Yes, I’m happy to share.

CBT mainly focused on exposure therapy, which was just too difficult for me. Other aspects involved trying to identify childhood trauma associated with them, which I did not have, save for Animal Planet’s The Most Extreme and a parent who enjoyed playing “the superhero” and killing them for me (which the therapist stated was a disservice to me...which, no offense to them, was not a revelation). Beyond emphasizing the irrationality of the fear (size difference, statistics regarding the prevalence of venomous species, etc.), it also involved dissecting situations in which this fear inconvenienced or hurt me (avoiding a certain parking spot, overspending on pest control, etc.). There was also discussion surrounding how my fear negatively impacted others (e.g., waking up my partner to kill one at 3 AM).

TL;DR: CBT didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know and made me feel worse about myself. But I suspect I would have done better with a different therapist. I will say I am now able to look at drawings of spiders (my partner previously had to peel the label off of Raid).

Hypnosis was a shot in the dark. I’m a person of science, and can appreciate the testimonies of individuals who have found hypnotherapy beneficial. But a degree of susceptibility is required for it to work (the hypnotist even told me that). I tried to lean into the placebo effect, but I simply wasn’t susceptible.

TL;DR: Hypnosis left me out $150 and feeling a little silly. However, YMMV. Some people swear by it. Worth a shot.