Yes indeed, hypnotherapy is being used by one of England’s top strikers to overcome a fear of spiders. He is even worried about going to the World Cup in South Africa next year because of it… Tabloid newspaper, the Sun, in this hypnotherapy article had a usually cracking pun for a headline for this story, I had to share it with you:

Darren Bent’s Incy Wincy World Cup Fear.

Hahaha… Anyway, also covered elsewhere, here is what this hypnosis article at the Telegraph says:

Darren Bent, the England footballer, is worried about the prospect of playing in the World Cup in South Africa because he is terrified of spiders.

The 25-year-old striker is reportedly considering undergoing hypnotherapy to tackle his arachnophobia if he is selected to go to the spider-infested country.

The Sunderland player told a soccer magazine: “I can’t stand spiders. They are so creepy. I don’t hate animals or anything – I used to have a pet snake as a child.

“But don’t get me started on spiders – they terrify me.”

"We are ready and waiting for you Darren Bent!"

"We are ready and waiting for you Darren Bent!"

South Africa is renowned for its diverse array of spiders, including tarantulas and the deadly button spider.

However, if England manager Fabio Capello picks Bent for the World Cup 2010 squad, he is willing to do anything to ensure he can represent his country.

The Sun quoted a source as saying: “Darren will do whatever it takes to get to the World Cup. If that includes hypnotherapy to get over his fear of spiders, he’ll do it.”

Bent’s campaign for a place in the World Cup has gathered momentum after proving himself as a goal-scorer since he moved to Sunderland from Tottenham for a club-record £10million fee over the summer.

He was included in England’s starting XI for last month’s international friendly with Brazil in Qatar.

I’ll be very interested in hearing how it goes if he does use hypnotherapy to overcome this fear…. Though the context of that suggestion seems a bit odd, this whole ‘he’ll do whatever it takes’ notion, somehow implying that hypnotherapy is an arduous option… It is the easiest and certainly one of the best options!

Last blog before Christmas tomorrow….