Spider phobia (Arachnophobia)

I thought that writing this might be therapeutic for me. Maybe if I could help others out there realize that they aren't alone in their crazy spider terrors then I would have accomplished something. Something small in any case. I apologize if you've stumbled upon this article hoping to find lots of glorious pictures of spiders. Unfortunately, my phobia goes so deep that even pictures disturb my mental state so the most you'll see of spiders here are pictures of Spiderman.

I'm afraid of spiders. You're afraid of spiders. Let's be friends!

When I was a child, I seriously didn't know what a phobia was or what kind of qualifications I would need to classify myself as having one. Well, I gave it a bit of thought and have been pondering it ever since the temperature started to rise over here in Japan. See, when the temperature rises, the little creepy crawlers tend to become active. And with Japan being a humid country, these little beasties literally spring forth from the earth and begin to swarm during the summer.

So, I'd been feeling sympathetic towards my fear of spiders and cockroaches for the last few days but hadn't really done anything to protect myself or my surroundings because I'm a procrastinator. Leaving everything until the last minute.

This afternoon, right before I was about to begin eating my lunch, my procrastinating and pondering came to an abrupt end.

Spiders have 8 legs. Everyone knows this but I just like to remind myself from time to time to increase my discomfort level. Actually, all sarcasm aside, those 8 legs creep me out like you wouldn't believe! (Unless you're reading this because you also suffer from arachnophobia and/or insectophobia) Looking at the body of a spider and its leg movements makes me feel as if someone just walked over my grave.

Anyhow, back to the story. I was just about to set my lunch down onto the desk when I spotted movement out of the corner of my eye. I couldn't believe it at first because 1) it was SO close and 2) it was BIG! Um... I exaggerate sometimes when it comes to insects but it was indeed larger than most. At first, I thought that I'd try opening the balcony door and blowing it off of the desk and outside. Yeah right! Spiders are sturdier than that and the more I thought about it, the more I began to imagine horrifying images like leaping legs or of the accursed thing avenging itself by crawling up my arm. Ewww!

I was home alone (and usually am whenever I spot insects) and had very few options. I couldn't kill it, touching it was out of the question, and I didn't have bug spray. We usually put some insect repelling containers at choice locations in our apartment to ward off these things but this year we both slacked on it. Much to my horror I assure you. So what did I do? I sprayed it with bathroom deodorizing spray and then hurriedly slammed a glass over it.

"I'll just wait until my husband gets home..." I reassured myself as I went about preparing my lunch again. But I ended up eating it in a far corner of the room with my skin crawling, barely able to swallow.

At first I thought that I was just afraid of insects because I was told that it was a 'girl' thing. A few years later, I learnt that it wasn't a normal fear and hardly restricted itself according to age or gender. Symptoms of arachnophobia or insectophobia can also apply to a number of other phobias.

For one thing, a phobia is an irrational, overwhelming fear of something. There isn't any logical reason for why we should be deathly afraid of something as small as insects, but we are all the same. Some symptoms of a phobia, when we encounter the trigger to it, include: sweating, an increased heartbeat, difficulty breathing, difficulty thinking, irrational thoughts (like "Oh my God, It's going to attack me!", or something equally insane), goosebumps (raised bumps on the skin like when you're cold), hairs standing on end, or the inability to swallow. There are of course additional symptoms depending on the individual and severity of the encounter, but you get the point.

Sorry, but dialing 9-1-1 on your speed dial is not a rational response or solution. Although, I honestly did consider it last year when a massive beetle came into my room hiding inside a pillow case. I become so desperate that I debate over whether or not I should introduce myself to the neighbors and offer them cash for getting rid of my problem. But that's not such a bright idea for a multitude of reasons. So what's the best way of coping with arachnophobia?

If you live in an insect-infested country like me (this includes ANY country with insects), then you're probably fed up with the debilitating effects this is having on your ability to function normally. There are a number of treatments or 'cures' available but some of them look kind of sketchy to me. One of the most successful seems to be hynotherapy. This involves allow yourself to be hypnotisized so that your subconscious can take a walk down spider lane with the help of a trained professional. As hokey as this sounds, I've been feeling encouraged by positive stories of how this has been proven effective. And where insects are concerned, I'm at my wit's end so I'm seriously looking into a reputable clinic where I can go in to try hynotisizing my phobia of spiders out of my life.

Wish me luck!