Are you really afraid of spiders?
Are you really afraid of spiders?
Are you really afraid of spiders? Are you an arachnophobic? At this time of year as we approach spider season, do you wish that you didn’t have to worry about these fly catching, web dwelling beasts?
When I was young I was so terrified of the 8 legged beasts that all I wanted was to overcome my fear of spiders. In fact if you have ever had the fear then you certainly may identify with the frequent behaviours I had of checking my shoes before putting them on (ensuring there were no creepy crawlies hidden inside). Before getting into bed each night I’d have to strip the sheets off to check for hidden insects, and I’d often wake up at night in a cold sweat having dreamt about them crawling all over me.
In fact if you are squirming right now at just the thought of all this then read on… the information below may help you begin to beat your fear of spiders just as I did in my later teens when I had a hypnotic experience of my own which convinced me that hypnotherapy really does help to beat a fear of spiders (and I had been a very cynical teen ;-))
However, having witnessed this powerful change for myself it ignited my passion for the way people can learn to change quickly and now, having helped literally 1000’s of people overcome fears, phobias and anxieties (of all kinds) I am asking you to stay open minded about the next statement despite the fact that it might seem a little strange.
Here goes (gulp!)
If you have been telling yourself that you are afraid of spiders then I invite you to consider you’re wrong. You are NOT afraid of spiders!
That’s right, you read that correctly. I don’t believe that you are really afraid of spiders.
Now remember to keep your mind open, because you may be responding internally with thoughts like, “No Howard, I am afraid of spiders” or “what on earth does he mean?”
Let me explain…
Stop and think about spiders right now? Really go ahead and do it.
Did you feel anxious? Did you get a horrible squirmy feeling inside?
Now look around and see if you can actually see any spiders around you right now and realise the following:
If you got the anxious unpleasant feeling inside without any spiders actually being there, how can it be the “spider” that’s giving you the anxiety?
You see it wasn’t the spider giving you the fear, but simply your body was responding to your “thinking about spider”.
It’s the “thought of spider” that your mind-body system is reacting to.
So you aren’t really afraid of spiders. You are simply afraid of the images in your mind that you have labeled “spider”.
This is a very useful thing to reflect on because let’s face it, you can’t change spiders, but you can change your thinking about spiders.
Once you really see that the fear stems from your thinking, you can do something about it. You can learn to change your thinking!
#fearofspiders #arachnophobic #rapidchangeworks
Would you like to be free of your fear of “spiders” once and for all? If so, then schedule your FREE 15-min initial chat where we can explore how this can work for you.
About Howard Cooper
Howard Cooper is one of Britain’s leading ‘Rapid Change’ consultants and Hypnotherapists. Known for helping people to create RAPID shifts in their thinking, Howard rejects the notion that deep and lasting change needs to take a long time.
Drawing on a variety of psychological tools, Howard has supported more than 2,500 individuals over the past 15 years on an international level, regularly bringing about transformational changes to their lives.
His practical, dynamic and innovative approach has helped people from all walks of life and ages overcome intrusive personal phobias, anxieties and issues that they have often suffered from for years, offering his clients a new lease of life.
In addition to his personal therapy work, Howard is a very popular and entertaining presenter on a range of topics relevant to society today and has a huge following amongst his peers through his podcast.
He spent almost two years as the lead psychological presenter on Virgin Atlantic’s critically acclaimed ‘Flying Without Fear’ course, and also appeared as the expert on fear of flying on Channel 4’s documentary ‘Fear of Flying: Caught on Camera’.
He has also contributed to other media appearing on the BBC, in The Daily Telegraph, Daily Express, Sun, CEO Magazine, just some of the media who have documented his successful ability to help people change quickly.
