Last Updated on March 9, 2023 by Mike Robinson

What is Arachnophobia?

Arachnophobia is a specific phobia that is based on a severe fear of spiders and other small animals that are similar to them, like scorpions. Even though many people are terrified of or disgusted by spiders, those who have this phobia experience it as illogical, irrational, and unusual.

If you don’t like spiders but can deal with them by scaring them away or just ignoring them, you don’t have a disorder. People who are really scared can become paralyzed, which is one of the automatic responses our brains develop. Our bodies then switch to fight or flight mode, which prepares us for any potential threat.

People with this kind of phobia can get scared just by watching TV, looking at photos, or looking at realistic drawings of spiders. Other things that happen because of these fears are finding a spider’s web or relaxing in a place where spiders can hide, like nature, basements, cabinets, zoos, etc. Many people who feel this way have “arachnoidism,” which can lead to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

The fear that a spider could show up at any time makes the person keep their home clean and organized and, if possible, have it fumigated. When the holidays come, you can give other examples. The fear of not knowing if there will be spiders in the vacation home makes it hard to decide to leave home. It can also make things like walking or playing sports in green areas hard to do every day.

Symptoms Caused by Arachnophobia

Depending on how severe your phobia is, you may experience a wide range of symptoms, but the following tend to be consistently present:

• Generalized panic (screaming, crying, flight)
• Restless breathing
• Tachycardia
• Sickness.
• Drowning sensation
• Chest pain.
• Cold.
• Excessive sweat
• Instant and temporary paralysis
• Gastrointestinal problems.
• inability to distinguish between reality and unreality.
• Constant fear

Causes of Fear of Spiders

The causes of phobias are hard to diagnose because they depend on the individual. However, scientists have come up with several theories to try to explain why people are afraid of spiders.

Evolution

Arachnophobia has been linked to genes by some researchers. The idea is that our arachnophobic tendencies can be traced back to our distant African ancestors. These ancestors lived in a constant state of fear of these insects. Which is the definition of a dangerous predator.

These evolutionary studies not only look to the cave dwellers’ era but also to our own time period, the Middle Ages. Bubonic plague (also known as the black plague) ravaged Europe in the fourteenth century, making it one of the deadliest epidemics in human history.

For a long time, spiders were blamed for the deaths of an estimated 50–80 million Europeans. The case was exaggerated because people genuinely believed that a spider bite could be fatal. Later research implicated rodents and fleas as the primary vectors of disease, rather than spiders.

According to research, our visual system has retained these ancestral mechanisms. This is despite the fact that only about 200 of the nearly 46,000 species of spiders (roughly 1% of all spiders) can be dangerous to humans. The famous black widow, among others, could have been one of the dangerous species that prompted our forefathers to devise these defense mechanisms. Otherwise, these spiders’ lethal bites could have killed millions. In any case, these concerns have had a positive impact. According to the researchers, this genetic evolution could have resulted in improvements in sensitivity, perception, vigilance, and speed in detecting danger, which would have provided a significant selective advantage.

Genetics

Some scientists have tried to show that arachnophobia is hereditary. In 1991, Graham Davey, professor of psychology at the University of London, conducted a study with his students. Davey discovered that most of those who suffered some form of panic, whether mild or severe, had a direct family member who also suffered from it.

Davey’s work was later shown to be wrong because it wasn’t clear that family conditioning could cause this kind of panic. This counterargument said that the phobia could have started at home, but not because of family genes. This theory believes the cause is likely due to a traumatic event that occurred when the person was a child. That is, it would be a reaction that was caused by something bad.

Even so, genetics can’t be completely ruled out as a possible cause. In 2003, Dr. John Hettema, who was in charge of the Virginia Institute of Psychiatry and Behavior Genetics, did experiments with two adult twins to find out how spider behavior genes work. The study showed that genetics play a big role and that a person can’t be afraid of spiders if they haven’t had any bad experiences.

Other Theories

The scientific community has generally accepted evolutionary and genetic theories thus far. More could be added to these two, but they would have less support and evidence.

One of them attributes the fear to something about the spiders’ anatomy or behavior. One theory in particular came from John May, a psychology professor in the United Kingdom. He claims that humans find dark colors and long, angular legs unattractive. In addition, we start to worry when we see motion but can’t pinpoint its origin.

This confidence is tailored to the swift and erratic behavior of spiders. Other insects that conform to the patterns of fear indicated by May’s theory include cockroaches, moths, beetles, and wasps.

Treatment for Arachnophobia

In the United States, it is estimated that 40% of all phobias can be traced back to bugs. There’s no doubt that spiders will be near the top of this list. While it’s possible that those with arachnophobia will never be able to overcome their fear, they can hopefully find ways to manage it.

Sometimes a person’s fear of spiders interferes with his daily life to the point where he cannot function normally. This may occur in social or professional settings. In these cases, he may benefit from seeking professional help.

Several methods exist for overcoming this specific phobia:

Cognitive-behavioral technique (CBT)

They are based on reorganizing negative thoughts about spiders in order to alter feelings and behavior. These cognitive-behavioral techniques consist of biofeedback, meditation, relaxation techniques, and the capacity to tolerate anxiety. Individuals can learn to perform this treatment themselves or seek assistance from a professional.

Awareness technique

Although they are a part of the CBT, they need their own section. It is characterized by the need for greater consistency, but compared to the others, it has also proven to be more effective. It entails exposing the patient to spiders gradually so that they can grow tolerant of them while also learning to manage their fears until they go away.

Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP)

Based on changing skills or learning disorders, NLP is a combination of psychotherapy, communication, and personal development. In other words, the irrational fear of the spider would change to a calm, relaxing attitude.

Medications for Arachnophobia

Although it should be the last option because of the side effects that can occur, antidepressants (SSRIs), anticonvulsants, or anxiolytics can serve as treatment for cases of extreme severity.

Virtual reality

Because of technological advancements, it is now possible to create virtual reality processors that expose patients to realistic representations of spiders in order to gradually reduce their fear of them. Childhood trauma as a result of a bite? It is critical that the patient try to figure out why the spiders cause anxiety and panic This can greatly benefit the therapist or psychologist when deciding on one therapy over another, allowing for faster treatment and, of course, more positive results.

The Spider in Other World Cultures

Spiders have been associated with both patience and evil throughout history. On the one hand, their patience is reflected in their persistence when weaving webs in the hopes that their prey will fall into them. Ancient civilizations as diverse as Egypt, Greece, and the Mayans used spiders as a symbol in their writings, artwork, and even ceramics. Most of the world views spiders with revulsion or even fear. But that is not true in less Westernized societies. Countries like Indochina, Papua New Guinea, regions of Africa, South America, and the Caribbean don’t fear spiders. In these countries, spiders are actually part of the culinary tradition. In Skuon (Cambodia), where fried tarantulas are a very common dish.

Also read: The Phobia of Cockroaches

In other cultures, such as the Lakota, some Native American Indians consider the spider a symbol of good luck.