Q: I have a very bad case of Arachnephobia. I've always been afraid of spiders, but it wasn't always like a phobia. (Phobia here is defined as an irrational fear that interferes with normal living). It started about a year or two ago, when after a shower, I was toweling off, and there was a large spider on my towel. I hated spiders, so I flung the towel across the room, and spend the next half hour curled up, crying. It scared me half to death. Then later, my cousins and I went to a park, and there was a profusion of spiders. My little cousin Andy loves spiders, so he pointed out every single one. They were each about 4-6 inches long. After about five minutes, I couldn't take it anymore. I hid in the car and cried. Things reached their worse when last month, I woke to find a strange bite on my arm. I figured it was just a bug bite, and ignored it. By noon that day, the area near the bite had swollen into a huge bump, about three inches long and one across, and at least a half inch high. I was feeling naseous, and terrified. I was so afraid that I refused to sleep in my bed that night.
Things have just gone down hill from there. Some nights, I won't sleep because I am afraid of the spiders. I check my blankets almost every night, and sometimes sleep in another room. I shake my towel out before using it. I check the shower and garage for spiders before entering. I know this is irrational and abnormal, but somehow I can't help it. What should I do?
