Don't Get Caught in a Web of Fears!

There is nothing creepier than feeling an eight-legged creature crawling on your bare skin…at least that is what most people believe.

According to psychologist, Lisa Fritscher, arachnophobia, the fear of spiders, is one of the most common specific phobias.

People who have arachnophobia will often go to great lengths to ensure that they do not come in contact with a spider. These people may be reluctant to participate in activities that carry a risk of being exposed to spiders, such as hiking or camping.

If someone with this fear finds a spider in his or her home, he or she may react in one of two ways: either screaming and running away or freezing in place. This person may be unable to kill or trap the spider yourself and will rely on a friend or family member to come to the rescue. Some victims with severe cases of arachnophobia would rather leave their own house than face the spider. Just like other phobias, common symptoms of arachnophobia include:

·      Excessive sweating

·      Clamminess

·      Rapid breathing

·      Nausea

·      Dizziness

·      Rapid heartbeat

Experts are still uncertain of what exactly causes arachnophobia. However, some scientists believe that the fear may have a cultural background. For example, people living in Africa have a fear of large spiders, while most people in South America are not afraid of spiders and are even known to eat large spiders.

Another theory scientist have is that the fear is caused by a frightening incident that occurred earlier in life. Many people do not remember the events that lead to their phobia, and the mind can create a phobia based on moments of panic.

Arachnophobia does not only effect humans, but it can also effect other species are well.

According to www.livescience.com, researchers have proven that unborn crickets can gain a fear of spiders based on their mother's traumatic experiences.

The study consisted of scientists putting pregnant crickets into terrariums containing a wolf spider. The spiders' fangs were covered with wax so the spiders are able stalk but not kill the pregnant crickets. After the crickets laid their eggs, the researchers compared the behavior of the offspring with offspring whose mothers hadn't been exposed to spiders.

The newborn crickets whose mothers had been exposed to a spider were 113 percent more likely to seek shelter and stay there. They were also more likely to freeze when they encountered spider silk or feces — a behavior that could prevent them from being detected by a nearby spider. Overall, these newborns had better survival rates than other newborn crickets, eaten by the wolf spiders for the sake of science.

Scientists are still unsure how the fear is passed down, but they speculate that stressful events trigger and release a hormone in the mother that influences the development of the embryo.

Like other phobias, arachnophobia is most commonly treated through therapy. The most used form of therapy is cognitive-behavioral technique. According to Webster Dictionary, cognitive-behavioral technique is a “psychotherapeutic approach that addresses dysfunctional emotions, maladaptive behaviors and cognitive processes and contents through a number of goal-oriented procedures.” Antidepressant or anti-anxiety medications may also be used. Recent research has shown that virtual reality therapy, in which the sufferer is exposed to virtual representations of spiders, may work as well as the older technique of gradually exposing the client to live spiders.

Now that we looked at symptoms, causes and treatments of arachnophobia, lets take a look at some interesting facts involving one of the most common fears!

Arachnophobia Facts (according to www.mentalhealth.co.uk.)

·      There are approximately 40,000 species of spiders.

·      Most spiders are not capable of penetrating human skin.

·      Most spiders will bite humans only in self-defense.

·      Most spider bites have no more effect than a bee sting or mosquito bite.

·      Recent studies show that the ‘toxic effects’ of spider bites are often of no medical relevance.

·      Most venomous spiders are not capable of injecting enough venom to warrant medical intervention and of those that can; only a few cases are recorded to be fatal.

·      Most researchers agree that the Australian funnel web spider is the one to avoid because of its aggressive nature, but even so, there are only two recorded bites a year.

·      About 55% of women and 18% of men experience a fear of spiders to some degree.

·      In the 20th century there were around 100 reliably recorded deaths from spider bites but there were 1500 deaths from jellyfish stings.

·      The house spider – usually spotted during autumn running around our carpets looking for a female mate – is not harmful to us.

·      Scientists are working with spider venom to create a less toxic pesticide alternative; spider venom can be deadly to insects but harmless to other animals such as pets.

·      Arachnophobia, like many other ‘simple’ phobias, can be treated very effectively these days.

So all you people dealing with arachnophobia, how do you handle being in the presence of a spider?  Share your story and remember, don’t get caught in a web of fears!