The fear of snakes?

[lozzer]

What are your opinions on the fear of snakes and what do you think about people who have a phobia of snakes and whats your opinion on how to stop phobias?

[John Pilling]

Most people have phobias, and the only way to beat them is to face them head on (slowley tho), so the fear factor decreaces over say 10-15 sessions, like starting with someone entering a house with a snake upstairs and then getting them (after a few times) to graduate to the upstaires toilet, then onto standing in the doorway of the vivs, they getting them (when their comfortable with standing at the doorway) to go about 1/3-1/2 way in and sit on a chair, then 2/4-3/4 way in till they can stand in front of the closed viv, and so on till they can actually touch and MAYBEE eventually handle a snake, or what ever the fear or phobia is about.

Thats my suggested cure anyway, but i'm not a profesional and this is just my thoughts on the matter. What else would people do?

[angie]

well to be honest im no expert, but i have cured some fears with my adorable 8yr old albino corn! i did this by letting them sit comfortably on the sofa and then standing in the doorway with Dea (my corn). then i let them tell me how close i could come to them! within about an hour i have had themstroking her and feeling really proud of themselves! obviously this probably wouldn't work for extreme phobias, but i have found it worked quite a few times. xx

[meths]

My aunt has a terrible phobia of snakes, if she's reading a magazine and sees a picture of one, the magazine goes flying across the room! When i told her about Frankie she actually screamed and buried her face in her hands...I think if she would just handle Frankie and see that there is nothing to be scared of, she would be fine, but i'm not going to suggest it to her as it will only make her go into hysterics.

[John Pilling]

It all depends on how bad the phobia is, Angie's cure a few, but i believe they wern't "life threatening" phobias. Meths your Aunt sounds like she has a serious phobia and she may never get over it if just looking at snake does that to her. She might eventually be able to be in the same house, but i doubt very much if she would ever handle a snake n her whole life.

Differant people do react differantley, i'm not a big fan of horse's, i will brush a horse at arms lenght, but i would never go into a feild on my own with a horse, don't know where it has come from but it's always been with me (i have to deal with them sometimes tho, at my local animal sanchuary, always at arms lenght).

[lozzer]

Same here lol but i have a phobia of cats i will occasionaly stroke one put ew i hate them lol

[Shrimply]

I was watching a program a while ago and it said fear was a built in instinct and a natural safety device but as we evolve we forget our natural instincts and fears. Some of us are just more aware of our natural fears than others. I am not really scared of anything. I was once asked at school to write an essay on what scared me most. It was the worst essay i ever wrote. lol

[John Pilling]

I'm not scared of horse's, they just don't like me, lol. I had riding lessons a few years ago to help me, and it did work to some point, but i still keep them at arms lengh, i even know when it started with me, i was avout 4-5 years old and say a horse kick someone and the injuries were urific, and since then i have always been wary.

[Amber]

I somehow developed a phobia of snakes last year (all except Armand) I got over it by holding Akasha, I doubt there would of been another way for me to get over it, I'm a big fan of flooding... Woohoo go flooding.
The easiest way for someone to get over it is to be forced to get over it, thats the only way I ever get over my fears, anyway.

I saw a show that said its instinct, I don't believe that much, I think we are socialized into the more common phobias. I guess some come from bad experiences...

[sparkle**]

i have a friend that has a big phobia of snakes,She couldnt even go to see harry potter and the chamber of secrets because it had a snake in it,and she came round mine this week for the first time scince i got buddy and rafa in march this year. She had to come in the back door (no pun intended )and when she got in she wouldn't move from her chair next to the back door. although this seems silly to some people this was a big step for her and next week shes gonna try and move her chair into the kitchen properly.
People have phobias of many things i love spiders, snakes anything scarey but i hate woodlice!!