Arachnophobia is what? Causes and treatment of arachnophobia

Have you ever flinched at the thought of spiders? Are you afraid of these animals more than anything else? Perhaps you even heard the word "arachnophobia"? In this article we will talk in detail about what kind of fear and how to cope with it.

What is arachnophobia?

If you translate this term from the ancient Greek language, it will mean fear of arthropods. In other words, arachnophobia is a fear of spiders. This phobia was singled out in a separate category because of its wide distribution. This disease has already spread so much among people that scientists constantly have to look for new techniques to overcome the ailment. People who are prone to such fear are called arachnophobes. But many of them do not even know about their illness, because they consider the fear of spiders as a manifestation of the usual instinct of self-preservation. Nevertheless, in Akhronofobs this fear manifests itself much sharper, accompanied by rapid heart rate, increased blood pressure, increased sweating, sometimes even trembling.

Stars suffering from arachnophobia

This is a disease that even the inhabitants of the Hollywood Olympus are familiar with. Rupert Green (one of the heroes of the Harry Potter movie), Johnny Depp, Ronald Reagan (40th US President), Johann Friedrich von Schiller (the German poet) knew firsthand that arachnophobia is quite an unpleasant disease ... These stars, Like many other well-known (and not entirely) personalities, were afraid of spiders more than anything else in the world. Despite the mental and physical superiority of man over the spider, more and more people are getting acquainted with this phobia every year.

What causes arachnophobia?

Arachnophobia is a disease. And, like any other ailment, it has its own reasons. The main thing is that a person is prone to fear that he is different from himself. In external and internal differences between man and spider, there is no doubt. Even more oil in the fire adds the ability of these animals is absolutely silent and quite suddenly appear in the most unexpected places. People are also frightened by the fact that the behavior of spiders is completely unpredictable. The speed with which these animals are able to move is also terrible, especially if we take into account the ratio of this speed to the size of their body.

The main causes of arachnophobia are as follows:

1. Predisposition at the genetic level. In this case, the fear of a person gets, so to speak, by inheritance from distant ancestors. This kind of phobia can suffer even the person who has never encountered spiders.

2. The influence of parents. If a child grows up in a family where parents have a fear of arthropods, he himself begins to fear them. After all, in most situations of life, the child in the decision-making is guided by the opinion of his parents. Arachnophobia is a fear that can be transmitted hereditarily.

3. Personal experience. If at least once a person has experienced stress from a meeting with a spider, there is a high probability that this fear will remain with him for life.

Is it really worth being afraid of spiders?

According to medical statistics, about five thousand people die each year from the bites of these arthropods. And we are talking only about registered cases. Based on such statistics, any, even the most healthy person, will feel fear towards these animals. But, nevertheless, it should be noted that in our country most spiders are absolutely harmless. But even those that are capable of harming a person, will never make it the first. And they attack only in case of direct threat.

Is it possible to cure arachnophobia?

A lot of people in life are haunted by the fear of spiders. This phobia, fortunately, is curable. Psychiatrists successfully struggle with this fear. There are several basic techniques that help get rid of the disease. About them, we now talk.

At the moment, the most effective way to treat arachnophobia is the method of substituting unwanted behavioral patterns with useful skills. It's not a secret to anyone that in order to get rid of any fear, you need to meet him face to face. This is what experts do when working with a person who is prone to phobia. The patient does not take any threat, because the doctor does the therapy only with the consent of the patient, he does it gradually, while ensuring maximum safety.

Over time, people get used to the fact that spiders can be in the immediate vicinity of them and at the same time do not bring any harm. Realizing this, a person, as a rule, says goodbye to his phobia. And many after such therapy even spawn spiders as pets.

There is another technique, namely the use of computer programs that mimic the approach of a spider to a person. This method is less effective than the previous one, but it is more affordable. After all, for its use, you do not need to have a live spider, just a computer.

How to get rid of this disease on your own

Modern people live in conditions of constant stress, including because of this, many of them are familiar with arachnophobia. Treatment can be done independently, if there is no opportunity to visit a specialist. There is one simple exercise in which a person will have to kill his fear.

To begin with, a phobia must, so to speak, materialize. You can mold a spider figure from plasticine, buy a ready-made toy or just paint it.

Then, within a few minutes, study the created embodiment of the phobia, feel all the range of negative emotions that a person experiences from meeting with an animal, and fully realize their fear.

Then this fear must be transferred to a figure of a spider or a figure.

After the person has completely coped with the previous tasks, it is possible to proceed safely to the punishment of his weakness. You can do anything that only please - to break the figure, cut or tear the picture. The main thing is to feel control, and in the future and victory over fear.

Fear of spiders - a phobia though strong, but curable. It is necessary only to have a great desire to get rid of the disease and show firm perseverance. We can not forget that people who are prone to various phobias, most often suffer from nervous or heart diseases. Therefore, if you notice this kind of fear in yourself, do not suffer torment - you need to fight it urgently.