Fear of Spiders
Fear of spiders (arachnophobia) is one of the more common fears, falling under the broader phobia subtype of animal phobia (a fear of spiders is a specific phobia, or simple phobia). Although not as common as a fear of snakes (Agras, 1969), a fear of spiders is an extremely commonplace condition, effecting some 8-10% of the population.
There is a surprising amount of genetic basis to phobias. Obviously our genetics are needed for anything we are capable of doing, but we have an apparent ‘preparedness’ for developing particular phobias such as a fear of spiders. For instance, we are much more likely to have a fear of spiders than we are to have a fear of pillows or flowers. OK yes, you are less likely to have a sensitizing experience with those two, but we are similarly less likely to become phobic of cars or guns, even with a painful experience! Interestingly, the rates between men and women does vary, with women being far more likely to develop arachnophobia than are men. (Kendler, Myers, Prescott, & Neale, 2001)
If you do have a fear of spiders, the good news is that it is highly treatable, and that most people who share your fear get over it during their lifetime even without treatment. The maintenance of the fear of spiders (that is, what someone with the fear is doing or not doing that keeps the fear alive) is actually fairly straightforward: avoidance.
By avoiding contact with spiders (visually, bodily, etc), the person with a fear of spiders reduces their fear in that moment. Makes a lot of sense… I feel scared of the spider, I kill it or leave the area where it is in, and then I’m not as scared. However, this creates a positive experience from avoiding. There is no chance to experience a spider (kinesthetically, visually, or otherwise) and not have a negative consequence. Avoidance then becomes reinforced as a way to reduce the fear, and so the fear never extinguishes.
Hypnosis is an effective, well-studied and established way to address with irrational fears and phobias. (Crawford & Barabasz, 1993; Horowitz, 1970; Kluft, 1986; McGuinness, 1984) Other established methods and treatments are generally behaviorism / behaviorally based are classified as ‘exposure’ therapies. Essentially the opposite of avoidance, the person would be exposed to spiders in various scenarios. This can range from extremely intense methods like flooding to a less anxiety-producing method such as systematic desensitization. In folk psychology terms, this type of therapy would be ‘facing your fears’, which is actually quite sound advice although HOW they are faced dramatically impacts how quick, effective, and sustainable the approach is. A hypnotic approach would use suggestion and post-suggestion techniques, active imagination or visualization, classical conditioning and more. This approach is gentler still, and can produce results without as confrontational approach.
If you are hoping to kick a fear of spiders without any professional help, it would be best to begin doing the opposite of what your fear is motivating you to do. If you feel like running away from a spider, try taking a step toward it, focusing on your breath, and allowing yourself to relax. This trains your brain to associate a more relaxed feeling with the spider, rather than a fear response. If you find yourself staring at the spider and being vigilant, try moving your eyes somewhere else and again focusing on bringing a relaxed feeling to yourself.
Fear of spiders is common. It is something that we seem to be genetically predisposed to responding to with fear (Öhman & Mineka, 2001), but it is actually a fear that is easily changed, despite how uncomfortable it may be in the moment. There is an evident gender bias with the typical finding being that women display an ‘irrational fear’ or phobic response more often than men (irrational fear by the way, is not a judgment per se, but instead means a fear of spiders at a subclinical level). Hypnosis and behavioral techniques (exposure therapy) are the favored methods for countering the fear.
References
Agras, S. (1969, March). The epidemiology of common fears and phobia. Comprehensive Psychiatry.
Crawford, H. J., & Barabasz, A. F. (1993). Phobias and intense fears: Facilitating their treatment with hypnosis. American Psychological Association.
Horowitz, S. L. (1970). Strategies within hypnosis for reducing phobic behavior. Journal of abnormal psychology, 75(1), 104-12.
Kendler, K. S., Myers, J., Prescott, C. a, & Neale, M. C. (2001). The genetic epidemiology of irrational fears and phobias in men. Archives of general psychiatry, 58(3), 257-65.
Kluft, R. P. (1986). Hypnosis in the treatment of phobias. Psychiatric Annals. SLACK.
McGuinness, T. P. (1984, April). Hypnosis in the treatment of phobias: a review of the literature. The American journal of clinical hypnosis.
Öhman, A., & Mineka, S. (2001). Fears, phobias, and preparedness: Toward an evolved module of fear and fear learning. Psychological Review, 108(3), 483-522.
