How to overcome ohpidiophobia, a fear of snakes?

Overcome fear of snakes! Help!!?

• Hi so i'm 17 and have a HUGE phobia of snakes, Like its ridiculous how scared I am, Ive almost jumped in the street and got hit by a car because I thought I seen one. I can handles spiders/deers/ insects and a lot of other stuff, my only phobia is a snakes!!! I have never came face to face with a live one, its just a fear that I picked up in the 3rd grade because of nightmares. I had never feared snakes before until one day I just began to have nightmares about them non-stop for a whole week. I would wake up crying then try to go back to sleep and then another snake nightmare would come. I couldn't sleep for a whole week, and I guess from the lack of sleep I started to hallucinate, so I felt like a snake was crawling under my skin in the middle of the night. I have never had a dream about a snake anymore but now I still strongly fear them, which sucks because I live in a neighborhood with a lot of trees and I love hiking/nature and I have decided I wanted to become a vet/forest ranger...but my fear of snakes is holding me back. Help?!

• Answer:

  I understand, i'm terrified of spiders, to the point where I've cried because i found one on my shoulder. But if its really bothering you and its keeping you from doing what you want you might want to talk to a professional, they can talk you through your fear and help you get over it. I also think having real life contact with them might help. Some snakes are really friendly even, i had a black rat snake who would sit on my wrist while i typed. but if someone told me that about a spider i would be horrified. Also remember its natural to dislike snakes, they are opposite almost everything you've grown up thinking are cute or safe. They're cold blooded and they slither and they can't make facial expressions, it's hard to read them. So you're fear isn't completely unjustified, it is holding you back though, you need to do something about it.