Arachnophobia
What’s In This Guide

When people today hear the word “Arachnophobia,” they think of a preposterous Hollywood movie. But arachnophobia is a very real and serious problem for many people. It can become an obsession, affecting their everyday lives in unimaginable ways. There are historical and cultural reasons for their fear. Treatment methods are evolving from traditional therapies to newer virtual reality simulations.
Greek Myth and Arachnophobia
In Greek mythology, Arachne was a beautiful Greek maiden. She studied weaving under the goddess Athena and had extraordinary skill. When her talents were later recognized, she denied any training Athena had given her. Athena disguised herself into a bitter old lady, approached Arachne, and tricked her into a weaving contest. Arachne wove portraits of the gods performing evil deeds. Athena and Arachne finished their weaving in an extremely short amount of time, but Arachne’s work was much finer than Athena’s

The goddess was furious that a mere mortal had beaten her in a weaving contest and had portrayed the gods in a disrespectful way. Overcome with rage, she beat Arachne to the ground. Arachne was so upset that she hanged herself. The regretful Athena sprinkled a magic liquid onto Arachne, turning her into a spider so that she could keep her weaving skills.
Historical and Cultural Causes of Arachnophobia
Non-European cultures believe spiders were symbols of good luck or wisdom. But in Europe, they were believed to be messengers of the Black Plague and death.

According to Graham C. L. Davey, “Recent studies of spider phobia indicate that fear of spiders is closely associated with the disease-avoidance response of disgust. It is not immediately clear how spiders might have become associated with this response, although examination of the relevant historical literature does indicate a close association between spiders and illness in European cultures from tenth century onward. The development of this association between spiders and illness appears to be closely linked to the many devastating and, at the time, inexplicable epidemics that crossed Europe from the Middle Ages onward. In many areas of Europe, the spider appears to have been a suitable target for the displaced anxieties caused by these constant epidemics; in other cases, its proximity to the real causes of the epidemics may have fostered opportunistic associations between spiders and disease.

In other words, arachnophobia began as misplaced fear during the plague (having historical basis), then was passed down through European families, adding a cultural basis.

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Technology Transforms the Treatment of Arachnophobia
One patient in the Washington project, “Miss Muffet,” was so fearful of spiders that she scrubbed her car twice a day. She left a burning cigarette in the car’s ashtray because she believed the smoke would keep spiders away. She examined her room thoroughly every night, duct taped her windows shut, and stuck a towel in the crack under her door before she would go to sleep. After washing her clothes, she immediately ironed them and put them in Ziploc bags to make sure there were no spiders in her clothing. After 12 one-hour sessions in the virtual reality SpiderWorld, “Miss Muffet” conquered her fear and is now able to go backpacking alone.
Exposing phobics to the real source of their fear can be very expensive and sometimes dangerous for the therapist. Using virtual reality, the doctor can control the intensity of the encounter and stop the experience immediately if the patient becomes overwhelmed. Also, reluctant patients can be persuaded into therapy because they are fascinated with the virtual reality helmet, glove, and computer.
Arachnophobia remains a large problem for people of European origin. It has an interesting history in the development of European culture. The advances currently being made in virtual reality treatment may cause arachnophobia to become a thing of the past. If only the movie Arachnophobia could be forgotten as easily!