CAN ARACHNOPHOBIA BE CURED?
To assist patients in overcoming their phobia of spiders, researchers have used a variety of techniques.
The most effective method of treatment for the illness is sometimes praised as exposure therapy. Patients undergoing exposure treatment are exposed to the feared object — in this example, spiders — in a safe and controlled environment. According to opinion columnist Richard A. Friedman for The New York Times, patients may be able to rewire their brains and develop a “new safe memory that lives in [their] brain alongside the bad memory.”
Scientists revealed in 2014 that a man’s arachnophobia was healed following surgery to remove a portion of his brain. A portion of tissue was removed from the man’s left amygdala, according to the case report, which was written up on October 5, 2014, in the journal Neurocase, to stop seizures brought on by sarcoidosis. His initial phobia of spiders was replaced with curiosity after the treatment.
After taking the medication propranolol and being exposed to a tarantula for two minutes at a time, individuals who had previously been afraid of spiders were able to touch one within days, according to a 2016 research published in the journal Biological Psychiatry. The patients got to hold the tarantula after three months. According to the study, their fear completely vanished after a year.
Some people have reported that “Spiderman” has lessened the paralyzing effects of arachnophobia. Watching Spider-Man or Ant-Man movie snippets, according to a 2019 research in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry, can help patients with mental illness feel better. Prior to and following the viewing of a clip from Marvel’s Spider-Man, the research team asked participants to complete a survey on their level of anxiety. After seeing just a seven second clip from the movie, participants reported less discomfort.
Technology is becoming more and more important in the fight against arachnophobia. As virtual reality gains popularity, researchers are looking at methods to use technology to lessen or perhaps eliminate the consequences of arachnophobia.
