Curing my arachnophobia

**MRH92** · 10-02-2012 12:45 AM

I am absolutely terrified of spiders and it's pretty embarrassing and actually effects my life quite drastically. It's not just the ridiculously big ones either. It's all of them. I couldn't tell you what it is about them that scares me. I'm well aware they wont hurt me and if I approach one it's bound to leg it away from me. I just dislike everything about them, how fast they scuttle away and just how freaky they look.
Well recently I've been getting really angry at myself for being like this. My fear of them is so bad that when I see one I tend to hyperventilate or worse throw up from the fear and frankly I could do without.
Last night when I got lucid I decided to try and solve my problem. I was walking down an abandoned street. I yelled out "Why am I scared of spiders?" Suddenly people appeared from no where. They were all running around screaming or crying and the more I asked the question the more would appear. I felt like I had failed so I woke myself up. Thinking about it now maybe I should have grabbed one of these people and asked them why I was so scared. Anyway next time I get lucid I'm gonna continue to figure out why they bother me so badly and hopefully I will be able to work with my subconscious and figure out how I can combat this fear.

**Mirui987** · 10-02-2012 01:38 AM

I'm terrified of spiders just as much as you are it's actually one of my dream goals to cure my arachnophobia and I think they're very gross with their multiple eyes and legs it's just freaks me out.

**paigeyemps** · 10-02-2012 09:46 AM

First of all, great job on the lucid, and being able to ask your dream what you wanted. I know it's not the easiest thing to do, even though it's a dream. I was scared of snakes a lot, and fortunately, after summoning snakes everytime I got lucid, I am much less scared of them. I would make huge snakes appear, and I would stand there and try to act as differently as I would in real life -- calm down and just observe them and try to understand what it is that makes me react the way I do. After many lucids of doing that, my fear got better and better every time. I am happy that you are using lucid dreaming to get rid of your fear. I agree with demanding your dream or dream characters what you want to know, as you suggested.

I hope you become successful with this goal!

Good luck.

**moSh** · 10-02-2012 12:03 PM

Your approach sounds very interesting, and I would love to know how your unconscious replies next time you ask. Paige's method is the one I've heard quite frequently, however, and may be more effective in literally facing your fears head on. It will be tough, but try summing one spider at first, and get as close as you can to it - the whole time knowing that it's just a projection in your dream and can do no real harm.