How to overcome the fear of snakes (ophidiophobia): a step-by-step guide

The best-supported way to overcome a fear of snakes is gradual, safe exposure: facing snakes in small, planned steps, from drawings and photos to videos and harmless snakes behind glass, staying long enough to learn that what you fear doesn’t happen, and repeating until snakes feel manageable. It is the core of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for specific phobias, and it works for most people. This guide walks you through it step by step.

This guide is general information, not medical advice. If your fear is severe, if you have panic attacks, or if you also feel low or anxious most of the time, do this with a therapist trained in CBT. Never approach or handle wild snakes: every live-snake step in this guide happens behind glass or with a professional keeper and a harmless species. VR Phobia is mentioned as one possible tool; it is not a medical treatment.

New to the topic? Start with what ophidiophobia is, why snakes scare so many people and how common it is.

Can the fear of snakes be treated?

Yes. Snake phobia responds well to exposure-based treatment. According to the MSD Manual, exposure therapy helps around 85% of people with a specific phobia, and even a single session can bring a significant benefit.

The main options are:

• CBT with gradual exposure, over several sessions with a therapist, plus practice between sessions; the NHS lists talking therapies such as CBT as the main treatment for phobias;
• one-session treatment, a single long session of exposure and modelling guided by a therapist, first described by Öst (Behaviour Research and Therapy, 1989);
• guided internet self-help: in a randomised trial with 30 people with snake phobia, a four-week guided internet programme and a three-hour one-session treatment both worked; at follow-up, 90% of internet completers and 100% of one-session completers were clinically improved on a real approach test, with the one-session treatment slightly ahead (Andersson et al., Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 2013);
• exposure in virtual reality, which a meta-analysis of 30 randomised trials found as effective as real-life exposure for specific phobias in general (Carl et al., Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 2019).

Step 1: Understand the avoidance cycle

Avoiding snakes is what keeps the fear alive. Every time you skip a walk, change the channel or leave the reptile house, you feel relief, and that relief teaches your brain that escaping kept you safe. The fear stays exactly as strong for next time.

Exposure breaks the loop at the avoidance step: instead of leaving, you stay, and you discover that what you feared doesn’t happen.

Step 2: Write your fear ladder

A fear ladder is a list of snake situations ordered from the easiest to the hardest, each rated by how much fear it causes, from 0 (calm) to 10 (the worst fear you can imagine). Change one thing at a time between steps: picture or real snake, distance, glass or no glass, still or moving, size.

Write your own. Aim for 8 to 12 steps, with no gap bigger than two or three points between neighbours. The top rungs of this example involve a calm, harmless snake and a professional; you don’t have to go that far to live comfortably. Here is a template you can copy or print:

Step	Situation	Fear before (0–10)	Fear after (0–10)	What I expected	What actually happened
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

Step 3: Start low, and stay

Begin with a step that feels uncomfortable but manageable, around 3 to 5 out of 10, often photos or videos. Stay with it until your fear clearly drops, or until you have tested your prediction: if you expected to panic and run out of the room at a snake video, stay until you have seen that you didn’t.

Modern exposure research describes this as inhibitory learning: the old fear isn’t erased, a new and safer memory is built on top of it. Craske et al. (Behaviour Research and Therapy, 2014) recommend focusing on expectancy violation, noticing that the feared outcome didn’t happen, rather than waiting for the fear to reach zero. Before each step, write down what you expect; after it, write down what really happened.

Step 4: Repeat often

What matters is that the exposure actually happens, and enough of it. A 2022 meta-analysis found single-session and multi-session exposure equally effective for specific phobias (Odgers et al., Behaviour Research and Therapy), but a single long session is usually run by a therapist. On your own, a practical rhythm is short sessions of 15 to 30 minutes, several times a week, for two to three weeks. Repeat a step until it feels easy, then move up one rung.

Step 5: Vary the snakes and the settings

Once a step feels easier, change the context: other photos and species, snakes moving and still, another zoo or reptile house, a different time of day. Craske et al. list variability and multiple contexts among the strategies that make exposure learning stronger and less likely to fade.

Step 6: Use virtual reality as a bridge

Between videos and a real snake behind glass there is a big jump, and real snakes are not always easy to find. Virtual reality can fill that gap: the snake is there whenever you are ready, you control its distance and movement, and you can stop at any moment.

The research supports VR exposure for specific phobias in general: a meta-analysis of 14 trials found that gains made in VR carried over to real-life behaviour, with no significant difference from real-life exposure (Morina et al., Behaviour Research and Therapy, 2015). The honest caveat: those studies are mostly about heights, spiders and flying, not snakes. More in Why virtual reality works for phobias.

