnophobia is not an act of cowardliness. Often other people do not understand how an arachnophobic feels when he encounters a spider. A spider can terrify even the most courageous people in the world i.e. they may be arachnophobic.

How do arachnophobics react when they see a spider?

The way arachnophobics react may seem unreasonable to people around them. Sometimes the arachnophobics themselves may find it unreasonable. Arachnophobics experience great deal of discomfort in any place where they believe that spiders might be present. Even spider webs can trigger a feeling of uneasiness in them. They may get a panic attack when encountering a spider. They usually don’t enter the area where they see a spider. Some people may be even more sensitive to spiders that even realistic pictures or paintings or toys of a spider can trigger panic attack. When such instances occur in public places it leads to the humiliation of the arachnophobic.

What is the cause for arachnophobia?

According to behavioral scientists there can be several reasons to why a person may become an arachnophobic. The first reason is having past encounters with spiders. Some people might have had bitter previous experiences such as being bitten by a spider or other such incidences. Some people may develop a fear after seeing someone suffering a spider bite. Experts claim that watching can have the same impact as that of experiencing. Psychologists say that children may develop fear due to insistence from parents that spiders are dangerous.

How arachnophobia can be treated?

There are a number of ways in which the fear of spiders can be treated. The methods can be conventional or experimental. Systematic desensitization is one of the most commonly accepted conventional methods. It involves the categorization of the various incidences involving spiders by the arachnophobic. The categorization is based on the extent of danger felt by the person on those circumstances. Then the person is taught to cope and relax under those circumstances starting from the least terrifying one. Harmless spiders may also be introduced to the person.