Anyone deal with arachnophobia? NO Pictures of Spiders unless in spoiler tags.

Pocket10s said:
- The spindly cellar spiders, strangely enough on the floor in my kitchen
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Hades said:
But I mostly have to deal with those really thin spindly ones (Cellar spiders)
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Hades said:
I seem to recall the Cellar spiders are one of the dominant types and they prey on other spiders. Although they seem really weak and spindly they keep the other spiders at bay with their long legs and then wrap them in silk.
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Exactly this - if you can leave the cellar spiders alone, they will take care of the majority of "normal" house spiders. Personally I'd rather have a few cellar spiders than some of the "racing" house spiders I've seen lately
 
Pocket10s said:
With the warmer weather comes spiders, however after moving to a more green part of the UK I've suddenly been faced with a lot more than I'm used to (which is close to zero).

I guess I've never really had to deal with them, apart from some cottage trips to the countryside in the summer where they are of course, massive. I did either freak out or just plain leave.

Now however, I'm seeing a few, namely:

- The spindly cellar spiders, strangely enough on the floor in my kitchen
- Spiders the size of a 10p coin in the kitchen/ dining room
- Really tiny spiders (baby ones?) although I can't tell where they are coming from. I've had my loft fumigated to get rid of all insects in there. I mainly see them upstairs

Also, the outside of my house is covered in them, I can see webs everywhere (semi-detached).

I'm a bit embarrassed to say, I'm freaking the hell out. Checking every room when I walk into it, every crevice and corner. I even just stopped walking into some rooms. It's exhausting and I've moved out for a bit to pull myself together.

I'm absolutely horrified about the mating season in Autumn and am absolutely dreading it.

I know spiders get rid of other bugs and are good but I can't stand them. I'd like to ask two quick things:

1. Has anyone had Arachnophobia? How did you deal with it? Therapy? CBT? Where did you start in terms of contacting someone?
2. What methods have you used to reduce the amount of spiders in-side and out-side your house?

Please no comments about how they are good for the home/ spiderbros etc. I know - this is an irrational fear.
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If you're that scared, speak to your GP. I'm not joking. You shouldn't live in fear of spiders, no matter how irrational the phobia is.

The only issue is that it will take several weeks for your first CBT appointment to come through, it could be 16 weeks after referral.

I don't know what to suggest, but I am also a sufferer and have seen astral spiders from other dimensions and have dreams about spiders sometimes.

We get cellar spiders in our flat and I'm fine with getting rid of them. Thankfully they're the only ones we get. I didn't know they were dominant, thanks @Armageus
 
Pocket10s said:
1. Has anyone had Arachnophobia? How did you deal with it? Therapy? CBT? Where did you start in terms of contacting someone?
2. What methods have you used to reduce the amount of spiders in-side and out-side your house?
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I am not scared of spiders, but in terms of therapy, what I would say is that I do not think any form of desensitisation therapy is a good idea, as this will make you think MORE about spiders, when you want to think LESS about them. My advice would be to try and completely block any thoughts related to spiders, i.e. don't investigate spiders, don't research spiders, try and think about them as little as possible and diminish the amount of time you think about them. When you think of a spider, immediately focus your mind on something else, something that can take your attention and make you feel happy.

In terms of reducing amount, then although I don't like getting rid of insects, sometimes it has to be done, so either yourself or someone you employ should clean away all the spider webs you see. Also, see if you can close gaps etc to stop them getting into the house.
 
radderfire said:
In terms of reducing amount, then although I don't like getting rid of insects, sometimes it has to be done, so either yourself or someone you employ should clean away all the spider webs you see. Also, see if you can close gaps etc to stop them getting into the house.
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Actually that's not a bad idea. Regular house cleaning does help. Hoovering behind furniture regularly, making sure there's nowhere for them to stay. Spiders like places that get left alone. If every area keeps getting disturbed, they won't stick around.

One thing I did a while ago was stick a hoover hose on ever wall hole and corner hole and then stuff it with tissue and foil. Also be careful where/when you open windows.

Don't try "anti spider spray" it doesn't do anything. I even once had a "sonic spider repeller" that apparently emitted an anti-spider noise which makes them run away. Of course it didn't work.
 
Lysander said:
To be fair, some arachnophobes can be triggered by images of spiders. So to link to a video like that isn't that funny.
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If only this forum was so polite about triggering folk on many other topics. Seems we have found the line for GD.
 
dLockers said:
If only this forum was so polite about triggering folk on many other topics. Seems we have found the line for GD.
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I am not representative of GD, though I am starting to understand the benefits of respecting things like this more. I even started a Safe Space thread :p

It's human nature to be angry, spiteful and disagree. But I think with the internet we're see a grand shift away from the days of trolling and insulting others to just generally being more respectful. It may be a generational thing. It's a slow shift but it seems to be happening. I was watching a Minecraft stream the other night and I couldn't believe how cool and nice everyone was being to each other. Not in a fake way either, it was just very sweet. I think more of that in the world would be great.
 
Lysander said:
I am not representative of GD, though I am starting to understand the benefits of respecting things like this more. I even started a Safe Space thread :p

It's human nature to be angry, spiteful and disagree. But I think with the internet we're see a grand shift away from the days of trolling and insulting others to just generally being more respectful. It may be a generational thing. It's a slow shift but it seems to be happening. I was watching a Minecraft stream the other night and I couldn't believe how cool and nice everyone was being to each other. Not in a fake way either, it was just very sweet. I think more of that in the world would be great.
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I think it is an age thing. I am desperate to call you a loser and poke fun, but deep down I too have come of age, and I just want to agree with you and cuddle :):cool:
 
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