Step 7: Take it into real life, safely

Pictures and VR prepare you; real snakes confirm what you learned. The safe places to do it are zoos, reptile houses and specialist centres, where snakes are behind glass and keepers are present. A keeper or a therapist can let you watch a calm, harmless snake being handled, and later touch it if you choose. Keep using the ladder: same rules, one change at a time, stay until you’ve tested your prediction. Never practise with wild snakes, and never handle a snake on your own.

Step 8: Keep practising afterwards

Fear can come back after successful exposure; Craske et al. (2014) note that a substantial number of people experience a return of fear after treatment. If it happens, it doesn’t mean you failed. Plan occasional refresher sessions, especially before a holiday or a hike, and go back down the ladder a few rungs if the fear returns.

When should you see a professional?

See your doctor or a therapist trained in CBT if the fear seriously affects your life, if you have panic attacks, or if self-help isn’t moving you up the ladder. The NHS advises seeing a GP when a phobia is affecting your life. A therapist can guide exposure safely, arrange live-snake steps with experts, and offer intensive one-session treatment where available.

What to avoid

• Safety behaviours: looking away, covering your eyes, keeping your hand on the door, scanning the floor constantly. They feel protective but stop you from learning that you are safe; drop them gradually (Craske et al., 2014).
• Leaving at the peak of fear: if you escape when the fear is highest, you repeat the avoidance cycle. If a step is too hard, go back one rung rather than leaving in panic.
• Real danger: exposure is about situations that are safe but feel unsafe. Never approach, catch or handle wild snakes, and only touch a snake with a professional, a harmless species and their go-ahead.
• Waiting to feel ready: you rarely feel ready. Start with a step that is uncomfortable but manageable.

FAQ

How long does it take to get over a fear of snakes?

It varies. A therapist-led one-session treatment lasts about three hours; a guided internet programme in one trial ran over four weeks. On your own, plan short, regular sessions over two to three weeks.

Can I overcome my fear of snakes on my own?

Many people make progress on their own with pictures, videos and a fear ladder, especially when the fear is mild to moderate. For steps with live snakes, or if the fear is severe, work with a therapist and professional keepers.

What is the best treatment for snake phobia?

Exposure-based cognitive behavioural therapy, ideally a one-session treatment with a therapist. In one trial, all completers of a three-hour session were clinically improved at follow-up, and a guided internet programme also worked well.

Do I have to touch a snake to get over my fear?

No. The goal is to live comfortably, not to become a snake handler. Many people stop once they can look at pictures, watch documentaries and walk in nature without avoidance.

What if I panic during exposure?

Pause, breathe slowly and stay if you can until the peak passes; then go back one step on the ladder next time. If it happens often, or if the panic feels overwhelming, get a therapist’s help.

Does VR work for the fear of snakes?

VR exposure works about as well as real-life exposure for specific phobias in general, but there is no large trial on snakes. VR Phobia: Snakes is a planned app in the VR Phobia family, not a medical treatment.

Sources

• Barnhill JW. Specific phobias. MSD Manual Professional Version, reviewed April 2026. msdmanuals.com
• NHS. Phobias: overview and treatment. nhs.uk/overview, nhs.uk/treatment
• Öst LG. One-session treatment for specific phobias. Behaviour Research and Therapy. 1989;27(1):1–7. doi:10.1016/0005-7967(89)90113-7
• Andersson G, Waara J, Jonsson U, Malmaeus F, Carlbring P, Öst LG. Internet-based exposure treatment versus one-session exposure treatment of snake phobia: a randomized controlled trial. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. 2013;42(4):284–291. doi:10.1080/16506073.2013.844202
• Odgers K, Kershaw KA, Li SH, Graham BM. The relative efficacy and efficiency of single- and multi-session exposure therapies for specific phobia: a meta-analysis. Behaviour Research and Therapy. 2022;159:104203. doi:10.1016/j.brat.2022.104203
• Craske MG, Treanor M, Conway CC, Zbozinek T, Vervliet B. Maximizing exposure therapy: an inhibitory learning approach. Behaviour Research and Therapy. 2014;58:10–23. doi:10.1016/j.brat.2014.04.006
• Carl E, Stein AT, Levihn-Coon A, et al. Virtual reality exposure therapy for anxiety and related disorders: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Anxiety Disorders. 2019;61:27–36. doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2018.08.003
• Morina N, Ijntema H, Meyerbröker K, Emmelkamp PMG. Can virtual reality exposure therapy gains be generalized to real-life? A meta-analysis of studies applying behavioral assessments. Behaviour Research and Therapy. 2015;74:18–24. doi:10.1016/j.brat.2015.08.010