Serious arachnaphobia!!

[Mrs Mitchell]

OMG! I opened that other thread and it took me 20 minutes to stop shaking! I knew I was bad, but the huuuuge pic was just so unexpected and my biggest fear, I actually threw up! I had to get someone else to turn off my laptop because I couldn''t touch it! I wanted to reply to the thread, but didn''t know how without seeing the picture again! Sorry for the second thread, but you just made me realise I need to get some kinda help for this phobia, because that cannot be normal!!

Um, has anyone else ever had this problem and how did you deal with it? I live in Scotland, but with global warming, they''re getting big here too! I have to do something about this. Help!

Jen

ps I realise that there may be a discussion about this on the other thread, but I just can''t look! I''m so sorry if this double thread is annoying.

 

[E B]

I'm with you, Mrs Mitchell. I opened it even though I knew I shouldn't, and thankfully, all I saw without scrolling down were the tips of the legs.

I'm incredibly scared of spiders. And my fiance and father telling me they keep the mosquito population down doesn't make me any less so. In my neighborhood here in SoCal, they spin webs under trees so when walking underneath them, you can hit one face first. Obviously, I refuse to walk under low trees at night.

Once, about 6 months ago, FH was walking to the car to get something out of the trunk. I saw him walking toward a web with a fat, white spider in the middle, but I figured he had to see it. He didn't, and walked in face first. I screamed so loud, I must have disturbed people within a mile radius. Ugh. Just thinking about it makes me feel all oogly.

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

Ooooh, reading that made my insides flip over!! How did you ever manage to kiss him again?

I didn''t mean to scroll right down the picture, but the tracker on my mouse sometimes has a life of its own and I couldn''t make it stop in time.

One of the reasons I live here is that they don''t get too big and none of them are poisonous. DH lived in Kenya and would really like to go back there. I just can''t, for that reason, not even to visit.

Every year about this time, when they emerge in the warm weather, I think about getting some kind of help and every year, I wimp out of it. I''m quite pathetic.

Jen

 

[luckystar112]

Aww.. I''m sorry!

I''m terrified of spiders too. I''ve been in the situation where I''ve seen a spider on the net that has scarred me for life...for instance the camel spider in those pics from Iraq...or the cane spider Mara was talking about in my other thread.

I do sometimes think it runs my life a little bit more than I would like it to. I''ll tell you one thing, it''s the one thing I miss about new england....no crazy looking spiders! I had it so good there. lol.

 

[FireGoddess]

Whoa. Threw up? I didn''t know anyone was worse than me. I mean, I gag so badly I can make myself throw up from brushing my own teeth. Or watching other people brush their teeth. But from seeing a spider? WOW!

 

[monarch64]

Mrs. Mitchell, you poor thing!

I don''t have an aversion to spidies, but I just did a super quick search for "therapy for arachnophobia" and several treatment options came up in the UK...I''d bet there are some options for you in Scotland as well. There appears to be such a thing as "virtual reality therapy," and there is hypnosis. Maybe you could explore one of those options? I''ve never known someone with such a severe case as yours, where you see a picture of one and it literally makes you sick...we better be careful what we post, or at least preface the thread with a big warning!

I am terrified of flying insects, bees, flies, or otherwise. We are in the middle of an infestation of the 17 year cicadas here in the Chicagoland area and I have a hard time going outside to and from my garage, just today I pulled into a parking lot of a grocery store where I wanted to pick up some things, but they were flying all over the place even in the middle of all the cars/pavement, and I circled the parking lot to find a close spot to the door but couldn''t, so I bailed out of there and went to a different store all the way across town.

I''m a big scaredy-cat about the stupid things. My neighbors have had the pleasure of hearing me scream bloody murder a few times in the past few weeks when one has flown terrifying close to me, jeez, I am getting freaked out just thinking about them.

Anyway, I hope you are able to find help, it must be awful for you.

 

[KristyDarling]

Date: 6/11/2007 8:32:24 PM
Author: monarch64
Mrs. Mitchell, you poor thing!

