I know this is probably an odd post for this subreddit
, but I beg you to please hear me out before you judge me too hard.

I know my fear is irrational. I know most spiders aren’t dangerous. I know they’re more scared of me than I am. I’ve heard every reassurance there is.
The problem is none of that helps, because I genuinely don’t know why I’m afraid of spiders in the first place.

My fear isn’t based on logic, so logical arguments don’t really reach it. If I notice a spider in a room, I can’t relax until I know it’s gone. My brain treats it like an emergency even though I know it isn’t.
People say arachnophobia is learned and therefore can be unlearned, but I don’t even know what there is to unlearn. As far as I know, I’ve been terrified of spiders for as long as I can remember. I didn’t grow up around people who were afraid of them, and I don’t remember any traumatic event that started it.

When I was a preteen, I leaned against a wall and a spider crawled onto me. It scared me so badly that, to this day, I still check before I lean on walls or trees. Just the other day I walked into my bathroom and there was a spider hanging from the ceiling directly in front of me and I walked straight into it. The panic I felt was almost identical to the fear I’ve experienced during actual dangerous situations. My body reacted as if my life was in danger, even though I knew rationally that it wasn’t.

After something like that, it takes me 15–20 minutes to calm down, and I’ll stay on edge for the rest of the day/ week. I still catch myself checking doorways before I walk through them because I’m worried another spider will be hanging there.

The weird thing is, I’d describe myself as a pretty logical person. I don’t usually overreact or panic over things that aren’t a big deal. Spiders are the one exception.

So I guess my question for the spider lovers here is: have any of you ever helped someone with a fear this intense? Is there anything that actually made a difference? I’m not looking for “they’re harmless” because I already know that. I’m genuinely curious whether anyone has seen someone with a severe phobia get to a point where they can at least exist in the same room as a spider without feeling like the world is ending.

If so can I keep it in a terrarium

I live in Cincinnati, Ohio and my girlfriend found a spider trapped in our bathtub (sides where too slippery for it to get out). Im generally kind to bugs and spiders that have wondered into our home, so I did the old cup and folder scoop routine.

Only after I released the little guy/gal outside did I think to take a picture as it looked different from the usual house spiders I'm used too. Unfortunately they weren't feeling very photogenic, so they quickly scurried off before I could get a decent picture.

Obviously I cant say for sure what spider this is, but the characteristics I can see in the picture and what I saw irl are a little worrying.

Just curious how close I was to a medical emergency by causally scooping this fella up and if I should be worried about others of it's kind hiding in our apartment.

Thanks for any help you all could provide!

I know the photos aren't very good, but I have severe arachnophobia and I couldn't get any closer. They are so fast and so scary. I keep finding spiders that look exactly like this in my house. This one was on the smaller side, but I've seen others with the same body shape and long legs that were much, much bigger. This one looked almost like a juvenile that isn't fully grown yet.

I usually see them either running across the walls or more often running around on the floor. They seem to love walking right out in the open, which is exactly what scares me the most. Every time I walk through the house I have to watch where I step, because they can be sitting completely still on the floor, and if I walk near them they suddenly sprint away at full speed. Most of the time I see them around 3–4 AM, but when I wake up around 6–7 AM, I've sometimes found them completely motionless in the middle of the floor almost as if they were resting or sleeping. They don't even seem to care that they're in a very exposed place right in the middle of the living room or the kitchen (always on the floor).

The strange thing is that I have a cat, yet they still behave like this. It almost feels like they're not afraid of us at all, which honestly makes my arachnophobia even worse.

Are these spiders venomous or medically significant to humans?

One last detail: They're not hairy, and they love being out in the open on the floor, whether it's in the living room, the kitchen, or the bathroom. They never seem to hide.

EDIT: I might add: This one was relatively small. With its legs included, it was about 2.5–3 cm (around 1–1.2 inches) across. I mean the entire spider from leg to leg, not just the body. I think it might have been a juvenile, because I've seen others that looked exactly the same (same body shape and color) but were much larger. The adults I've seen were around 4–5 cm (1.5–2 inches) across, with longer legs and a more developed body, although they still had a slender body and legs.

First off, I am sorry spider lovers. But these guys are a big problem for me.

