Some individuals have an intense fear of snakes, known as ophidiophobia. This fear is so strong that it can dominate their thoughts and reactions in everyday life. They often experience nightmares about snakes and become frightened when they encounter even the smallest or hidden snakes in their environment.
"Some people are not just afraid of snakes, they're phobic. The technical term for a snake phobia is ophidiophobia, and people who have it dream of snakes, see snakes under every rock or rumple in the carpet, and freak out when they see snakes on TV," writes James Patterson in his book, Confessions: The Private School Murders.