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 is this
Pediophobia - that's what the fear of dolls is called. This is part of automatonophobia - the fear of any figures that resemble a person. The fear extends to plastic, porcelain, latex, and any other old-fashioned or modern-looking toys. Fear is caused even by mannequins in stores. Fortunately, the problem can be treated quite successfully with timely access to a specialist.
Fear of puppet eyes can come in two main forms:
- Passive. A person leads a completely fulfilling life and feels discomfort only at the sight of a toy.
- Active. In everyday life, the individual feels a constant fear of meeting the doll.
Fear of dolls: causes
Pediophobia is not an innate, but an acquired fear, the formation of which occurs at a subconscious level. Fear of dolls can occur for the following reasons:
- Watching horror movies. Plots about killer dolls and other similar "horror stories" are not uncommon forcinematography. Impressive viewers bring the fear they felt while watching into everyday life.
- Children's impressions. Sigmund Freud believed that all problems, including phobias, originate in childhood. If a child is frightened by a doll or severely reprimanded for breaking an expensive toy, the negative attitude can last a lifetime.
- Stressful situation. It happens that at a critical moment for a person (violence, an attack of illness, a fire, a natural disaster, and so on), there are no people nearby who could provide assistance. If at that moment there was a toy next to the person, negative associations will clearly be assigned to it.
- Unaesthetic appearance. Some manufacturers (not on purpose or intentionally) make their dolls ugly and even intimidating. Seeing such a doll, a child or an adult may experience strong fear or disgust.
- Fear of damage. The doll is a key attribute of the voodoo cult. People who are afraid of the evil eye, corruption and other occult things tend to be wary of dolls.
- Rejection of falsehood. Artificial hair, lifeless eyes, unnatural proportions - all this causes fear and even disgust in some people.
How fear manifests
Fear of dolls can have a variety of and unexpected manifestations. Here are the most common symptoms:
- Avoidance. A person suffering from pediaphobia, as a rule, bypasses the toy departments in the store. Trying not to go to playgrounds andother places where she might encounter dolls.
- An anxiety attack. At the sight of a doll, unpleasant stories related to moments of the past scroll through a person’s head. The individual begins to fear their repetition.
- Stupor. If the person does not have a bright violent temperament, contact with the 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 the fear of dolls, this can seriously affect the quality of life. The best solution would be to contact a psychologist. The specialist can resort to the following treatment methods:
- Conversation. As a rule, the first session takes place in the "question-answer" format. During the conversation, the specialist will find out the roots of the problem and form ways to resolve it.
- Behavioral Therapy. A psychologist gives a person a certain program of tasks that he performs while at home or in society.
- Anti-stress therapy. The main goal is to relieve the patient of disturbing thoughts. Not only the emotional, but also the muscular reaction to the stimulus is blocked. As a rule, relaxing music is used and breathing techniques are practiced.
- Exposure therapy. It means intentionalintroducing the patient into a stressful state, in which he must be under the supervision of a specialist up to the limit point. By the end of the session, the individual must realize the illusory nature of fear and overcome panic on their own.
- Hypnosis. To study the nature of the problem and its suppression, the patient is introduced into a trance state.
Medicated treatment
Fear of dolls - a phobia uncommon and quite complex. Sometimes medication may be needed to solve a problem productively:
- Phytotherapy. The most gentle method is the intake of 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 drugs.
- Benzodiazepines. Drugs based on psychoactive substances, the reception of which is possible only under the supervision of a specialist. Despite the fact that some attribute narcotic properties to this group of drugs, this is not true.
- Antidepressants. As a rule, realizing his problem and its ridiculousness in the eyes of others, the patient becomes discouraged and depressed. It is this group of drugs that will help get out of this state.
Celebrities suffering from pediaphobia
Not only ordinary people, but also many world stars are well aware of the name of the phobia "fear of dolls". Some celebrities have run into her and are open about it. Here's who they're talking about:
- Emily Blunt. The famous actress in her childhood was very frightened of the garden plaster gnomes, whichwere in the neighbour's yard. Since then, she has been afraid not only of dolls, but also of any figurines that depict people.
- Chad Michael Murray. The American actor told the story of his grandmother, who collected porcelain dolls. One day, the empty cold looks of inanimate statues instilled in him a horror that has persisted for many years.
- Ashton Kutcher. Demi Moore - the ex-wife of the actor, is fond of collecting dolls. Looking at the accumulation of inanimate faces, the man suffered from insomnia. As a result, he convinced his wife to donate the collection to the museum.
The scariest doll movies
Given the fact that cinema is an important factor in the formation of pediaphobia, it is worth paying attention to this issue. Here are the scariest doll movies:
- "Children's games". The film is about how the restless soul of a killer moves into a child's doll. The little owner of the toy, suspecting something was wrong, tries to tell the adults about it, but no one believes him, until terrible events begin to happen.
- "The Puppet Master". A film about a man who is able to infuse 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.
- "Pretty Dolly". A film about the owner of a large toy factory. One day, a doll found during archaeological excavations gets into the warehouse. It turns out that an evil spirit has moved into the toy.
- "The 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 pediaphobia
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 a human face on the object changes everything.
The fact is that in the process of human development, the brain has developed the ability to respond to faces and record 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.
