I have arachnophobia which seems to be getting worse everyday. I check the corners of my room every two seconds to see if any spiders are there, and if they are I completely freak out. Whenever I even see a black mark on my wall I freak out to another level and I become paralyzed. One day there was a large spider and my family was out and unable to kill it for me. As a result I had to facetime my mom to keep her on the line, screaming she should come back. They had to rush back since I was about to pass out from fear.
It has gotten to the point where I refuse to go to sleep at the mere thought of a spider crawling on me.
Whenever I mention my huge fear to my parents they think I am just another average teen who is scared of spiders. However, I feel my fear is getting out of control. I feel sensations on me and immediately fear it is a spider, and my entire life revolves around my fear of spiders. I no longer open my car windows and I just put on the air conditioning since I am scared spiders will crawl in. About 10 minutes ago a spider was crawling up my clothes and I sprayed it with deodorant to kill it. However, it jumped and now I am literally terrified to get anywhere near it. I cannot deal with this phobia any more.
My parents say I don’t need a therapist and I can just kill spiders with a shoe, but they do not understand how deathly afraid of them I am. They joke that if I go to a therapist they’ll put me in a room with spiders to overcome my fear.
What can I do about any of this? I don’t want to feel this defenseless and pathetic for the rest of my life. How can I make it go away?
CONSIDER THIS:
- It sounds like your fear of spiders is very real and very traumatizing. You might be surprised by the number of people that suffer from arachnophobia.
- It’s important that your parents know the depth and the breadth of your fear of spiders. If they truly knew, then they might be more supportive of your situation.
- By speaking to them openly and honestly, they might then suggest you see a therapist that can better meet your needs with this condition.
- In the meantime, consider seeking support groups on the Internet for others who suffer from arachnophobia.
HELP YOURSELF:
- How can you effectively explain to your parents how truly paralyzing your fear of spiders can be for you?
- How do you feel about seeking support from a mental health professional for your arachnophobia?
- What do you know about online support groups for people who suffer from arachnophobia? How can you utilize the Internet in your search for learning more about arachnophobia?
