Spider Handling with NLP

Although Halloween has come and gone, it still seems an appropriate time to address a common, but often ignored, issue- arachnophobia.

Is your first reaction when seeing a spider usually one of fear? If your answer is yes, then you're not alone -- fear of spiders affects millions of people. A survey in England suggests that size, color and leg length are important reasons offered for the fright, with the threat of sudden movement by a spider being the most important, and most chilling, aspect.

Now, arachnophobia can be a mild, inconvenient nagging, or it can be so intense as to trigger a full-blown panic attack. These strongest responses are an automatic, unconscious response, meaning it is completely beyond conscious control. These responses are often the result of a distressing encounter with a spider in childhood, though the original incident may be long forgotten.

So, what can you do to stop this fear? Until recently, desensitization was the typical approach, involving gradual exposure to spiders. Another, newer, approach is to relive the moment when the spider phobia was accidentally acquired and remove the negative feeling. While this is less painful than desensitization, it can still be unpleasant.

Here is a simple formula that will work miracles without any discomfort. Try it on yourself, or call an NLP professional for a session.

1. Put yourself in a really comfortable and safe place. Breathe deeply and rhythmically.

2. In your mind's eye, imagine a spider flashing on a white screen for a second. Keep breathing and imagine relaxing.

3. Let another spider flash in your imagination for 2 seconds. Relax and breathe evenly.

4. Think of the friendliest, most harmless creature you can envision.

5. Slowly morph it into a spider, while keeping the feeling of harmlessness in your mind.

6. Keep going back and forth between the friendly creature and the spider until you can imagine the spider without any fear. If any of the fear remains, call an NLP Practitioner!