1. Is it true?
It sure felt and feels like it. And the facts? Mh? I do think that a bite of a tarantula, if not deadly, is at least painful and needs immediate treatment.

2. Can you absolutely know that it is true?
No, I don’t know the facts for sure. And I also don’t know that, if the tarantula had gotten lose, I would have not been faster than the spider running away.

3. How do you react when you think that thought?
I am all tense. I feel extremely uncomfortable. I sweat.

I have images of the spider crawling up on my body. I start itching everywhere. I feel like getting sick. My heart races. My breath goes fast and shallow.

I try to keep my cool but inside I am going crazy. My shoulders are all tense. Hard like stone.

I mentally attack the guy that brought the tarantula to the pool. I hate him. I want to kick him out of the pool area.

I go numb. I am so fearful, I can hardly think. I finally get up and just leave – even though I was really wanting to sit in the hottub and enjoy a peaceful evening. I am not present at all. I don’t hear anything else. I am not present with the other people in the pool area or the hottub. I am absolutely out of my business and into the future. STRESS. Major stress.

4. Who would you be without the thought?
Oh boy, that’s a tough one.

If I truly didn’t believe this thought, there’d be no problem. I’d be relaxed. I’d enjoy my time in the hottub.

If I didn’t believe the thought, I would look at the tarantula and see that someone is in charge of it. I would see that there are a few yards of distance between me and the tarantula. I would realize that I can run much faster than the spider. I would relax more and I would keep an eye on it.

Turnarounds:
I am not in danger.
- I just looked it up: They are not deadly but only cause pain and swelling much like a bee sting.
- The tarantula is taken care of by that guy.
- The tarantula is several yards away. If it suddenly got away from that guy I would be faster.

I am safe.
- I can walk away anytime.
- It is not a wild tarantula. Someone is taking care of it.
- I am in the water and this tarantula is not a water spider.

***

Oh boy, I am more clear that I am not in immediate danger after this Work but I am far from feeling peaceful in general. The Work of Byron Katie on fears of animals? I may look at that one in more depth. I may not (yet)…

What is your experience with The Work and fear of animals? I would love to hear about that. It is a topic I have not explored very much yet.