Coulrophobia (fear of clowns): causes, symptoms and treatment

Clowns can be frightening to some people.

Clowns often produce different sensations and emotions in us. in us. Generally we associate them with fun and endearing moments; to the pure entertainment of when we were children and enjoyed their witticisms.

However, for a small percentage of the population, the figure of the clown is associated with negative and unpleasant sensations. negative and unpleasantto the point that they feel real dread. This is known as 'coulrophobiaor fear of clowns.

Fear of clowns: the role of the subconscious in coulrophobia

The phobia of clowns is often closely related to latent emotional causes in the person's subconscious, so there is no simple treatment to cure coulrophobia. However, there are different treatment methods and techniques that can help sufferers of this fear with a good rate of improvement.

Symptoms of coulrophobia

The visible part of clown phobia is the panic, the fear of clowns. fear and anguish of the phobic one in presence of the image of the clown. Although this fear is often perceived as ridiculous or funny by third parties, the subject experiencing clown phobia can trigger severe anxiety attacks in the situations described.

Other symptoms associated to the fear of clowns are:

• Sensation of intense fear
• Tremors
• Anxiety
• Tachycardia and sensation of irregular heartbeat
• Difficulty in breathing

Causes of clown phobia

The causes responsible for this irrational phobia are various, and each case is unique. Most people affected by coulrophobia report having experienced a negative personal experience around the figure of a clown. However, most experts in clinical psychology and phobias maintain that the fundamental cause is to be found in the imaginary created by the media (TV, movies, series) about clowns.

The figure of the clown has been habitually used in horror movies as a technique to cause fear to the spectator. as a technique to cause fear to the spectator. Thus, the filmmaker creates a very effective cognitive dissonance, using a figure commonly associated with entertainment and fun as the opposite: a sadist or a psychopath, thus surprising the audience.

There is also a great consensus among mental health professionals that one of the main causes of coulrophobia is due to the characteristics of the make-up used by clowns. used by clowns. The bright colors, the exaggerated eyes and smiles, the red nose, are shocking stimuli to a child's mind, and may even cause fear, just as some little ones also fear sitting on the lap of Santa Claus.

The fear of clowns, consequently, may have one of its origins in the distrust generated by the histrionically made-up face, which does not give a glimpse of the authentic facial expression.

Treatment for coulrophobia

Many parents choose to try to prevent their children with a fear of clowns from being in situations where clowns are present, such as at birthday parties. This may seem a reasonable measure if the fear is very intense, but the truth is that clowns can appear in other contexts. The best treatment to overcome coulrophobia is the one that a professional in psychotherapy can elaborate based on a good diagnosis, in order to adequate the remedy to the causes of the irrational fear.

The most common treatment techniques and methods to combat clown phobia usually include psychological therapy.which, through habituation, allows people with phobia to gradually come into contact with the cause of the fear (clowns, in this case), so that the bad feelings gradually diminish.

During the course of psychotherapy based on desensitizationThe distress experienced should gradually diminish over the course of desensitization-based psychotherapy. The first sessions usually revolve around discussion and reflection on the fear, to later begin to see images related to the object of phobia: clowns. If the treatment is effective, the patient should be able to feel at ease without suffering any of the symptoms of coulrophobia even in the presence of clowns in the same room. The desensitization process enables people with clown phobia to gradually become familiar with their fear and eventually become desensitized to the phobia and overcome it.

Bibliographical references:

• Durwin, J. (2010). Coulrophobia & The Trickster.. Trinity.