Snake phobia

girlone

Hi all,

Not sure if this is the right section...

I'm looking for some suggestions about how to get over a phobia of snakes.
I am absolutely terrified of them. Even thinking about them now to write this post I have started to sweat and shake.
It doesn't matter to me if the snake is poisonous or not (people will say, 'oh its only a x type, its not dangerous').

If I see one the fear makes me physically sick (vomiting etc).

Unfortunately though, I seem to attract them. In Gurgaon at a local market, a man came up to me and pulled a snake from a bag and held it up. In Pondicherry main street I was with a group of 6 friends, and soemone came to me with a snake - and nobody else. I was accosted in GK in Delhi by a man with a snake and spent three hours in Fabindia because I couldn't leave the shop.

Apart from the unlikely places, I can't bring myself to go anywhere touristy for fear of snake-charmers.

In the UK, the phobia didn't really affect me. Here, in India, it influences everything I do.

Does anyone have any experience in managing phobias? Or have you been treated successfully for a phobia? Any advice or suggestions?

Please help,

G1

mira4bai4

Hi girlone,
The reality is that phobias are irrational. However in saying that, to the person experiencing them that does not matter at all.

People are addicted to say tobacco, a mere leaf has control over their very daily routine and they cannot stop it. That is irrational but true until it is recognised as the reality.

From what I see one is not forced to accept these things, so instead of reacting through fear we have other choices. We do have choices in how we approach everything, there is no value in just letting the mind blindly erupt into an emotion of out burst that makes you physically sick. So what choices or options do you really have; change the reaction to anger, disgust or disdain. Anger can be useful, why the hell do these idiots have to bother you, or how dare they hold capture such creatures etc. Disgust is fun, this can also make you physically sick but one can also just turn ones back on the fools. Disdain has a very nice air about it, quite proper, imperial or regal should you wish to take this approach. Just brush them away with an 'off with their heads' approach.

girlone, you do have choices. The choice is, do you want some creature to have more control over you, or you to have the strength that you have in many other parts of your life so why not have control, at least to some degree with this. There is no quick fix, some therapies can help but the first step is you, clenching your fists and fighting back. One could say 'just get over it', or 'this is one major button that is being pressed'; so how to get over it is about gaining control over the mind. This requires meditation, meditation is just focusing, stilling and finding the balance, the attitude and the awareness about all things.

But sometimes we have to kick arse, break a few heads and deal with it, affirmative action has to be taken at times. If you are ready to take action then obviously you are in an ideal spot to confront the mind, tell it to cut the crap, grab the snake by the throat and bite its head off, while thumping or maybe thanking that snake charmer for allowing you to deal with this issue. Things do happen for a reason, at times we have an awareness about those reasons, other times we don't but if we are wise we can be thankful of having each opportunity, and everything that comes along is an opportunity to be constantly mindful of ourselves. If not then we are essentially out of control and if we can acknowledge this then we can begin to move from being occasionally irrational to becoming fully rational beings.

nature boy

Hi , i think if u were in uk, then i think that was a better place to get rid of any such phobia,i have seen programmes in discovery in which people are afraid of snakes,crabs,scorpions,cockroa ches,spiders....etc... i think all of them were given some kind of reality treatment in which a screen is placed before the victim and on the screen he/she can see the feared creature and actually an electronic glove is worn by the victim on his/her hand and the doctor tells him/her to move the hand slowly forward,which on the screen before the victim appears like u are trying to catch the creature,and outside the screen a toy of that creature is placed as u approach the creature on the screen he/she actually approach the toy placed before him/her when she touches the creature on the screen then she touches the toy.this way the doctors try to treat the patients of their phobia,i have seen that they were treated of that phobia in most cases.
So i think you have to find some treatment like that.Hope u get your treatment soon and move on. actually snakes are beautiful creation of god.and don worry u will get some treatment for sure. see u again if possible.

BabeInTheWoods

Hi Girlone

I can really empathise with your fear of snakes as I've always had one too. And we don't even have snakes in this country! I even had a big problem with looking at them on tv. But I got SKY tv on (kind of like Cable tv I think) and watched heaps of wildlife programmes and MADE myself watch the snake ones until I slowly got used to seeing them without backing into another room. I learned as much as I could about them and gradually came to see that they are beautiful creatures with as much right to be here as they are.

I've taught many kids not to kill every spider that they see but instead watch the spider doing its thing while telling them that the spider isn't even taking any notice of them. And what's more, the spider might be saying "Eeek!! Look at that big ugly human!!!"

I saw my first snake in Delhi and after taking a photo (on zoom from about 10 feet away!) the guy ran after us asking for more rupees. Totally freaked me out. But afterwards I realised that the guy wouldn't want his snake harmed as it gives him his living and I imagine other snake 'owners' would feel the same.

