I’m the same☹️ I think if I knew for certain that they don’t bite, I could work on myself to get to a level of coping with them but until then, no hope.

All spiders can bite, but most can’t even penetrate our skin. However the truth is that NO spider would bite unless it felt threatened. They are very peaceful, and just wish t be left alone. They do not recognise you at all as anything other than a surface or threat/predator so they only ever want to get away from you. Your heightened sensitivity to being bitten therefore is as a consequence of a life event and it is this that needs to be challenged positively and addressed to lessen your high alert and anxiety associated to certain spiders.

Please see our reply to Belladonna as the same applies to you 💕

@@nikandevaspeakman thank you so much for your reply to me. When I was eight I witnessed my mother screaming and jumping onto a chair when huge spiders ran across the room, so I naturally followed suit. I am sure that this is where it started. I am trying hard to rationalise this behaviour but it’s not easy! I will keep working on it. Much love to you both❤️

Definitely don’t hold all spiders. I own a large spider and hold him with my bare hands, but I still fear brown recluses and kill them if they’re in my home.

No one is born with a phobia so ALL phobias can be overcome. Emetophobia also can be overcome. A phobia is defined as ‘an irrational fear’ no matter what you’re phobic too. There is always an experience that starts it. You think you can’t remember, but you can, it’s just that you don’t realise it was that event that started it. Most common causes of emetophobia are from being quite young at school (usually between the ages of 4 and 14) and seeing someone sick and everyone laughing at that person who was sick, or being disgusted with that person. Another common cause is being sick and being told off for making a mess. Another is you being sick and an adult not reacting well. Being a child, being sick and being alone or not understanding what is happening or finally seeing a parent being sick and thinking (as a child) that they were dying and you felt helpless. Less common causes are watching something on TV or visiting someone in hospital. We have 2 films here on our KZfaq channel with tips. Many people have overcome their emetophobia at our workshops and we write about it (and heath anxiety) in our book Conquering Anxiety.

@@nikandevaspeakmandoes the book also cover arachnophobia or is there another of your books which would be more suited to this phobia?thank you

That does sound incredibly likely to be linked. Potentially if you address and overcome your issue about being tickled, the spider phobia could pass too however we do have an in-depth arachnophobia blog on our website too www.speakman.tv Hope it helps x

The same phobia can effect sufferers in so many different ways. Please dont lose sight though that you too can overcome your arachnophobia x

Most spider phobias are copied behaviour, so for example copying a parents, friend, relative etc. Sometimes a phobia can be acquired through a film or being teased or chased with a spider. However, we have a really helpful arachnophobia blog on our website www.speakman.tv do take a look as something there may just make that difference you need

What a load of rubbish! It’s a phobia.. lol

Actually. I have severe GAD and love spiders. I do not hold dangerous ones, however if they’re not very venomous I will hold them with my hands.

Well done x

so you must be dead then

I have a friend who had serious arachnophobia to the extent where he jumped out of a moving car because there was a spider in it. His dad is a psychiatrist who helped him overcome and now he is fine with them, trust me it’s curable.