Arachnophobia

[Guest_10170]

So, has anyone else got severe arachnophobia that it causes nighttime anxiety?

i used to have really really severe arachnophobia when I was a child. And it stemmed from traumatic instances regarding spiders. Like one time I was going to the tip and we were emptying out our trailer, and I picked up a box and on this box was a redback (very similar to the American black widow) and I was terrified for weeks afterwards. 

and then there were other instances where I would wake up and there would be massive spiders on my walls, and they kind of scarred me for life  

just a note for context I live in Australia, one of the most heavily spider populated countries and most of our spiders are deadly or dangerous. we do have some cute ones like the jumping spider but most of them are not very friendly, again on that same note, they normally will not attack unless scared or provoked, you could be standing right next to a funnel web (it can kill you in 15 minutes) and it won’t bite you. 

but anyway it’s gotten really really bad over the last couple of weeks. I’ve gone back to checking my bedsheets and my shoes and doublecheck and triple checking. Even waking up in the middle of the night thinking that I’m being bitten by spiders

I’m just checking to see if anyone else is in the same boat?

[Sophie_M]

 
Hey Guest_10170,

Thank you for your post. We’re glad that you have been able to find this space here to share what you are going through.

We’re sorry to hear how much distress your arachnophobia is causing you. While you are certainly not alone in feeling afraid of spiders, having a phobia so intense that it causes continued disruption to your life and your wellbeing is something that you deserve to have support in managing.

Has there been any incident lately that has triggered this increase in fear? Any recent incidents (or even something that we’ve seen online or just heard about) can certainly impact this, as can seemingly unrelated life stressors that can have us feeling more on-edge in general.

It sounds like this is something you have been managing for much of your life. Have there been times when it has not been so intense, or ways that you have found over time to help ease the level of anxiety and fear?

Given just how deeply this is impacting you, it may be worthwhile chatting to your GP or another trusted healthcare provider. If you are interested, they may be able to refer you to a psychologist with training in phobia management. There are some really fascinating ways that arachnophobia is being treated, including specific phobia programs.

We hope that our community here can help you feel less alone in this. You can also call our Support Service on 1300 22 4636 any time, or reach us on webchat: https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support   

Take good care of yourself. We hope that you can treat yourself with kindness as you navigate this.
 
Kind regards
Sophie M