So, as suggested by others, go to one of those people who help with phobias professionally and gain control so it no longer haunts you - at least nowhere near as badly. Good luck.

BabeITW

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NeeliAankhen

In England I'd do a search for the term "cognitive behavioral," "cognitive behavioral therapy," or CBT. Someplace like London you'd probably find an institute for it, elsewhere a practitioner.

It's a psychological approach that most often ie employed to deal with this kind of specific problem. You can also find things online to read about it and see if it sounds useful to you.

I might also do a search for hypnotherapy (it isn't really hocus-pocus-y) -- what they do is train you to "hypnotize" yourself, really a matter of re-training your mind to react differently to the thing you are being bothered by.

These forms of help may well be available in Bombay or other Indian cities, too.

cyberhippie

The TV IS a good place to start, they can't hurt you there. Treat it as a study. Find out all you can about these extremely interesting reptiles! Realise that they are basically harmless and you have to be pretty unlucky to come across one in the wild unless your looking!!

bijapuri

they fear you more, if that helps

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cyberhippie

This might be the very thing for you, on BBC 3

THE PANIC ROOM

Vasko

Try this thread for a discussion of the same subject. Scared Of Snakes

My advice: desensitization.

puppydogben

I seriously believe we manifest these things, I have spent a lot of time in India and only seen one snake, however my fear is wasps and I manifest them everywhere!

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somnath

Be very careful in India….. Snakes are just everywhere. Do search under your bed / pillow even you need to remove the bedcover to check if it is there before sleeping. Hmmmmm…… WELCOME TO SNAKELAND.
Click here…..

And do not forget to bring 10 KG of tasty / good quality frogs to please the Snake God. Else you’ll be punished like …. http://www.funnyhub.com/pictures/img...bites-face.jpg
Now, a bit serious note: watch “Anaconda” and develop some idea so that when you’ll see a real snake (well, not very easy outside the zoo) you’ll be amazed - “Wow a new species” !!!!

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Aishah

Phobias can be very debilitating - my sister,who lives in NZ, has a huge one about spiders and still she cannot touch them and has to have them removed from the room by whoever else is in her house at the time; she has had this phobia since a child and she is now late 50's but she doesn't let it rule her life. As she has grown older she has developed coping mechanisms of her own but seriously, I think professional help is the answer and faster to help you get over yours. Also, if it is any reassurance, in all the time I have lived here I have only seen a snake at close quarters about 3 times in 8 years!

Pintz

I can understand what you must be going through...for I have been through it too. I was not only mortally afraid of snakes but used to get them in my dreams as well! I have spent many a night shaking and sweating because I dreamt of them crawling all over me! And then, my mom also did a lot of 'pujas'to cure this malady, but to no avail. And then, when I was in Dalhousie, teaching in a school there, a woman across the compound created a racket that something was there in her house. I, like the rest of the curious onlookers, went in to check what it was....and, I saw this huge snake stuck in the doorway at the back. I was mesmerized at the color and the size of it. Instead of sweating and shaking in fear, I felt like touching it. That was the day I caught my first snake! I didn't even know if it was a venomous or a non-venomous snake. But of course, today, I know it was a rat-snake - a non-venomous snake. Ever since then, I have been rescuing snakes from people's homes and have the greatest respect for these beautiful creatures. Till date, I have rescued 68 snakes, both venomous and the non-venomous!
I suggest that you handle a snake with a different paradigm - instead of seeing it as something to be feared, look at how the pattern on its glossy skin is or the sheer length of it or, something that will show you what a beautiful creature it is.
It has helped me overcome my phobia and it may or may not, help you - but it's worth a try.
I feel Phobias are to be dealt with rationally and with a different viewing point. What say. girlone?



Somnath, I suggest you not to mislead people with wrong information. There are more people in India than Snakes!!! And for that matter, even in the zoo, you'll have a hard time spotting a Python (the Indian cousin of the Anaconda).

(Be very careful in India….. Snakes are just everywhere. Do search under your bed / pillow even you need to remove the bedcover to check if it is there before sleeping. Hmmmmm…… WELCOME TO SNAKELAND.

Mangogirl

I would definately try the cognitive therapy, it's easy done in few sessions.
Good luck,
Mangogirl

giripriya

I'm exactly the same way - I used to be afraid of bees and wasps to the extent that I would avoid gardens and if I saw a bee or wasp approaching me I would run away screaming - now I am not quite as afraid of bees and enjoy parks and gardens but still am deathly afraid of yellowjackets and other wasps. I try not to scream(embarassing) but I still hotfoot it(quietly) if I see one near me.

A lot of people would regard it as superstitious but I wear a 9-face rudraksha bead which is associated with Kali and Durga and is supposed to give fearlessness - I have actually noticed that I am less fearful since I bought it at Pashupatinath last year and have been wearing it.

Love your av btw - I'll be in Boudha very shortly!!!

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