Arachnophobia?

[Deb60]

I've kept my Ts since October , I'm still abit worried about rehousing etc ,my only fear is if I actually hurt them . Anyway on Tuesday I have some Newbies coming , and where as before my husband helped to rehouse them , I want to do it myself this time . I used to have a fear my catching my birds if they escaped in our birdroom , but when it's happened I've had to go ahead and caught them as I've had no choose . My point is your properly capable of doing a lot more than you think if really is needed . You just need to build your confidence up.

 

[Rittdk01]

I would suggest you get something u aren't afraid to feed. For real, that can't be fun having a hobby that stresses you out. I show my t's respect at all times, and have honestly been panicked only once---when I had to bare hand my huge t stirmi to keep her from falling. Learned to NEVER take her lid completely off while doing maintenance from that experience. Seriously, you must be thinking about this a lot or u wouldn't have made a thread.

 

[Andrea82]

Exposure. Exposure. Exposure.

Get one of the enclosures which houses your most docile/calm T's. Put it in a space where it is relatively safe in case it gets out. (Bathroom, kitchen)
Steady your breathing and try to get yourself as calm as you can be.
Open the lid just a bit, put it back down, and steady your breathing again. Repeat, but open the lid a bit further each time.
Keep catch cups ready just in case. Repeat until you can open the enclosure calmly, and can remain calm.
You could afterwards try this with more speedy or defensive species. I would recommend you will do these with someone else with you though, so they can capture a runaway if necessary
The advice of @boina is very good as well. Since it is all in your head, that is the place you need to work on first.
If all this doesn't work, maybe then it is time to reconsider keeping OW. But i'd try this first. Don't expect changes in a week, months is more likely.
Best of luck!

 

[Kendricks]

Maybe someone has already answered this, but you definitely do not have arachnophobia. Arachnophobia is a psychological disorder that causes an extreme, volatile fear of spiders. If a person with arachnophobia sees a spider on the wall, they will begin screaming and hyperventilating. They will be unable to function and go into a state of complete panic. If they are flipping through a book and they flip to a page with a picture of a spider on it, they will throw the book across the room in shock and horror. Phobias can even cause heart attacks if the object of the phobia is present for too long.
TL;DR if you have any ability to interact or watch spiders whatsoever you are not an arachnophobe.

Please don't diagnose people when you're completely unfit to do so, ever.

The human mind is no machine going 1001101001, same goes for diseases, disorders and all other kinds of medical issues, no matter if physical or psychological.
Saying Arachnophobia = exactly this reaction, is not how it works.

 

[patriotgator]

If you're still afraid after 7 years I don't know if your fear will go away. But if you still have after being afraid then that's great.

 

[Garth Vader]

Feel free to PM me- I'm a therapist and specialize in exposure work. I'd be glad to help you come up with some behavioral tests to reduce some of your fear responses. I had to do some of this myself when I first got my Ts because I felt sweaty and nervous.

As for is it arachnophobia or not- well it's all on a spectrum and if you feel this fear is higher than you would like it to be and interfering with your life, then it is probably worth treating.

 

[Andrea82]

Feel free to PM me- I'm a therapist and specialize in exposure work. I'd be glad to help you come up with some behavioral tests to reduce some of your fear responses. I had to do some of this myself when I first got my Ts because I felt sweaty and nervous.

As for is it arachnophobia or not- well it's all on a spectrum and if you feel this fear is higher than you would like it to be and interfering with your life, then it is probably worth treating.

Thanx for coming in 'doc'