I don''t have an aversion to spidies, but I just did a super quick search for ''therapy for arachnophobia'' and several treatment options came up in the UK...I''d bet there are some options for you in Scotland as well. There appears to be such a thing as ''virtual reality therapy,'' and there is hypnosis. Maybe you could explore one of those options? I''ve never known someone with such a severe case as yours, where you see a picture of one and it literally makes you sick...we better be careful what we post, or at least preface the thread with a big warning!


I am terrified of flying insects, bees, flies, or otherwise. We are in the middle of an infestation of the 17 year cicadas here in the Chicagoland area and I have a hard time going outside to and from my garage, just today I pulled into a parking lot of a grocery store where I wanted to pick up some things, but they were flying all over the place even in the middle of all the cars/pavement, and I circled the parking lot to find a close spot to the door but couldn''t, so I bailed out of there and went to a different store all the way across town.

I''m a big scaredy-cat about the stupid things. My neighbors have had the pleasure of hearing me scream bloody murder a few times in the past few weeks when one has flown terrifying close to me, jeez, I am getting freaked out just thinking about them.


Anyway, I hope you are able to find help, it must be awful for you.

OMG! I was still living in Chicago the last time there was a big cicada infestation. In my neighborhood in the northwest ''burbs, we didn''t SEE many of them, but we sure did hear them. Strange huh? But when I went to visit my friend down in Wheaton, they were EVERYWHERE. I was terrified of going outside anywhere after that!

 

[monarch64]

Date: 6/12/2007 12:29:42 AM
Author: KristyDarling

Date: 6/11/2007 8:32:24 PM
Author: monarch64
Mrs. Mitchell, you poor thing!

I don't have an aversion to spidies, but I just did a super quick search for 'therapy for arachnophobia' and several treatment options came up in the UK...I'd bet there are some options for you in Scotland as well. There appears to be such a thing as 'virtual reality therapy,' and there is hypnosis. Maybe you could explore one of those options? I've never known someone with such a severe case as yours, where you see a picture of one and it literally makes you sick...we better be careful what we post, or at least preface the thread with a big warning!


I am terrified of flying insects, bees, flies, or otherwise. We are in the middle of an infestation of the 17 year cicadas here in the Chicagoland area and I have a hard time going outside to and from my garage, just today I pulled into a parking lot of a grocery store where I wanted to pick up some things, but they were flying all over the place even in the middle of all the cars/pavement, and I circled the parking lot to find a close spot to the door but couldn't, so I bailed out of there and went to a different store all the way across town.

I'm a big scaredy-cat about the stupid things. My neighbors have had the pleasure of hearing me scream bloody murder a few times in the past few weeks when one has flown terrifying close to me, jeez, I am getting freaked out just thinking about them.


Anyway, I hope you are able to find help, it must be awful for you.

OMG! I was still living in Chicago the last time there was a big cicada infestation. In my neighborhood in the northwest 'burbs, we didn't SEE many of them, but we sure did hear them. Strange huh? But when I went to visit my friend down in Wheaton, they were EVERYWHERE. I was terrified of going outside anywhere after that!

KristyDarling.......where've you been, my friend? Hopefully traveling and relaxing...

Yeah, we've been experiencing the infestation here, and it SUCKS! I had oral surgery done in early May, and next thing I knew, there were cicadas everywhere and my hopes of getting some sun were dashed as I cannot stand the little buggers! In fact, I had one land on my shoulder while carrying in groceries when Dh was OOT and didn't know it until about 20 min. later...you can imagine the screams and obscenities that were flying while I tried to shake it off my shoulder and get it the h*ll outside without actually touching it. It was horrible, and I have taken the utmost precautions to avoid such a scene since then. In fact, I only leave the house now wearing my long hair up on top of my head in a bun so I can freely feel whether one of them has gotten stuck to my head. Blech!

One little 7 yr old boy found a one-in-a-million blue eyed cicada not too far from here this weekend, and there was a national news write up about it...I said, blech, no bother mentioning that, just let me know what I can do in my neighborhood to dissuade them from ever coming back! LOL! they really are awful, bumbling, half blind creatures who just make tons of noise and destroy baby trees...I know they serve some sort of purpose besides feeding the Brookfield Zoo monkeys but really, I'd like to walk outside with our big shop-vac and annhilate them for once and for all so I could actually enjoy a stroll down the sidewalk with DH and our dogs! Ok done with my rant...sorry!

