About:
Coulrophobia is the extreme fear of clowns. Though many people might find them a bit creepy, someone with Coulrophobia will be overwhelmed with terror and anxiety upon seeing a clown. For a Coulrophobic, clowns are no laughing matter!
The word Coulrophobia and the word 'clown' have their roots in Greek. The word 'kolon' in Greek means stilts in reference to a stilt walker which clowns use in their acts. Also, the Greek words cloyne, colonus or clod translates to describe a funny backwards country bumpkin or farmer sort of character who is a bit daft. So these are all clues to how both words were formed. 'Phobia' means to dread or to fear in Greek.
The word Coulrophobia and the word 'clown' have their roots in Greek. The word 'kolon' in Greek means stilts in reference to a stilt walker which clowns use in their acts. Also, the Greek words cloyne, colonus or clod translates to describe a funny backwards country bumpkin or farmer sort of character who is a bit daft. So these are all clues to how both words were formed. 'Phobia' means to dread or to fear in Greek.
Interesting Fact:
It is estimated that 12% of the UK population actually suffers from a fear of clowns!
Causes:
This fear has most of its roots within the media. Films and books have been villainising clowns for decades, turning what was supposed to be a funny and entertaining character into something more sinister in the subconscious of our minds. The most popular evil clown was horror writer Steven King's Pennywise in his novel 'IT' which was responsible for giving a mass wave of Coulrophobia to a new generation. The novel was written in 1986 but it is still is affecting people to this day! The fact it was made into not one but two films (the most recent version having been recently released) made the evil image of clowns even more frightening and real for thousands of people and is a lasting image in our subconscious minds.
Clown makeup is also very much like a mask and it hides the true face of the person behind it. People are afraid of the unknown and slight variations of the happy face of a clown can change a face that is supposed to be silly to something that looks evil and menacing. Someone who has had a traumatic experience with a masked person might also develop Coulrophobia.
This phobia can also develop in childhood from a child having a perceived scary experience meeting a clown or seeing pictures or other images of clowns that affected them on a deep level. If a parent reacts in fear around a clown, a child could also pick up on this fear and learn to also be afraid of clowns.
Clown makeup is also very much like a mask and it hides the true face of the person behind it. People are afraid of the unknown and slight variations of the happy face of a clown can change a face that is supposed to be silly to something that looks evil and menacing. Someone who has had a traumatic experience with a masked person might also develop Coulrophobia.
This phobia can also develop in childhood from a child having a perceived scary experience meeting a clown or seeing pictures or other images of clowns that affected them on a deep level. If a parent reacts in fear around a clown, a child could also pick up on this fear and learn to also be afraid of clowns.
Symptoms:
Someone with Coulrophobia will avoid the circus at all costs! They might also avoid other types of theme parks that could have clowns or people dressed up as characters. Any films or environments to have images of clowns will be avoided as well.
Symptoms can include:
Upon seeing a clown or an image of a clown, they will be filled with panic and extreme anxiety and will not be able to easily calm themselves down.
Symptoms can include:
- Rapid heart rate
- Dizziness
- Screaming
- Hysteria
- Hyperventilating
- Feeling of choking
- Fainting
- Trembling and/or sweating
- Crying
- Nausea or other gastrointestinal distress
Upon seeing a clown or an image of a clown, they will be filled with panic and extreme anxiety and will not be able to easily calm themselves down.
Why Should I Get Treated?
Though clowns are not usually part of an everyday life, images of clowns or similar looking costumes can pop up randomly and unexpectedly at any time within magazines, billboards, film trailers, TV, etc. this could cause you to have a panic attack at very inconvenient times and could ruin your day.
Also avoiding theme parks is not a very happy way to spend life especially if you have children! This fear is especially important to get over if you have children as they can also learn to have the fear from you. Having a fear you feel out of control of and disturbs you on deep levels is never a healthy thing.
Also avoiding theme parks is not a very happy way to spend life especially if you have children! This fear is especially important to get over if you have children as they can also learn to have the fear from you. Having a fear you feel out of control of and disturbs you on deep levels is never a healthy thing.
Why See The Phobia Guru For Treatment:
I am often able to help people break free of their phobia in just one session, using the scientifically proven power of hypnotherapy combined with NLP and an immersive therapy option. My therapy skillfully combines these techniques uniquely to create the most powerful, effective and quickest way to beat a phobia. You will be in the hands of a trained phobia expert who will help you transform your mind and liberate yourself from even the most extreme fears.
Hypnotherapy is so effective with phobias because it tackles the underlying trigger of the phobia within the subconscious. Once a person has access to their subconscious they can eliminate their conditioned response to the stimulus. So instead of treating just the symptoms, hypnotherapy can heal the source for a lasting result. The best part about hypnotherapy and phobias is that often it only takes one session to completely get over the phobia so you do not have to spend a lot of money on continual treatment. The NHS also promotes hypnotherapy as an effective treatment for phobias.
Hypnotherapy is so effective with phobias because it tackles the underlying trigger of the phobia within the subconscious. Once a person has access to their subconscious they can eliminate their conditioned response to the stimulus. So instead of treating just the symptoms, hypnotherapy can heal the source for a lasting result. The best part about hypnotherapy and phobias is that often it only takes one session to completely get over the phobia so you do not have to spend a lot of money on continual treatment. The NHS also promotes hypnotherapy as an effective treatment for phobias.