text: A mother-of-one crippled by her 30-year phobia of snakes was cured live on TV today in an astonishing ten minutes. Before today, Dawn Williamson, 39 and based in Scotland, could not even confront a plastic snake without panicking, and would obsessively check her toilet for the reptiles every day. But viewers of ITV1’s This Morning were amazed as therapists Nik and Eva Speakman broke down Dawn’s phobia with their no-nonsense approach, which involved 'proving' to Dawn that her fear was irrational. Trimuph: Dawn Williamson (centre), 39, was cured of her crippling snake phobia live on TV today by therapists Nik and Eva Speakman in an astonishing ten minutes . At the beginning of the show, Dawn - who was hooked up to a heart monitor throughout - broke down in tears at the mere sight of a plastic snake, which sent her heart rate soaring. By the end of the show she was able to touch a real-life 9ft Burmese python as it stretched out across her lap, leaving hosts Philip Schofield and Amanda Holden gob-smacked. 'It’s a miracle,' Amanda said. 'The results have been absolutely extraordinary.' Dawn, who is now able to take her seven-year-old daughter on a dream holiday to Florida later this year thanks to her treatment, said: 'All my life I’ve been terrified of snakes. 'But to sit down with one on my knee is just unbelievable.' The Speakmans have now helped 60 people overcome there fears and phobias live on TV, from balloons and snowmen, to frogs and spiders. But today’s was the first time viewers have been able to see the process in action. Lifelong phobia: Dawn had been petrified of snakes ever since she watched B-movie Venom when she was seven years old . Therapy: When presented with a tray of plastic snakes (pictured) she shook with fear and broke down in tears . Nik said: 'Usually we’ll go into another room away from the cameras, and spend a bit more time with the person and it can take a fair amount of time. 'But this time we spent just ten minutes going through it with Dawn, so viewers can see how we did it. It was very special as Dawn was the 60th person we’ve treated. We were thrilled at the result.' The Speakmans had never met Dawn, from Scotland until five minutes before the show and knew nothing about her phobia until they saw a VT recorded in Dawn’s home, showing how her life was being blighted by her phobia, known as ophidiophobia. Dawn had been petrified of snakes ever since she watched B-movie Venom when she was seven years old, she explained. 'If I see a snake on TV, I immediately have to get my feet up, the TV turned over. Then I’ll go to bed that night I’ll be checking under the covers. 'I also check in the wardrobe where we keep all the shoes because you just never know, they could be hiding in there. I’ll check in my boots, give them a wee shake, make sure there’s nothing in there.' Obsessive: Dawn used to compulsively check her home for snakes, and would frequently shake her boots to make sure they weren't hiding any . Philip asked her: 'Do you find it irrational? I don’t know when a snake was last found in a loo in Scotland.' Dawn replied: 'Yes. But I read a story in a newspaper once that someone had found a pet snake in the toilet, so ever since then I’ve checked.' Dawn was then asked by Philip to scribble down the word snake on a piece of paper - sending her heart rate soaring from 90 to over 130. She was also shown clips of Carl Fogerty with a snake slithering over him in the I’m A Celebrity jungle, as well as having to confront a tray of plastic toy snakes which made Dawn shake with fear and break down in tears. Eva continued the session by getting Dawn to concede that her fear of snakes was indeed irrational, before pointing out the irony that in hunting for snakes around the house, she was seeking out her fear. Irrational? Dawn also used to check under the loo seat every time she was about to use it, despite living in Scotland, which is not known for it's teeming serpent population . 'What’s happened is that you watched a film when you were seven years old and you reacted and created a schema,' Eva explained. 'The reason you now react irrationally is because you’re actually consulting a seven-year-old on how to react when you see a snake.' Dawn was then asked to talk about Venom, the horror movie which ignited her fear of snakes in the first place, in which a snake kills everyone involved. Nik then asked: 'So just from that one event, watching that film you’re frightened of snakes? 'You’ve been scratched by your cat but you're not frightened of it. What’s a snake ever done to you?' He added: 'You’re frightened of something that’s never hurt you, something that you’ve never physically held, that you only saw in a film when you were seven years of age. Does that make sense? 'Essentially, for 30 years, you have victimised snakes for no reason at all.' Relief: After accepting that her fear of snakes was irrational, Dawn was able to touch a real-life 9ft Burmese python as it stretched out across her lap . Logic: Eva (right) explained that it was essential to their techniques that the person being treated can feel the difference and see the evidence for themselves that they have overcome their fear . The Speakmans then held up a series of pictures of snakes to test Dawn’s reaction. To everyone's amazement she remained calm and said: 'I can look at it.' Nik remarked: 'This is the difference between seeing a snake through the eyes of a 30-odd year-old woman and not a seven-year-old child. You’re looking confused right now. 'That’s because you've spent 30 years believing something that essentially is not true.' Dawn was then presented with a tank of live snakes, and admitted that although 'bizarre', she was no longer has a phobia of them. At the end of the show, producers brought out a giant, 9ft-long Burmese python which laid across the laps of Dawn and The Speakman’s, with Dawn stroking the python. Remarkably, her heart rate stayed below 100. 'I never thought I’d be able to hold one,' she said. Eva explained that it was essential to their techniques that the person being treated can feel the difference and see the evidence for themselves that they have overcome their fear. She added: 'It’s about proving to the person that their fears are completely irrational.'
target: Dawn Williamson, 39, had been petrified of snakes since the age of 9 .
  She shook and cried when presented with a plastic one .
  Therapists Nik and Eva Speakman cured her with 'logic'
  They made Dawn realise her fear was completely irrational .