All about herpetophobia

Snakes have always terrified humans. The fear of these reptiles is embedded in our minds almost from the very birth. The appearance of this creature is unpleasant and looks rather intimidating. Consciousness involuntarily includes a sense of self-preservation at the sight of a snake. In some people, the fear of these reptiles is not so strong, while in others it can cause a panic attack.

Ophidiophobia or herpetophobia is the fear of snakes. It stands for this: the word "ofidio" is translated as "snake", and "phobos" - "fear". This disorder is referred to as zoophobia. The fear of snakes, inherent in the human mind, is passed on from generation to generation.

Anxiety can appear when a person looks at a lizard or snake. This is a completely normal state, as long as it does not go into a panic state. It is he who can say that we are faced with a sign of ophidiophobia. A person suffering from this disorder develops fear when there is no risk to life. For example, at the sight of a picture depicting a reptile or when the same person, visiting the serpentarium, begins to panic.

Women and children are most susceptible to these phobias. And only a specialist will be able to distinguish a nervous disorder from an ordinary fear. If the sight of a snake causes some discomfort, which disappears as soon as the irritant disappears from the view, then this manifestation can be called a banal aversion to a creature that does not cause sympathy.

There is nothing unusual in the development of a phobia of this direction.Human fear of reptiles has evolved along with evolution. When Homo sapiens acquired skills and intellectual capabilities, he simultaneously developed a strong sense of self-preservation. The first tragic experience of a collision with these creatures fixed the potential danger in the mind. This experience has been passed down from century to century. Subsequently, people learned to use snakes to destroy their own kind. Enemies often put vipers in the bed of their opponents.

Dislike of snakes is aggravated by nature itself. The effect of surprise can be taken by surprise, and a person will not be able to react to danger in time. Snakes are almost invisible. They can appear in front of a person at any moment and attack. That is why an unexpected meeting causes inevitable fear even in the most courageous individual.

Children are afraid of snakes because fear is passed on to them from their parents... They repeat exactly the behavior of their senior mentors, and the fear of snakes is well established in the minds. However, the same negative experience can be acquired regardless of the behavior of adults.

Children often meet reptiles on their way. Depending on the disposition of character, and after a series of such encounters with danger, a phobia can arise. Jokes from classmates can also fix this fear in the mind. The guys throw toy snakes to their comrades. In children with a weakened psyche or a highly impressionable character, such self-indulgence can form a persistent phobia.

Perhaps she will be forgotten for a while. But if a situation occurs in the life of such a person that leads to stress, then the phobia can wake up and come out of the hidden corners of consciousness. Do not forget that reptiles and their images are used for various rituals of black magic. And this fact adds certain points to the development of phobia.

If you have only a slight dislike for snakes and do not think every day that they exist and can attack you, then this state should not cause you anxiety.

It is necessary to be afraid of the development of a phobia with the following manifestations:

• it is difficult for you to be where reptile terrariums are located, for example, pet stores where reptiles are sold cause a feeling of hostility;
• being next to a reptile, you experience uncontrollable fear;
• thoughts that snakes are found in the wild make you refuse to rest in the forest or in hot countries.

Phobia can develop after meeting with a snake that brought unpleasant moments. Let's say she attacked and harmed her health. It is not necessary that this incident could have happened to you. If you were nearby when the snake attacked a person, then watching the tragedy will definitely negatively affect your condition and will be remembered for a long time.

Strong-minded people will be able to cope with anxiety quickly and independently, others need to carefully work on themselves and deal with their fears. You may even have to consult a specialist (in severe cases).

A science such as psychology has long been studying the problem of various phobias, and psychologists are developing various methods of getting rid of obsessive states. It is likely that you will be advised to proceed as follows.

• You must have a misconception about reptiles. Your fears are unfounded. Therefore, write down everything you know about these creatures, and compare your knowledge with the original source.
• Ask yourself what exactly triggers your fear of seeing snakes. Apparently, you have no idea how snakes attack or why they do it.Chances are, you just don't like the way they look, but you've never been attacked by these critters. It is quite possible that you invented your fears yourself, and they are completely unfounded.
• To stop being afraid of reptiles, you need to know all the information about them. If the reason for the fear lies in the fact that you were misinformed (influenced by a friend's story or you heard something unpleasant on TV), then your fears can be overcome by researching the problem thoroughly.
• More often watch documentaries about snakes, which are filmed for educational purposes. This information will help you understand some of the points that will affect your future relationship with snakes.
• To overpower yourself, pick up a toy snake and hold it. Try to understand that nothing terrible is happening to you.
• Go to the serpentarium or zoo where reptiles are kept in terrariums. As scary as you are, try to stay there longer. Cope with yourself and stop near the most dangerous snake. Look at her. You will be scared, but you need to calm yourself down.
• As soon as you start to think that you are in danger because of the snakes, then try to reason like this: “I should not (be) afraid of snakes. They are not near me. And why did I decide that they should appear and attack? Any living creature has a sense of self-preservation, and the snake is no exception. She is afraid of a person as much as a person is afraid of her. This means that snakes do not just attack people. These are just my fears that will go away as soon as I stop multiplying them with my thoughts. "

In more severe cases, it is better to contact a psychotherapist who will identify the problem. First, he will figure out where your fear came from. Finding the cause is the beginning of correcting the situation. As soon as the specialist finds out the reason, he will offer to undergo a course of psychotherapy.

• Prescribing drugs such as serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Benzodiazepine tranquilizers supplement the therapeutic effect.
• Panic attacks occur as a result of neuroses. The development of this state is adaptive. This is how the body adapts to adversity. The use of physiotherapy will be the best way to get rid of a phobia, since this is the effect of nature: heat, electric current, magnetic field, etc. The physiotherapy includes the following procedures: massage (fortifying), water treatment (contrast showers and swimming in the pool), float camera (complete isolation of extraneous noise), magnetic procedures (use of magnetic fields).
• Hypnotherapy also has a lasting healing effect.

It must be remembered that Serious drug therapy can be beneficial when used in conjunction with other effective treatments that relieve phobias.