"Are they going to get on me? They'll start itching, all kinds of reactions," said hypnotherapist Dr. Steven Rosenberg of Elkins Park.
But how do people become terrified of spiders? Rosenberg said arachnophobia could stem from childhood.
"You pick up a bug, you pick up a spider when you are a little kid," he explained. "All of a sudden, somebody turns around and there is a loud 'no,' and a gentle slap on your hand to knock that bug out of your hand, and now you are afraid of it."
Rosenberg said the fear is reinforced through life when other insects are introduced that are harmful, like insects that bite.
"It's the fear of the unknown," he said. "It affects probably about, I would think, 5 to 10% of the population that are very fearful of it."
Rosenberg said arachnophobia is quite serious, cautioning that a person can have a panic attack, faint or hurt themselves. He said he has helped cure patients through a technique called visualization.
"Visualize that you are walking and there are spiders near you," he said. "You can visualize it, and in your visualization they do not bother you."