A season for everything: this one is spiders

When I worked at the BBC there was a colleague who had left the Sports department after 20 years because she was tired of always being away in Sheffield on her birthday. Every year, at the same time of year, they covered the snooker at The Crucible, and so that’s where she spent her Birthday. April in Aintree, May in Sheffield, she could tell the date by the hotel.

To some extent, you can tell the date from my inbox. September is spider season, and so people decide that this is the year that they will overcome their fear. It’s typically a single session to overcome what we call a ‘simple’ phobia. This name doesn’t undermine the intensity of the feeling for the critters, it refers to the basis of the fear/phobia in the mind. More than once I have been sent photographs from clients in far corners of the world, amazed how comfortable they are being up close with a spider, when before they couldn’t even stand the word.

October is all about ghosts and ghouls. November? Fireworks. December is shared between elves and relatives. January, dominated by mock exams. Some storylines recur throughout the year with equal dominance; fear of flying, imposter syndrome, interviews, public speaking.

The mind is only really trying to protect you when these phobic responses happen, it believes it is doing its job. But if you’d rather reset that response, dialling down the phobia response and allowing you to enjoy the season more comfortably, then get in touch. Whatever the season.