Ophidiophobia or Ophiophobia refers to the fear of snakes. It is also colloquially termed Snakephobia. It is one of the most common phobias, especially under the broader Zoophobia (animal phobias). A person suffering from Herpetophobia (Fear of Reptiles) is also likely to have a fear of snakes, though the reverse is not always true. Care must also be taken to differentiate people who do not like snakes or fear them (rightly so) for their venom or the inherent danger involved. A typical ophidiophobic would not only fear them when in live contact but also dreads to think about them or even see them on TV or in pictures. Superfamilies and Families Henophidia Aniliidae Anomochilidae Boidae Bolyeriidae Cylindrophiidae Loxocemidae Pythonidae Tropidophiidae Uropeltidae Xenopeltidae Typhlopoidea Anomalepididae Leptotyphlopidae Typhlopidae Xenophidia Acrochordidae Atractaspididae Colubridae Elapidae Hydrophiidae Viperidae Snakes (from Old English snaca, and ultimately from PIE base *snag- or *sneg-, to crawl), also known as ophidians, are cold blooded legless reptiles closely... A phobia (from the Greek φόβος fear), is a strong, persistent fear of situations, objects, activities, or persons. ... The English suffix -phobia is used to describe fear or hatred (the latter is often ignored) of a particular thing or subject. ... Herpetophobia is the phobia of reptiles or other crawly things. ... Orders  Crocodilia - Crocodilians scary crocodiles. ... It has been suggested that Snake poison be merged into this article or section. ... See TV (disambiguation) for other uses and Television (band) for the rock band European networks National In much of Europe television broadcasting has historically been state dominated, rather than commercially organised, although commercial stations have grown in number recently. ...

The word comes from the Greek words "ophis" which refers to snakes and "phobia" meaning fear. Fear of snakes is much more prevalent than most animal phobias, partially due to the fact that snakes have been able to survive in almost all terrain from the jungles, to farm lands to urban areas. This allows a greater degree of interaction between these creatures and humans that come into contact. Box Log Falls, Lamington National Park, Queensland, Australia Jungle refers usually to a forest. ... Bales of hay on a farm near Ames, Iowa A farm is the basic unit in agriculture. ... An urban area is a term used to define an area where there is an increased density of human-created structures in comparison to the areas surrounding it. ...

The Freudian school of thought attributes the cause of Ophidiophobia, like most other phobias, to an incident in the person's childhood or the person's societal upbringing. For instance Christians, specifically Catholics often view the serpent as being an incarnation of evil and it is likely that such a viewpoint might be reinforced through media or any incident witnessed by them. Even in cultures where snakes are venerated like in Hinduism, some people have an irrational fear of snakes, most likely attributed to snake bites causing fatalities and/or witnessing a person in pain from such an injury. Sigmund Freud His famous couch Sigmund Freud (May 6, 1856 - September 23, 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of the psychoanalytic school of psychology, a movement that popularized the theory that unconscious motives control much behavior. ... A Christian is a follower of Jesus Christ. ... Serpent is a word of Latin origin (serpens, serpentis) that is normally substituted for snake in a specifically mythic or religious context, in order to distinguish such creatures from the field of biology. ... Look up Incarnation in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Incarnation, which literally means enfleshment, refers to the conception, and live birth of a sentient creature (generally human) who is the material manifestation of an entity or force whose original nature is immaterial. ... Evil is a term describing that which is regarded as morally bad, intrinsically corrupt, wantonly destructive, inhumane, or wicked. ... The word culture, from the Latin colo, -ere, with its root meaning to cultivate, generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic structures that give such activity significance. ... Hinduism (Sanskrit/Hindi —, also known as , and ) is a religion originating in the Indian subcontinent, based on the Vedas and the beliefs of other people of India. ...

The levels of ophidiophobia vary in degrees from person to person and depending on the situation. For instance an ophiophobic who comes in close contact with a venomous snake might even faint or run in fright and when looking at a photo of a snake might in all probability just turn away their faces in disgust. Like other phobias, ophiophobia too can be cured either through the use of medicines or psychiatric therapy or a combination of both. Another successful method of removing the phobia away is through the use of hypnosis where subconsciously the patient is made to think that they no longer fear snakes. The effectiveness of such treatments differs from patient to patient. It has been suggested that Snake poison be merged into this article or section. ... Syncope is also a linguistic term with a different meaning. ... A photograph (often just called a photo) is an image (or a representation of that on e. ... Hypnotic Seance, by Richard Bergh Hypnosis is understood to be a psychological condition in which an individual may be induced to show apparent differences in behavior and thinking. ...

Famous people and characters suffering from Ophidiophobia

• Bill Engvall
• Indiana Jones
• Salma Hayek
• Bam Margera

William Bill Ray Engvall, Jr. ... Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones Henry Indiana Jones, Jr. ... Salma Hayek at the 78th Annual Academy Awards Salma Hayek (born September 2, 1966) is a Mexican actress. ... Bam Margera Brandon Cole Bam Margera (born September 28, 1979) is a professional skateboarder, actor, creator of the CKY skate / prank / stunt videos, and radio personality. ...

External links

• Ophidiophobia and Ophidiophobes