- Joined
- Aug 5, 2004
- Messages
- 84
Hi, I am new to this forum, and have enjoyed reading some of the posts. I am learning a lot! Here's my story, which I will try to keep brief! (right)
I have been terrified of spiders for as long as I can remember. I grew up in Florida, in a house framed by huge Oak trees, draped with Spanish moss. Beautiful. The spiders thought so too. There were these giant (up to 4" - giant to me) brown spiders that lived in the oaks and frequently got into the house. They were "evil" ;P They would jump at us like they thrived on our terror. My dad called them "wolf" spiders, but research I have done contradicts that. In any case, in my mind, they were the physical manifestation of eveything evil, horrible, and wrong in the whole universe. I have countless traumatic stories of encounters w/ them.
My fear was so, that if cornered by one (over the door of the bathroom, after a shower), I would scream, cry, tear at my hair/ claw my own skin, and just basically flip out until Mom or Dad would rescue me. Serious fear.
Now, years later, I am 29, still crippled by arachnephobia, and $10,000 poorer from (useless for me) therapy. I couldn't even go outside and do any gardening for fear of "daddy long legs" dropping on me. (They are EVERYWHERE in North Carolina, where I live now, and yes, I know That "DLL"s
aren't really spiders. Still....blech!!!)
This terror has to end! So about 2 weeks ago, I said, "Enough!". I grabbed my fiancee, and dragged him to the pet store. (See Part 2)
I have been terrified of spiders for as long as I can remember. I grew up in Florida, in a house framed by huge Oak trees, draped with Spanish moss. Beautiful. The spiders thought so too. There were these giant (up to 4" - giant to me) brown spiders that lived in the oaks and frequently got into the house. They were "evil" ;P They would jump at us like they thrived on our terror. My dad called them "wolf" spiders, but research I have done contradicts that. In any case, in my mind, they were the physical manifestation of eveything evil, horrible, and wrong in the whole universe. I have countless traumatic stories of encounters w/ them.
My fear was so, that if cornered by one (over the door of the bathroom, after a shower), I would scream, cry, tear at my hair/ claw my own skin, and just basically flip out until Mom or Dad would rescue me. Serious fear.
Now, years later, I am 29, still crippled by arachnephobia, and $10,000 poorer from (useless for me) therapy. I couldn't even go outside and do any gardening for fear of "daddy long legs" dropping on me. (They are EVERYWHERE in North Carolina, where I live now, and yes, I know That "DLL"s
aren't really spiders. Still....blech!!!)
This terror has to end! So about 2 weeks ago, I said, "Enough!". I grabbed my fiancee, and dragged him to the pet store. (See Part 2)
