Hypnotherapy for Arachnophobia

Professional hypnosis treatments for arachnophobia, the fear of spiders, at the Wombourne Clinic in Wolverhampton

WARNING – THIS PAGE CONTAINS A PICTURE DEPICTING A SPIDER

Arachnophobia is the Fear of Spiders. People with arachnophobia tend to feel uneasy in any area they believe could contain spiders or that has visible signs of their presence, such as webs.

If Arachnophobics see a spider, they may not enter the general area until they have overcome the panic that is associated with their phobia.

Some people scream out, cry, have trouble breathing, may sweat excessively or even experience heart trouble when they come in contact with an area near spiders or their webs.

In some extreme cases seeing a spider on TV or a picture or realistic drawing of a spider can also trigger the fear.

On this Page:

• Arachnophobia Symptoms
• Arachnophobia Treatment

All phobias are, by definition, irrational, but regardless of what the feared object or circumstances are, phobic beliefs also produce real feelings of Anxiety and Stress for the sufferer, and Arachnophobia is no different in this sense.

You can read more about our general approach to hypnotherapy for anxiety in Wolverhampton here.

Whilst the feared object or situation may seem, to other people, to be ‘ridiculous’ or ‘silly’, the person who suffers from Arachnophobia knows only too well that the Anxiety that they experience is real and is having a detrimental impact on their life.

We completely understand this here at Wolverhampton Hypnotherapy and will treat you and your fear of Spiders seriously.

For many years Psychologists have been aware that our minds are more than capable of producing a real biological reaction to any given situation and so as long as the Arachnophobia sufferer “believes” that the object or situation they fear represents danger to them, then they will experience real fear.

The majority of people who do suffer with Arachnophobia recognise that their fear is “irrational” but continue to experience it regardless of this knowledge. This is why simply being told to “snap out of it” rarely produces a solution!

Arachnophobia Symptoms

The symptoms of Arachnophobia are very similar to other specific phobias and will often include:

• Panic attacks
• Inability to Relax
• Feelings of dizziness
• Prickly sensations
• Palpitations
• Aches & pains
• Dry and Sticky mouth
• Sweating Excessively
• Breathlessness

Arachnophobia Symptoms are generally automatic and uncontrollable and can seem to take over a person’s thoughts which frequently leads to extreme measures being taken to avoid the feared object or situation, what are known as “Safety” or “Avoidance” behaviours.

Unfortunately, for the sufferer, these safety behaviours have a paradoxical effect and actually reinforce the phobia rather than solve it!

The fear of Spiders may be the result of negative emotional experiences that can be either directly or indirectly linked to the object or situational fear.

Over time, the symptoms often become “normalised” and “accepted” as limiting beliefs in that person’s life – “I’ve learnt to live with it.”

In just as many cases, Arachnophobia may have become worse over time as more and more sophisticated safety behaviours and routines are developed.

The good news is that the vast majority of people who suffer from the fear of Spiders will find a course of Psychological Therapy helps enormously.

Arachnophobia Treatment

Wolverhampton Hypnotherapy is able to offer a wide range of different psychological treatments for Arachnophobia including both ‘cognitive’ (thinking) based talking therapies as well as therapies based on ’emotional’ content such as Hypnotherapy.

Hypnotherapy for Arachnophobia

Hypnotherapy for arachnophobia can be particularly effective for helping people to locate and then use many of their own inner strengths and resources to combat the problems associated with the fear of spiders.

In this respect, hypnotherapy helps a person to ‘help themselves’ in very much the same way as other therapeutic approaches.

Hypnotherapy for Young Adults

Research into 18–25-year-olds seeking therapy found that there are a number of barriers to help-seeking including difficulty identifying the problem, concerns about stigma, preference for self-reliance and uncertainty about where to go for help.

At Wolverhampton Hypnotherapy we have developed two distinct pathways to address these specific limitations, firstly a page dedicated to hypnotherapy for young adults and secondly, a page outlining how parents can help their son or daughter access therapy without taking-over or imposing the need for therapy upon them.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) Options with Paul Lee MSc at Tranceform Psychology

If you’re unsure about undertaking a course of hypnotherapy for your fear of spiders then you might like to consider a structured programme of CBT with Paul who runs our main applied psychology business Tranceform.

Initial Consultations

Joan offers all prospective clients a low cost (£30) initial consultation to discuss your mental health concerns.

During this 50 minute consultation Joan will discuss the various options that are available to you and make a considered recommendation based on your individual personal circumstances.

At Wolverhampton Hypnotherapy we understand the importance of the therapeutic relationship and so place a great emphasis on being able to meet PRIOR to agreeing any kind of help.

Our policy is to help people make a fully balanced & considered decision about undertaking therapy with us, including both the financial, work-load and personal implications.

E-mail joan at:

Joan@WolverhamptonHypnotherapy.co.uk