Will it make people creepy when I think of a spider appearing at home? Experts point out that there is actually an unexpected and simple method that can help you improve spider phobia and does not need to get close to real spiders at all.
Spider researcher Dr. James O 'Hanlon, who has written several books on spider-related books, said the key is to "contemplate objects that look similar to spiders," such as long-legged chairs or carriage bars.
This sounds unbelievable, but studies have shown that by viewing objects that are slightly similar to the spider's shape, we can gradually reduce our sensitivity to spiders. Dr. O'Hanlong also emphasized that most spiders are actually harmless to humans. "Their strangeness is exaggerated in collective imagination."
When he accepted the BBC Wildlife interview, he pointed out that although there are occasionally positive spider images in the popular culture, it is often terrifying depictions from fantasy works such as Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings, which leads to the spider being "demonized" psychologically.
Exposure therapy can also be explained by "replacement"Dr. O'Hanlong, a clinical severe arachnophobia is usually treated through "exposure therapy", that is, gradually allowing patients to contact spiders. However, new research shows that even through long-legged chairs, carriage bars, and even virtual reality (VR) or extended reality (AR) simulations can achieve certain therapeutic effects.
"Even severe spider phobia is not difficult to overcome. There is no need to be overly phobia due to some unfounded urban legends." He said, "The key is that we choose how to view them. The story shapes the mind, and we are fully capable of changing our relationship with spiders."
phobia may originate from human DNAIt is worth noting that some scholars believe that spider phobia may be rooted in genes. Research from the University of Columbia in the United States pointed out that human ancestors faced highly toxic spiders for a long time in Africa, so they evolved the instinct of "automatic avoidance" as a means of survival. Research teams predict that this may be why spiders may become one of the common instincts in humans.
Treatment of phobia is multi-controlledAccording to the National Health Service (NHS), most phobia have methods to treat. Common methods include: self-adjustment, psychological counseling, and drug treatment. Among them, cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT) is particularly effective for phobia.