Arachnophobia is the fear of spiders, which is an intense and excessive fear of spiders that can be crippling and pervasive in a way that simple aversion is not. It is a specific phobia that involves an extreme, irrational fear of spiders, and any time a person with arachnophobia sees, imagines, or hears about a spider, they experience an intense anxious reaction that affects their thinking, actions, and emotions.

Arachnophobia becomes a health issue when the fear interferes with your ability to carry out daily activities. Symptoms of arachnophobia include feeling unsteady, dizzy, or lightheaded, nausea, upset stomach, sweating a lot, increased heart rate or palpitations, trembling, panic, and shortness of breath. Phobias can limit your ability to work efficiently, can put a strain on your relationships, and reduce your self-esteem.

Fortunately, phobias are very treatable. The best and only treatment for fear of spiders or arachnophobia involves therapy, such as regular talk therapy, group therapy, exposure therapy, or cognitive-behavioral therapy. Psychotherapy, exposure therapy in particular, helps as many as 90% of people who are committed to practicing the therapy they learned, and you may notice improvements within weeks to a few months.