I never really had any particular phobias growing up, but about a year and a half ago or so, I started gradually getting arachnophobia. It started pretty small... I'd just avoid spiders if I saw them and get others to remove them for me. They just kind of irked me, a bit. Then somehow it got worse and worse at an incredibly alarming rate. Currently I have horrid paranoia connected to this fear, and I'm prone to bad panic attacks when I'm around spiders or even thinking of them. I can hardly look at pictures of them, and it's made playing games difficult in some instances, when facing spider enemies. If I see one, I first get very nauseous and then go into panic, which unfortunately usually means that I can't control what I'm doing, and end up hyperventilating, pulling at my hair, and crying. :/ Usually this lasts for several hours even after the spider has been dealt with, and I will be on edge for several days and wear clothing to cover as much of my body as I can at the thought that one might touch my skin. It's honestly the absolute biggest point of embarrassment for me. I have nightmares about them constantly (one last night!) and always check areas I go into for spiders. It's odd, since when I was little I actually played with spiders. They never bothered me, and now, they do all of THIS. I don't understand how it started. I know that I need to do something about this, because I'm to the point where I just... cannot deal with it when I see one. I can't handle the situation by myself and get rid of the spider. And I can't exactly live that way, when I get out on my own.
So... I know I need to get this under control, but I feel so helpless with the matter... I honestly don't know what to do. If anyone knows how to get rid of this phobia, please tell me.