Help with Fear of Snakes?? - Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Message Board

soar1 · 03-21-2002, 08:15 PM

My wife has a severe fear of snakes and it prevents her from going outside many times and enjoying the outdoors. Can anyone give me any reliable advice or information that may have helped them overcome this phobia? Thanks for your help.

Soar1

bjg · 03-22-2002, 06:04 AM

i have had a severe phobia of reptiles..turtles lizards snakes(in that order) for as long as i can remember..it is debilitating ..especially living in the south..i have tried medication, hypnosis, psychologists, nothing has helped..if she has not tried desensitiztion that might help her..i hear that helps some people...

soar1 · 03-25-2002, 07:43 PM

BJG,

Thanks for the reply. My wife has tried some desensitization with minimal results the first time. She may have to go through a more formal program for a longer period of time however.

Soar1

bjg · 03-26-2002, 04:56 PM

since she tried it once and didnt have much success..ask her to consider seeing a psychiatrist before she starts the desensitization again..the dr can prescribe medication that would bring her stress level down during the sessions..which might make the process more successful..the medication can be stopped after the desensitization is done...i tried going this route myself..but had problems taking the meds..which is pretty normal for me...but if she normally takes rxs without having side effects she might do very well..

SciMuse · 04-24-2002, 03:28 AM

Hi,
My fear of snakes came from a dream I had over and over as a kid. I couldn't even go to the zoo without going into fight and flight. I made up my mind one day to do something about this insane fear. So I got the science teacher and went into the science lab with him and he helped me handle the snake they had in there. He held it while I touched it. In ten minutes I had the thing crawling on me while I was laughing. The key for me was making up my mind. Therapy cant do that for people. Oh, and the dream stopped too after doing that.
Good luck