 

[Love in Bloom]

Date: 6/12/2007 12:29:42 AM
Author: KristyDarling


OMG! I was still living in Chicago the last time there was a big cicada infestation. In my neighborhood in the northwest 'burbs, we didn't SEE many of them, but we sure did hear them. Strange huh? But when I went to visit my friend down in Wheaton, they were EVERYWHERE. I was terrified of going outside anywhere after that!

Hey KristyD, since you lived in the midwest, have you ever heard of eating cicadas? I haven't lived here too long, and there is a lady I work with, and she is, um, a bit 'granola'. She submitted a recipe to the local paper and she cooks them in her oven with spices and eats them. She says the centers are creamy ***blech!***

I have lived in areas where there are cicadas, but we never ate them. I know not everyone does it, but I was wondering if this was this a midwest thing...

 

[monarch64]

Date: 6/12/2007 1:38:21 AM
Author: Love in Bloom

Date: 6/12/2007 12:29:42 AM
Author: KristyDarling


OMG! I was still living in Chicago the last time there was a big cicada infestation. In my neighborhood in the northwest ''burbs, we didn''t SEE many of them, but we sure did hear them. Strange huh? But when I went to visit my friend down in Wheaton, they were EVERYWHERE. I was terrified of going outside anywhere after that!

Hey KristyD, since you lived in the midwest, have you ever heard of eating cicadas? I haven''t lived here too long, and there is a lady I work with, and she is, um, a bit ''granola''. She submitted a recipe to the local paper and she cooks them in her oven with spices and eats them. She says the centers are creamy ***blech!***

I have lived in areas where there are cicadas, but we never ate them. I know not everyone does it, but I was wondering if this was this a midwest thing...

Sorry to butt in here, loveinbloom, but we live right next to the Brookfiield Zoo where they are making a point of feeding cicadas to the monkeys, and such...blech...sorry, I can''t stand the winged creatures just due to living in the area and being assaulted by them daily....in fact I''m going to have to blech m way out of this very thread....

 

[monarch64]

And unfortunatly we haven''t probably helped mrs.mitchell one bit...sorry mm!

 

[strmrdr]

am I mean for wanting to post a pic of a huge s****r in this thread? *grin*

 

[Love in Bloom]

Date: 6/12/2007 2:22:38 AM
Author: monarch64
And unfortunatly we haven''t probably helped mrs.mitchell one bit...sorry mm!

Oops

! Sorry I thought this was the other thread about spiders

.

 

[Dandi]

Date: 6/12/2007 3:59:43 AM
Author: strmrdr
am I mean for wanting to post a pic of a huge s****r in this thread? *grin*

 

[rainbowtrout]

well, if it helps, you''re probably alive because you ancestors had a healthy fear of all things creepy crawly. Kept them from getting bitten and deaded, and all that. Probably why so many people are afraid of them, it''s evolutionarily advantagous. Before someone points out that men tend not to be, I''ll point out that men have a much greater chance of DYING from snakebite or spider bite than woman, hah!

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 6/12/2007 6:04:47 AM
Author: DandiAndi

Date: 6/12/2007 3:59:43 AM
Author: strmrdr
am I mean for wanting to post a pic of a huge s****r in this thread? *grin*

I was good and posted it in the other thread instead :}

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

LOL Storm that would have been a little cruel! I''ve been away all day and opened this thread again, read your first post- I had to get DH to scroll to the bottom for me, just in case the rest of the thread was random pictures of those things. Pitiful.

I''m going to check out Monarch''s suggestions about therapy, even though the thought of virtual therapy has my skin crawling already! I need to deal with this because it''s getting out of hand! Having read all this, I''m deeply grateful we don''t have huge flying bugs here!

Thanks for all the kind and supportive feedback and thank you Storm for resisting the urge to post that picture!

Jen

 

[marvel]

Date: 6/12/2007 3:59:43 AM
Author: strmrdr
am I mean for wanting to post a pic of a huge s****r in this thread? *grin*

that sounds like something my older brother would do