Fear of Spiders

This script is for helping children to overcome the fear of spiders. Use whichever induction you feel most appropriate, followed by deepener, then commence.

In a moment I’m going to ask you to imagine certain things, and you’ll find that imagining these things will relax you even more - and with each breath that you take and each word that I utter - you will find yourself drifting deeper and deeper into a calm - relaxing - feeling.

And I want you to imagine that you are sitting in your favourite chair at home. . and you’re feeling very comfortable and very relaxed - feel your arm as it rests on the chair arm and you can see the things in the room - the door - and the window - the fireplace - any ornaments or clock - the television - the table - see all the things that are in the room with your favourite chair. And you can see these things that I describe very clearly, and your imagining makes you relax even more deeply.

It’s a comfortable sensation to feel that you are surrounded by familiar things - your own very special, familiar things. And you’re remembering now, other things that I’ve not mentioned yet - and you can see these other things, even as you’re remembering them. And visualizing them relaxes you more and more.

And now I want you to imagine that you can hear a soft knock on the door. - it’s a sort of tap - tap - tap - very quiet - tap - tap. . (at this point, tap somewhere two or three times) - and you are too comfortable to get up out of your chair - your legs are heavy - your body is relaxed - your mind is calm - and so you shout “come in” - and look toward the door to see whose there.

The door opens but you can’t see anyone there, so you shout out.

“Who is that?” and you hear a little sob and a tiny, squeaky little voice whispers - ”It’s me.”

You look around the room but can’t see anyone but then when you look down at the floor you can see a sweet little spider sitting there, crying his eyes out. One of his legs is wrapped around a red spotted handkerchief and the other seven are slipping about all over the place - you look to see why he’s slipping and notice that his tears are forming a little pool around him.

You ask the spider why he’s crying and he tells you his furry feet are wet and he’s lost his yellow wellies. Then a big, wide smile spreads over his furry face and he jumps up and down in the salty puddle - saying. . “There they are.” The salty puddle tears splash onto his face and he dabs at them with his red spotted handkerchief.

The next minute he has seven little yellow Wellington boots on his feet, rather like Paddington Bear - and he has made a hat with the red spotted handkerchief by tying the four corners into knots and putting it on his head - but it’s so big that it keeps falling down over his face. The spider looks so ridiculous that you start to laugh.

From this moment forwards - whenever you see, or think about a spider, you’ll immediately think about a furry spider with seven yellow wellies on his furry feet and a red spotted handkerchief on his head - and this thought makes you smile.

You’ll find that you feel more and more comfortable about spiders from now on, you think of spiders as your friends; they don’t bother you, and you don’t bother them, whenever you see, or think about a spider, you immediately think about a furry spider with seven yellow wellies on his furry feet and a red spotted handkerchief on his head - and this thought makes you smile.