This Morning experts Nick and Eva Speakman reveal tips for overcoming extreme spider phobia
24 August 2020, 14:50
A caller on This Morning was desperate to overcome her fear of spiders.
This Morning psychotherapists Eva and Nick Speakman were on hand today to help one teary viewer with her fear of spiders.
Lisa from Nottinghamshire called in with a deep-routed phobia of the eight legged creatures.
Speaking to hosts Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes, she cried: "I'm just so desperate not to feel this way about them", revealing she collapses in tears when she sees a spider.
But in a bid to ease her struggle, experts Nick and Eva went on to give Lisa some tips on how she could go about getting over her fear.
The pair suggested thinking about the creepy crawlies in a totally different way, using facts and humour to change the way she sees spiders.
“No one is born with a phobia, everyone can get over the phobia,” Eva started off by saying.
She explained: “Look for overwhelming evidence as to why your phobia isn’t true.
“If you can, add humour into it, because you can’t laugh and be anxious. Look for positive evidence.”
She then went on to give a list of reasons why those with phobias should feel sorry for spiders, instead of fearing them.
“To get you started, here’s some things we know - they help us because they eat bugs that damage our crops which means farmers don’t have to use as many pesticides,” Eva said.
“The other thing is to feel sorry for them because most spiders are blind so all they see when they see humans is a big shadow and they start to feel panicked because they think we are going to eat them.
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“They don’t like carbon dioxide either because if a bird is coming to swoop all they feel is carbon dioxide.
“Spiders aren’t interested in people, they want somewhere warm where they feel protected and safe, they want to be left alone. And they are at a disadvantage because they can’t see.”
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She finally concluded: “Feel pity and look for evidence, ultimately spiders are the good guys and want to be left alone.”
Nick then added: “They are called house spiders for a reason. It’s not doing any harm, they do protect us. 17 types of mosquito, who’s eating those? Spiders.”
Consumer expert Alice Beer was also on hand to help viewers with some handy tips on keeping the creepy crawlies out of their home.
This included using peppermint essential oils and filling up any gaps they could crawl through.
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