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I have a huge amount of sympathy for anyone with irrational fears. I've had a few tastes of it while crawling around a loft space (for work) with a load of wasps dive-bombing me - the stress made me feel physically sick and I lost the ability to think straight... it didn't help that my workmate kept shining the light at me making even more of the feckers coming at me (and not just "coming at me" - actually coming in following the light and acting aggressively - I heard later it was probably a queen and her entourage looking for a nesting place - kinda aggressive to protect her).
Thinking back on it I know my reaction was indistinguishable to what I've seen some actual 'phobics do when confronted with theirs. I had sympathy before, more so now!
It CAN be overcome though. I've been working with my girlfriend for a couple of years to downgrade her response to things like spiders and other bugs. A very proud moment was when she held a grasshopper I'd found on a camping trip in France.
Anyway - anyone who is arachnophobic or knows one really should watch these videos of Phil Jupitus on stage.
(Warning - some "colourful" language in there - don't watch if four-letter obscenities activate your letter-writing reflex)
YouTube - Phill Jupitus -- Category 1 Spiders - Part 1
YouTube - Phill Jupitus -- Category 2 Spiders & First Category 3 Sighting - Part 2
YouTube - Phill Jupitus -- Second Category 3 Sighting - Part 3
I particularly like the bit about peripheral vision.
Thinking back on it I know my reaction was indistinguishable to what I've seen some actual 'phobics do when confronted with theirs. I had sympathy before, more so now!
It CAN be overcome though. I've been working with my girlfriend for a couple of years to downgrade her response to things like spiders and other bugs. A very proud moment was when she held a grasshopper I'd found on a camping trip in France.
Anyway - anyone who is arachnophobic or knows one really should watch these videos of Phil Jupitus on stage.
(Warning - some "colourful" language in there - don't watch if four-letter obscenities activate your letter-writing reflex)
YouTube - Phill Jupitus -- Category 1 Spiders - Part 1
YouTube - Phill Jupitus -- Category 2 Spiders & First Category 3 Sighting - Part 2
YouTube - Phill Jupitus -- Second Category 3 Sighting - Part 3
I particularly like the bit about peripheral vision.
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