Phobia of Clowns

'People are typically frightened by things which are wrong in some way, wrong in a disturbingly unfamiliar way.' - Prof. Paul Salkovskis.

It's neither the food nor the gifts that children usually remember at birthday parties but it's the colorful and amusing clowns that catch their attention the most. Though most of the kids enjoy clowns, some are scared of them and may develop a phobia, fear of clowns which may persist even when they grow up. But before knowing more about this phobia, let's have a brief idea of what is phobia...

What is Phobia?
A phobia is defined as an aberrant and acute fear of an object or situation that poses little or no actual danger. Commonly, a phobia is considered similar to a normal fear, but it is the extent to which a person is affected that decides whether that fear has turned into a phobia. Most common phobias that people usually experience include, heights, darkness, insects, closed-in places, etc. Though the phobia can be an abnormal fear for others, a single thought of that object or situation can actually make the person restless and if in case he/she is exposed to that situation, the terror can be traumatic and overwhelming. The experience can be so scary or nerve-wracking that the person may go to any extent to avoid it and would eventually end up changing his/her lifestyle also. For example, if a person has claustrophobia (fear of closed spaces), he might turn down a remunerative job offer if he has to ride the elevator to reach the office or if a person has acrophobia (phobia of heights), he might drive an extra 25 miles to avoid climbing a tall bridge.

What is the Phobia of Clowns?
Coulrophobia or phobia of clowns is a personality disorder quite common in children especially between ages 2 to 7, but sometimes also found in teenagers and adults. Like other phobias, clown phobia is developed by the unconscious mind as a protective mechanism. The sufferer may acquire the phobia after having a bad experience in the past, or seeing an ominous portrayal of one on TV or movies like 'It' (adapted from Stephen King's novel), 'Clownhouse', 'Mr. Jingles', 'In Fear of Clowns', 'Killer Klowns from Outer Space', 'The Joker', etc. The phobia may also extend to a fear of covering one's face with color paints, with an ideology of hiding one's recognizable features. Another possible explanation regarding the prevalence of clown phobia is that clowns usually wear an exaggerated expression of happiness or sadness which renders the observer incapable in measuring the facial expression as a precursor of action. The fear heightens when the person observe the happy clown showing aggressive behavior, like, tripping someone or spraying water from an innocuous looking flower in the lapel. Hence, the sufferer finds it extremely difficult to cope up and may experience symptoms like:

• Shortness of breath
• Rapid breathing
• Severe anxiety
• Irregular heartbeat
• Sweating and nausea
• Dry mouth and feelings of dread

How to Cure Phobia of Clowns?
To cure fears or phobias of clowns, the exposure treatment called flooding is the most common and simplest method in which the person is immersed in the fear reflex until the fear itself fades away. Another method is counter-conditioning in which the person is taught to substitute a relaxation response for the fear response in the presence of the phobic stimulus. One of the most effective way to cure clown phobia or completely get rid of it is to re-program the sufferer's mind by implementing effective self-hypnosis methods. Since the conscious part of our brain accounts for about ten percent, to make changes strictly on a conscious level is extremely difficult. Therefore, these self-hypnosis methods help in removing the negative pattern of the behavior and accepting the positive new conditioning by using the larger part of our unconscious mind.

Also read through a huge list of all phobias and their respective interpretations.

Phobias are quite common and in most of the cases, the sufferers are aware that their fear is unreasonable and with proper treatment and care, they can get rid of it. Whether it's phobia of clowns or some other elements, staying away from the situation will not solve the problem. Therefore, by thinking positively and bearing in mind that clowns are not that evil or dangerous in nature, one can surely defeat his/her fear.