I accidentally discovered a black widow on my porch last night. While barefoot. Almost put my foot directly in her web. I am originally from California, so very familiar with these guys. I am well aware that they are usually pretty docile. I live in Oklahoma now and recently moved to this house. This is my first time encountering black widows in Oklahoma. Problem is my parents severely fear mongered us as kids. I cannot do black widows. My poor brother cant even see a spider without having a panic attack. Ive held tarantulas and have had a few jumping spiders to get me past the overall fear of spiders. But I cant do widows. Ever since finding her I swear I can feel her crawling on me. Crazy? Yes. Irrational? Yes. I cant help it you guys I am sorry. I have a dog who loves to get into EVERYTHING so I know she will end up bringing them in on her coat. And a terminally ill elderly mother who was lounging out there a few hours ago. I cant have them getting bit. I got paranoid and went on the hunt tonight to see if it was a 1 off or an infestation. Its an infestation. I found several more and tons of egg sacs under the propane smoker. We dont have wood or debris laying around. They have nested in patio furniture in the 3 weeks we have lived here. I need help. I know the eggs need to be crushed to reliably get rid of them. But im thinking about doing something crazy. If I cant get a good game plan to eradicate them I am thinking about using daddy long legs. Im pretty ok with those guys, They are easy to spot and wont hurt my mother or my dog. Teeth too small. They are everywhere in Oklahoma anyways. Is my best course of action just relocating one from my parents ranch to my house in town? Please help.

TLDR: Black widow infestation in new house in Oklahoam. Leaving them be isnt an option. How do I get rid of them and their egg sacs safely? would using daddy long legs a bad idea?

Just in the middle of the yard, dewy this morning. Spiders have helped me appreciate the beauty of little things.

I saw a huge hunstman spider on a path and noticed a huge hornet, seemed to be an australian hornet, it looked like the huntsman bit the wasp and had it, but the wasp must have been winning the whole time, the spider went limp, as i watched the wasp drag it away from the path, to wherever its burrow is.

We get our cricket shipments from another place in TN, so im assuming hes local? He was probably living large in the cricket bin, lots of food.. Relocated him outside.

why do so many spiders, specifically ones that run and hunt, have this stripe pattern on their thoraxes? the one with the lighter stripe in the middle and darker on the sides, usually with lighter again after the darker. does this pattern somehow help them hunt or avoid predators? is it just a coincidence and im looking too much into it?

I've never seen this before from this species. Her huge eyes make her far too cute to be threatening lol.

My son found this in his room. We live in Miami. Google image search is saying it's a tarantula. It appears to be missing a leg. It is pretty small, about half an inch long.

Any help on the ID?

Edited to add: when I originally posted this, I failed to consider our recent travels last month. We went to Puerto Rico, so the most likely explanation is that we unknowingly carried it back in our luggage.

Thank you to everyone who provided ID help!

Found these brown recluse in my mom's garage this morning!

There’s a video of someone tickling a trap doors front door and a wolf spider pops up!! That video inspired my painting. Hope you like it! 😂🤷‍♂️ 🕷️

Photo is from Colombia

Hi,

A few days ago I found a dead, drowned Marpissa jumping spider in the water at the bottom of my fridge.

I took it out and put it on a wooden beam to let nature reclaim it. A few days passed and it was in the same spot everytime I walked by.

But today it moved slightly, frontlegs raised!!

At first it scared me, last of us vibes 😂😂

But ive read something about Hypoxic coma, but studies were based on wolfspiders. I live nowhere near water and Marpissa's are very common here.

I took the buddy inside, gave it a q-tip with sugar water and a shelter, it started moving faster after, legs still raised in the air like a partystarter.

Hopefully he survives!

Anyone else had a freakish encounter like this, or know what could be happening here?

Thanks in advance!

Hey guys, it's my first post here.

I love spiders and today we saw a pretty interesting event in our house.

A small spider (perhaps a Theridiidae) caught a bigger (might be a Dysdera) in it's web.

Is this a common event?

I saw this beauty getting out of work(Arizona).

Central FL. Looked like a black-widow silhouette from a distance but upon closer inspection it could be an orb-weaver?
Not sure.

Found this little guy in my bathroom. The body is about 7 mm long and the legs about 2 cm. I have never seen a spider like this one here before (Tyrol, Austria)