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Posted: 07-08-2011 12:39 Post subject: Arachnophobia

OK I'm quite a serious arachnophobe. I think I picked it up off my mum when I was a kid. I've been thinking about it again because I had a conversation with a bloke at work about the bird eating spider. He mentioned attempts to find the chicken eating spider.

I'm not as bad as I used to be, but will still freak out at the element of surprise (boo!). There does appear to be a maximum size that scares me more than others. That is the black field spiders that sometimes find their way into homes that are about 1 1/2 inches accross. Wierdly enough, a friend of mine used to have a tarantula and although I knew it was behind glass, it didn't freak me out in the slightest. I may have been different if I was asked to hold it or it moves very quickly.

Although its a phobia I've tried to analyse why I don't like them so much. I don't like the way the body is almost suspended from the legs, it makes its movement horrible to me. I have heard a theory that this phobia is perhaps linked to the times of the plague, but i'm not sure about that one. Also, I will never kill one.

Posted: 07-08-2011 12:46 Post subject:

I dont like them. If I suddenly see one then I may be startled if its close to me. No problem with killing them.

Posted: 07-08-2011 16:34 Post subject:

We have several threads on spiders - there's Communing with Spiders in IHTM, which is a good read:
http://www.forteantimes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=17081&start=0

Posted: 07-08-2011 16:46 Post subject:

While I thought I wasn't phobic of spiders (I am phobic of wasps - spheksophobia), I am scared of them a lot. However, a few days ago a big one invaded my friend's living room while we were watching telly together and we had to pull out the sofa and hunt the nasty arachnid. It was all fairly scary for me and I was cringing with fear the whole time but the thing which really made me freak out and run away was when my friend managed to trap the spider inside a glass. Somehow seeing it held prisoner inside the glass was terrifying for me. It was pointed out to me that it was irrational of me to be scared the most at that point - so maybe I am arachnophobic after all!

I agree with the first post about the suspended body being particularly scary.

Posted: 07-08-2011 19:36 Post subject:

If I find one, I always put it outside because like ladybirds, spiders eat up the pests. Unless it's one of those little zebra spiders, who are quite entertaining in their easily startled movements.

Posted: 07-08-2011 19:43 Post subject: Re: Arachnophonbia

Posted: 07-08-2011 19:55 Post subject:

My daughter has arachnophobia, I took her to an exhibition of pet tarantulas, bird-eating spiders and snakes, one day, at the kid's petting zoo. She was fine with them. Is it being so small and leggy that helps make spiders so scary?

Posted: 07-08-2011 19:56 Post subject:

I'm not so bad with spiders as I was as a kid - my mum is terrified of them and I think I got a fear of them from her. (Fear can be learnt?)
Anyway once I left home and had to deal with them myself, I've got much better, quite happy to get an empty jam jar, place over spider, slide piece of card gently under jar, invert jar and tip spider out of nearest window / door.
still don't like sharing a bed with one though, or having one run around on the sofa if I'm sitting on it.
in extremis I'll get the vacuum cleaner out, esp if the spider's on the wall above my head. But only if it's a biggun about a couple inches across (incl legs) Littluns don't bother me.
(lucky i live in UK where there's no dangerous spiders - hate to think what I'd be like they was venomous Smile

)

Posted: 07-08-2011 20:36 Post subject:

I once tried hoovering a spider off my bathroom wall, the part where 2 sides meet the ceiling, to no avail. The little bugger must have been working out. Laughing

Posted: 07-08-2011 20:51 Post subject:

I usually have loads of spiders all over the house. I normally leave them alone, but if a really big one turns up, I usually catch it and throw it out or suck it up with the vacuum cleaner. I've had one or two that have been nearly 2 inches across - huge!

I'm not at all fond of spiders, but I will try hard not to kill one. Spiders are actually useful and don't normally do any harm, so why kill them?

Posted: 08-08-2011 10:07 Post subject:

Bah! you wimps! spiders are cool!!

Posted: 08-08-2011 11:17 Post subject:

I don't like the little ones that rear up at you when you trap them under a glass.

Posted: 08-08-2011 12:22 Post subject:

Having read the posts I've realised that tarantulas have quite thick legs in proportion to their body and while mellow move slowly. Part of the fear I think comes from little black spindly legs, a body suspended from them, and the speed and unpredictable direction that they appear to move in.

Posted: 09-08-2011 17:50 Post subject:

this is a website that aims to cure wimps that don't love spidys! http://exalted-beauty.blogspot.com/2009/05/big-scary-spiders.html

Posted: 10-08-2011 10:21 Post subject:

Up to about 1cm in size I can tolerate. Any bigger than that I am out the door like a flash.

Strangely though I am not as bothered by tarantulas. Obviously wouldn't fancy one on me but they somehow aren't as terrifying as the house spider.

Ultimate fear for me is the Huntsman or African Rain Spider. Size of a tarantula, form of a house spider.

Shocked

EDIT: Ugh, after typing this I now feel like there is one on me Mad