Fear of dolls is not a very common, but rather "popular" phobia. She is actively exploited in the cinema. Interestingly, over the past 50 years, the number of people suffering from this problem has increased significantly.
What it is
Pediophobia - this is what the fear of dolls is called. This is part of automatophobia - fear of any human-like figures. Fear extends to plastic, porcelain, latex and any other toys of an old-fashioned or modern look. Even mannequins in stores cause fear. Fortunately, the problem is quite amenable to therapy with timely contact with a specialist.
Fear of looking at dolls can occur in two main forms:
- Passive. A person leads a completely full life and only at the sight of a toy does he feel discomfort.
- Active. In everyday life, the individual feels a constant fear of meeting a doll.
Fear of dolls: reasons
Pediophobia is not congenital, but acquired fear, the formation of which occurs at a subconscious level. Fear of dolls can arise for the following reasons:
- Watching horror movies. Plots about killer dolls and other such “horror stories” are not uncommon for cinema. Impressive viewers carry the fear that they felt while watching into everyday life.
- Children's impressions. Sigmund Freud believed that all problems, including phobias, originate in childhood. If the child was frightened by a doll or scolded for breaking an expensive toy, a negative attitude can last a lifetime.
- Stressful situation. It happens that at a critical moment for a person (violence, an attack of illness, fire, natural disaster, etc.) there are no people nearby who could provide assistance. If at that moment a toy was next to a person, negative associations will clearly be fixed to it.
- Unaesthetic appearance. Some manufacturers (not intentionally or intentionally) make their dolls ugly and even intimidating. Seeing such a doll, a child or an adult can experience intense fear or disgust.
- Fear of corruption. A doll is a key attribute of the voodoo cult. People who are afraid of the evil eye, damage and other occult things, as a rule, are wary of dolls.
- Rejection of falsehood. Artificial hair, inanimate eyes, unnatural proportions - all this causes fear and even disgust in some people.
How does fear manifest
Fear of dolls can have a variety of and unexpected manifestations. Here are the most common symptoms:
- Avoidance A person suffering from pediophobia, as a rule, bypasses the departments of toys in the store. He tries not to visit playgrounds and other places where he might run into dolls.
- An attack of anxiety. At the sight of a doll, unpleasant plots associated with moments of the past scroll through a person’s head. The individual begins to fear their repetition.
- Stupor. If a person does not differ in bright violent temperament, contact with a doll can lead to numbness.
- Panic attack. At the sight of a doll, a person can become aggressive and uncontrollable. As a rule, leaving the zone of visibility of the toy, the individual calms down.
- Deterioration of well-being. Contact with a frightening object can cause dizziness and nausea. In severe cases, the possibility of fainting and asthma attacks is not ruled out.
Psychological help
If a person is haunted by a fear of dolls, this can seriously affect the quality of life. The most appropriate solution would be to consult a psychologist. A specialist can resort to such treatment methods:
- Conversation. As a rule, the first session takes place in a question-and-answer format. During the conversation, the specialist will find out the roots of the problem and form ways to resolve it.
- Behavioral Therapy. The psychologist gives the person a certain program of tasks that he performs while at home or in society.
- Anti-stress therapy. The main goal is to save the patient from anxious thoughts. Not only emotional, but also muscle response to the stimulus is blocked. As a rule, relaxing music is used and breathing techniques are practiced.
- Exposure therapy. This refers to the intentional introduction of the patient into a stressful state, in which he must be to the extreme point under the supervision of a specialist. By the end of the session, the individual must recognize the illusory nature of fear and defeat the panic on his own.
- Hypnosis. To study the nature of the problem and its suppression, the patient is introduced into a trance state.
Drug treatment
Fear of dolls is a phobia that is not widespread and rather complicated. Sometimes, for a productive solution to the problem, medication may be required:
- Phytotherapy. The most gentle method is to take herbal teas. Plants such as mint, hawthorn, valerian, peony, dill have a positive effect on the nervous system. It is important to make sure that the patient is not allergic to these agents.
- Benzodiazepines. Drugs based on psychoactive substances, the intake of which is possible only under the supervision of a specialist. Despite the fact that some people attribute narcotic properties to this group of drugs, this is not true.
- Antidepressants. As a rule, realizing his problem and its ridicule in the eyes of others, the patient falls into despondency and depression. It is this group of drugs that will help get out of this condition.
Celebrities suffering from pediophobia
Not only ordinary people, but also many world stars know well what the phobia called “fear of dolls” is called. Some celebrities have run into her and openly talk about it. Here's who we are talking about:
- Emily Blunt. The famous actress in childhood was very scared of the garden gypsum gnomes who stood in the yard of the neighbors. Since then, she is afraid not only of dolls, but of any figurines that depict people.
- Chad Michael Murray. The American actor told the story of his grandmother, who collected porcelain dolls. Once the empty cold glances of inanimate sculptures inspired horror in him, which has persisted for many years.
- Ashton Kutcher. Demi Moore - the former wife of the actor, is fond of collecting dolls. Looking at a cluster of inanimate faces, the man suffered from insomnia. As a result, he persuaded his wife to transfer the collection to the museum.
The scariest films about dolls
Given the fact that cinema is an important factor in the formation of pediophobia, it is worth paying attention to this issue. Here are the scariest films about dolls:
- "Children's games." The film is about how the restless soul of a killer dwells in a children's doll. The little owner of the toy, suspecting something was wrong, is trying to tell the adults about it, but no one believes him until terrible events begin to happen.
- "The master of dolls." The film is about a man who is able to instill life energy into dolls. His "creations" begin to commit terrible crimes.
- "Doll". A young and happy family hires a governess. The nanny is horrified when she realizes that her pupil is just a huge doll.
- "Lovely Dolly." The film is about the owner of a large toy factory. Once a doll found during archaeological excavations falls into the warehouse. It turns out that an evil spirit infused the toy.
- "House of Wax". The film is about a company of young people who are faced with an evil master maniac. From living people, he made large wax dolls.
What scientists say about pediophobia
The fear of dolls and mannequins causes skepticism among many scientists. The fact is that people were not afraid of dolls until they became realistic. The first primitive children's toys did not cause any fear. But the presence of an object of a human face changes everything.
The fact is that in the process of human development, the brain has developed the ability to respond to faces and capture information about them. This is due to the instinct of self-preservation in cavemen. Even then, another person meant danger. Thus, the fear of a human face in a doll is something like echoes of the consciousness of ancestors. But again, this description is not true for all cases.