Phobias, Fears, and Spiders- OH MY!

Fears and Phobias: something I continue to find fascinating.

There are so many things out there, and someone who is afraid of everything.

This is what I learned today about Phobias: PHOBIA: The word phobia is Greek, therefore any word that is connected to it should be Greek. To coin a new phobia name, it is proper to follow this rule. The rule has been broken many times in the past especially within the medical profession which is steeped in Latin and often, when forming a name for a phobia, they have dipped into what they know and have used a Latin suppletion affixed to the Greek stem to form their names. The language pundits frown on this but it has happened time and time again over the years and these words have become accepted.

*SIDE NOTE: here is an Indexed Phobia List . Cool to look through, I must say.


I hate to admit it, but I have a phobia. Its irrational, embarrassing, uncontrollable, and insane. I am aware, and not proud. And I have tried everything short of being submerged in a vat of "the fear", and hypnotherapy. and believe me, I *still* am looking into Hypnosis. I believe I have Arachnophobia.


I am not entirely sure at which point something you are afraid of is deemed a 'phobia'. All I know is that for me, it is more than just disliking spiders or being scared of seeing them.
I know the difference. I can compare it with my fear of becoming bald, also known as Phalacrophobia. But I don't feel the same way about fearing my own baldness, I don't think its a phobia, as I do with spiders.


The difference is that upon encountering the little bastards, it is almost as if a light switch is flipped. One second I am fine, and the next I am in pure hysteria. I cant control my tears (and mind you- it is not just tears, its substantial amount of sobbing, sometimes mixed with shaking). My heart races, instantly my head hurts, and an insane amount of panic hits my entire body like lightning. Its absurd I tell you! My body & brain hit shock.

It doesn't matter the size of the spider, the result is basically the same. My only adapted 'saving grace' is that if I am far enough away to instantly convince myself that there is a chance its a different bug- i.e. a beetle or a fly- I can tone down the tears and panic and GTFO. But the moment my brain makes the connection, I am a lost cause.

I am not even sure what it is exactly I am afraid of either. In most cases I don't think it will kill me, although I do feel like they seek me out, knowing I don't like them- much like cats do. I know I am bigger (much, much bigger) and have the upper hand in the sense that I could step on the sucker, but I cant. I cant get close enough. I don't want to get close enough. THEY ARE SCARY. I did live in Kauai, Hawaii when i was little- Big ass spiders there. I would run through our door under the sleeping cane spiders every day. (Cane spiders EAT BABY BLUEBIRDS- wtf.) Perhaps the abnormal amount of spiders there contributed to the issue, I don't know.


I have nightmares that spiders and have to get up, strip my bed, and remake it in order to get to back sleep. And it frightens me to know that Daddy Long-Legs-which are everywhere- are SOOO poisonous that if they had large enough mouths to bite humans, it would kill you. My luck- I will encounter that one daddy long leg with a big mouth.


I write about this lightly, but this is one of the few things that actually embarrass me. It doesn't matter where I am- work, the grocery store, with the boyfriend, the park...- I can not control what happens to my mind and body. (and anyone who has been witness: my eyes do not handle tears well: insta-poof)
People judge: "It's just a spider Karlee." .... YEAH, I AM AWARE. I hate them. And I certainly would not freak out if I had the choice.
Worst part: you tell me you killed it, and part of me doesn't believe you. What if you tell me you killed it because it got away and you want to solve the issue?! But actually showing me the killed spider is just as bad.

Anyway, lost cause here. Working on how to solve this issue for myself. Either way, thought the phobia site up top was neat.


P.S. : Shane killed a HUGE spider with his bare finger the other day. BARE FINGER. siiiick.