If you’ve been watching the news or scrolling through social media recently, you’ve probably seen one of the many snake stories with headlines like “Adders found on the beach”, “Python dumped in the woods”, or “Record numbers of snake sightings”.
So what’s going on? Are there suddenly more snakes in Britain, or is something else happening?
The simple answer is that while there have been more snake sightings, we’re not being overrun by reptiles. In fact, long-term research shows adder populations are still declining across the UK. The Scottish Adder Survey found a 36% drop in their range since the 90s, and other studies suggest they’re disappearing from whole counties altogether. However, warmer weather and more people out walking with phones in their pockets mean more chances to spot and share what’s already out there.
While this is all good for social media content, when it comes to snake phobias, knowing the facts about the snake population and oversharing on social media isn’t always helpful.
Fear Doesn’t Work on Logic
People come to see me with ophidiophobia (fear of snakes) from all over the world. In some countries, it might seem more understandable. If you live somewhere with genuinely dangerous snakes, then avoiding them is perfectly rational.
Here in England, though, where we don’t have anything venomous beyond a very shy adder, you’d think this fear would be less common; however, that’s not how fear works. Fear isn’t logical. It’s neurological. Once your brain has learned to associate an image, a movement, or even just a word with danger, it’ll react — no matter what the facts say.
Even Cartoon Snakes Made me Feel Sick
Not so long ago, a couple of journalists came to see me about exactly this issue.
Georgia Brown, a lifestyle writer for HELLO! Magazine had lived with a fear of snakes for over 15 years, and couldn’t even look at a cartoon version without feeling sick.
We spent 90 minutes working through the process I use in the Integrated Change System — and by the end of the session, she had a very realistic rubber snake on her lap and was happily scrolling TikTok videos of real ones.
You can read her full story here: https://www.hellomagazine.com/healthandbeauty/health-and-fitness/701016/snake-phobia-cured-christopher-paul-jones-review/
From Panic at Parties to Calm in Hyde Park
Monica Costa, a writer from London Mums Magazine, had spent years avoiding reptile parties, petting zoos, anything where there might be snakes. Just the thought of it was too much. Yet, after one Zoom session and a follow-up in person, she was standing in Hyde Park watching her son hold a corn snake, completely calm, completely in control.
You can read more about her story here: https://londonmumsmagazine.com/mums-tips/fitness-health/breaking-free-my-journey-to-conquering-my-fear-of-snakes-with-dr-christopher-paul-jones/
So, How Do You Get Past a Fear Like That?
The process I use is based on the seven steps from my Integrated Change System, which I share in my book Face Your Fears. Here’s a quick walk-through of how it applies to snake phobia:
Recognise
The first step is getting clear on exactly what you’re afraid of. It sounds obvious, but most people come in saying, “I’m scared of snakes”, usually uncover something far more specific by the end of the session. It could be the movement, the surprise, the feeling of not being in control, so it’s important to get pinpoint accurate.
Relax
You can’t think your way out of fear. Trust me, people try, but when the body is in fight-or-flight mode, you have to calm the system down first. That means breathing, grounding, tapping, or something else to quiet the alarm system so your rational brain can come back online.
Reward
This step is about understanding what the fear is doing for you. Every behaviour — even fear — is trying to meet a need. That need might be safety, control, protection, avoidance, or certainty, and when you understand that, the fear starts to lose its grip. You’re not fighting it anymore — you’re working with it.
Recipe
Once we’ve found the triggers and the emotional payoff (reward), we can start to look at how your brain actually creates the fear. It isn’t random — it has a sequence. You see something, you think something, you feel something, and then boom — your body reacts. When we map out that sequence, we can change it.
Release
Here we use techniques to disconnect that old pattern. It might be a visualisation, like running the fear memory backwards in black-and-white, or it might be movement, tapping, or a breathing loop. The goal is to break the link between the image and the panic.
Recondition
Here, we replace the old pattern with a new one. We create a calm anchor — something physical, like pressing two fingers together — and link it to a new emotional response while imagining the same trigger. So now, when you see a snake (even a photo), your body connects to calm, not chaos.
Realise
This step isn’t just about saying, “Next time I’ll be fine”, we actually rehearse the future. You walk through the scenario in your mind — calmly, confidently, and using your anchor — until your brain starts to believe it, and from this point, you gradually take real-world steps.
This quick technique from Step 4 — the Recipe phase — is something that you can try right away:
The Snake Movie Flip
- Think of a snake-related image that triggers you (start mild — like a photo).
- In your mind, imagine that moment frozen on a screen in front of you.
- Now rewind the image backwards like an old VHS tape.
- Do it in black-and-white. Add silly music — circus music, cartoon sound effects, whatever makes it ridiculous.
- Do it again, faster, then do over and over again, until your brain asks, “What even was that?”
This is how we start to break the pattern.
Finding a New Way to Respond
While your brain is doing its job by trying to protect you, if it’s overreacting, it’s time to teach it a new way to respond.
You don’t have to just live with a fear of snakes, and you certainly don’t have to face your fear by holding a python in a room full of strangers. There are smarter, faster, more compassionate ways to get past it. And they work.
You can absolutely change this, and I’m here to help. If you’d like to explore the techniques in the ICS system further, my book Face Your Fears walks you through every step. And if you’d prefer some one-to-one support, feel free to reach out.