Actress Maria Bello revealed she once had to undergo therapy to treat an ongoing, intense fear of snakes. The phobia emerged due to a nightmare she had about the animal while growing up, which she admitted to have left her terrified.
The Grown Ups 2 star decided to seek professional help thanks to a trip to Africa she had planned in the event she was exposed to her demons. Part of the healing process involved carrying around a rubber snake, which ultimately contributed to the solution.
Bello told The Guardian: “I used to be terrified of snakes when I was a kid. I had a nightmare about a snake. It came out of my wall in the bathroom. After that, if I saw a snake, even if someone was holding one on the street, I would get down on my back and start screaming bloody murder and go into shock.
So, when I was 28, I was going to Africa alone for the first time, I did snake therapy. For two months, I had to carry around a rubber snake in my bag. And I had to go to the zoo, and every time I had to walk a foot closer to the cages of the snakes. So I finally go to Africa; I don’t see one goddamn snake!”
However, the 49-year-old star says she is intrigued by the supernatural and actually wishes to be visited by a spiritual entity.
She revealed: “Since I was a little girl, I’ve been asking ghosts to come and visit me, and I still haven’t seen a damn ghost!”
Bello had even taken a trip to a haunted house in an attempt to lure a ghostly apparition, although this proved unsuccessful.
“There’s this hotel in Bakersfield, California that I was staying in, and these two little girls were supposed to haunt the halls. Even the people who work there say they’ve seen them. So i sat up for almost two nights and put my alarm on for every hour, just so I could wake up and see the kids. And I was, like, praying: ‘Please come out! I’m not afraid.’ Nothing. So if you know anything supernatural, please send it my way,” she said.