• intensely_human
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    1 month ago

    I developed a powerful arachnophobia as a kid when I was playing in a mountain steam building a dam out of rocks, turned over a rock, and there was a huge spider spread-eagled on the bottom of the rock.

    I can still remember that image. Seared into my head. I was like 6.

    The extent of the arachnophobia included:

    • Pictures of spiders freaked me out.
    • Discovering any spider within arm’s reach, even one with the legspan of a pea, would send me into full, uncontrollable get-it-off-me motions

    It was pretty bad. Just saying it was a strong phobia.

    Then I did some ayahuasca ceremonies, and my arachnophobia is basically gone.

    • meowMix2525
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      1 month ago

      I’ve mostly gotten over my more intense childhood arachnophobia but the big ones and up close pictures still freak me out and I still smash em or vacuum them up when they’re in my home regardless of size so they don’t end up in my mouth when I’m asleep (that stat about eating so many spiders in a year really messed with me as a kid)