Snake Phobia--Best treatments?

[Smeke]

Hi,
I am a 2nd yr Psychology student at Mount Royal University; I love it sofar. Apart from my love for psychology, I adore travelling. This upcoming summer my boyfriend and I planned a trip to Europe for a month. Initially my plan was to travel to South Africa, however, my boyfriend was not interested and I decided maybe it wasn't the right timing for myself as well. I have a snake phobia. I'm not quite sure where it started but my phobia has grown overtime. I get a horrible feeling of anxiety in my gut, I cannot control it. Pictures of snakes, videos of snakes, the reptile house in the zoo, all give me this anxiety. It's completely taken over my body to the point where Im avoiding situations that may involve contact with a snake. ex) tubing in the river.. (river snakes), walking in tall grass (garden snakes). It saddens me to say that I'm avoiding traveling to certain destinations such as S.E. Asia, South Africa, Amazon; there are so many places I want to travel. Last year I was recommended a hypnosis treatment, however, I was very nervous to enter a hypnotic stage and believe that lead me to be resistant in the treatment. Does anybody have any other recommendations for treatments? At this stage I am not ready to face full contact with a snake, maybe I will never be ready...

[Enigma]

Exposure or desensitization therapy is generally used to treat phobias, which involves gradual amounts of exposure to the phobia-inducing object.  In your case, I'd start off by reading about snakes, working your way up to pictures, then videos, then actual physical contact with a snake, 

[Smeke]

I've learned about exposure and desensitization therapy in my classes before. The level of anxiety I'm at right now makes me so uncomfortable to learn that this is the best option to overcome my phobia. The thought of physical contact with a snake freaks me out and therefore I am resistant to that type of therapy.. sadly. I often have dreams about snakes, where I am locked up in a cage with snakes attacking me, or snakes being thrown at me. I just read another post on snake dreams and according to Freud's dream analysis this is a phallic interpretation, however, in my case I believe these dreams are due to my anxiety and fear of actual snakes.

[Enigma]

Yea Freudian dream interpretation is pseudoscience at best and utter bullshit at worst.  Physical contact with a snake is the very last step in exposure therapy, which you will face when you are adequately equipped to deal with it.  Focus your attention on the first step, and overcoming it, and then on the next step and so on.  I know the prospect of snakes seems unbearable now, but to overcome it you will need to step outside your comfort zone and make yourself temporarily uncomfortable (actually, a lot of things in life work this way).  You could spend an entire lifetime being uncomfortable around snakes, or endure a few fleeting moments of discomfort and rid yourself of your phobia.  If your fear is particularly debilitating, , MDMA is a superb therapeutic catalyst that increases openness and acceptance of feelings (though it is an illegal substance). 

[SWM]

I've learned about exposure and desensitization therapy in my classes before. The level of anxiety I'm at right now makes me so uncomfortable to learn that this is the best option to overcome my phobia. The thought of physical contact with a snake freaks me out and therefore I am resistant to that type of therapy.. sadly. I often have dreams about snakes, where I am locked up in a cage with snakes attacking me, or snakes being thrown at me. I just read another post on snake dreams and according to Freud's dream analysis this is a phallic interpretation, however, in my case I believe these dreams are due to my anxiety and fear of actual snakes.

with exposure therapy you dont have to touch or be in direct contact with a snake until you are ready. the idea is that you gradually become less and less anxious over time.

you would start off with small behavioral experiments. the first experiments would be such that you felt reasonably safe but would provoke a small amount of anxiety. you would not have to hold a snake or have direct contact until the last stage at which point you have already practically overcome your phobia. a cognitive behaviour therapist will be able to do this with you in no more than about 6 session.

hypnotherapy is also effective at treating phobia's the exposure will be done in your imagination so no need for direct contact with snakes. hypnotherapy can be effective in as little as two sessions.

[Smeke]

hypnotherapy is also effective at treating phobia's the exposure will be done in your imagination so no need for direct contact with snakes. hypnotherapy can be effective in as little as two sessions.

I have had a previous hypnotherapy session; it was an hr treatment that left me comfortable to come in "physical contact" with the snake in my imagination. However, several weeks after that my fear went back to normal. I know hypnosis doesn't cure with 1 treatment, but this has made me hesitant to go for another treatment also because the sessions are pricey.

With regards to exposure and desensitization, it may be the best treatment for me to overcome my phobia. It's tough to see myself go through this type of treatment but i may have to consider it and think about it wisely.

[SWM]

it may seem tough because of the way you have come to understand it. it really doesn't need to be tough. it can be really rewarding and exciting to overcome your fears and find confidence and belief in yourself.

[Smeke]

What's your realtionship to actual reptiles of other species? Could you sit on a rock and toss bits of cheese to a Komodo lizard, for example? Can you handle turtles, salamanders, any kind of slippery or scaly creature? Are you nature-estranged?

I love Iguana's oddly enough. At first I was nervous when I was first introduced. But now I have pictures with me holding Iguana's (Trained ones) and I am not afraid of them anymore, but still squirm a little when an Iguana unexpectedly comes my way. I have generalized my snake phobia toward fish. The way they move, the scaly, and long-bodied creatures freak me out. Salamanders are gross in my opinion and i don't like lizards. I have had a previous fear for frogs, but I don't have the same anxiety as I do with snakes. That's why I don't understand that I'm not afraid of Iguanas. Perhaps because of their slow movements, and that they are quadrupeds.

I'm thinking about doing the hypnotherapy treatments in a consistent fashion, as opposed to 1 treatment. Although I understand that desensitization and exposure are clearly the best option, my goal is not to be in physical contact with a snake. I may never like snakes; I believe I will always think of them as ugly, nasty creatures. What I want is to be able to overcome my fear of being in an environment where snakes are often encountered, that way I can travel and walk in tall grass/jungle or swim in waters for example without the anxiety that perhaps I may encounter a snake.

So you need to divulge more. When were you first introduced to snake-terrors?

For as long as I can remember, I have been fearful of snakes. Probably around the age of 8 when my family and I were hiking and my dad pointed out a garden snake and I jumped up and down, crying, because I was scared. However, recently (I would say within the last 2 years) my fear has become a "phobia".

[SWM]

I'm thinking about doing the hypnotherapy treatments in a consistent fashion, as opposed to 1 treatment. Although I understand that desensitization and exposure are clearly the best option, my goal is not to be in physical contact with a snake. I may never like snakes; I believe I will always think of them as ugly, nasty creatures. What I want is to be able to overcome my fear of being in an environment where snakes are often encountered, that way I can travel and walk in tall grass/jungle or swim in waters for example without the anxiety that perhaps I may encounter a snake.

both options are equally good so long as you do this with someone that you have confidence in. whether CBT or Hypnotherapy they are both form of desnsitisation. they are both working on the belief that you formulated way back when you were eight and which you have reinforced through repeated rehearsal and conditioned behavioural responses. this maladaptive belief was formed and maintained and exacerbated with your imagination as a response to an initial actual stimulus. hypnotherapy will work with your imagination to and CBT will work with actual stimuli. both are working on the belief about snakes. with both of these approaches it is the exposure to the feared stimulus (the perception of an alternative to the maladaptive belief) that will extinguish the conditioned response essentially replacing the old belief with a new adaptive belief. you may know some of this from your study of graded exposure i felt that it might be useful to highlight the the differences and similarities between exposure with hypnosis and exposure through a behavioural approach.