Watch: London Zoo puts spiders in people’s hands as they overcome their fears with hypnotherapy

Arachnophobes faced their biggest fears as London Zoo celebrated 30 years of its Friendly Spider Programme.

ZSL put out an appeal for volunteers to help people overcome their fear during a four-hour course. The session was run in partnership with the Centre of Clinical Hypnosis, with participants heading into the Tiny Giants exhibit.

The conservation zoo’s spider specialists and John Clifford, CEO of the Centre of Clinical Hypnosis, helped former arachnophobes to catch native house spiders with a cup and card, and to meet bird-eating spider Rosie.

Course leader Dave Clarke said: “Arachnophobia can be an intense and debilitating fear. I’m so proud that our brave Friendly Spider Programme participants faced their fears at this weekend’s 30th anniversary course.

“We welcomed people with some of the most extreme fears we've seen in three decades, including a banker who broke her hand trying to rid her house of a spider, a clinical psychologist who struggled to help clients with phobias, a zookeeper who had to call colleagues for help every time he saw a spider at work and a nutritionist who once chose to sleep on a park bench instead of going back home after seeing one at bedtime.”

Casey Thompson, 51, a banker from Worthing, said: “This has massively changed my life and means that I can co-exist with spiders. After having my son, this is the biggest achievement for me. I’m going to have a grandchild in October, and I did not want to pass on this fear: I promised my son and his girlfriend that I would do my best to get over it. This has honestly been one of the best experiences of my life – and I never thought I would say that in the same sentence as a spider. This has helped my fear 100% - I will walk out of here and my husband will never have to catch another spider again.”

London zoo keeper Jamaal Ishmael, 26, said: “I didn’t think I had it in me at the start, but to actually be able to hold the spiders, and have them walk all over my hands is such a great accomplishment.

“This has definitely helped my fear. I feel so much more confident now when I’m working with the lemurs and I won’t have to call my colleagues when I see a spider – and hopefully the lemurs will be very proud of me as well when they see me not freaking out! I would definitely recommend it for anyone else who has a fear of spiders.”

Over the past 30 years, the course has seen more than 5,000 arachnophobes, travelling from as far away as America and Australia to take part, and has a 98% success rate.

The Friendly Spider Programme is part of ZSL’s mission to inspire change and protect species, and supports a number of ZSL’s conservation projects for invertebrates, including the successful reintroduction of the native semi-aquatic Fen raft spider, which is listed as endangered in the UK, but is now increasing its range due to conservation efforts.

Dave Clarke added: “For three decades we’ve made it our mission to squash myths about our eight-legged friends and help people overcome their fear of spiders - as part of ZSL’s work protecting species in the UK and across the world. Not only does this programme help people face their fears, it protects spiders, fosters respect for nature and raises funds for ZSL’s important work protecting threatened invertebrates.”

To find out more about the Friendly Spider Programme at London Zoo and sign up to receive priority booking for the next available dates, go to London Zoo’s website. The course is £150 per adult, with proceeds funding invertebrate conservation projects.