Some phobias do not cease to amaze us due to the curious nature of their process and many seem to us to be simple hobbies. It should be made clear that the phobia is not a rejection or disgust that you feel towards something, but that it is true panic. That is why we ask ourselves, can you be afraid of a doll? In our dictionary of phobias we talk about pupa phobia or the fear of puppets and articulated dolls.
Can you be afraid of a doll?
Pupaphobia is the fear of puppets, marionettes, or jointed dolls. It is precisely this intention of automatism of the doll, of the appearance of coming to life that produces fear. After all, the dolls are not people and should not have the ability to move, right?
People who suffer from pupa phobia see a great danger in these dolls or puppets that can move and from which they can hear their voices. It has its logic because it is a break with nature. A puppet cannot speak and in this case it seems that he is doing so. That it is a simulation matters very little when it comes to developing this phobia.
Symptoms of pupa phobia
The fear is that the doll will come to life and cause you some damage. Pupaphobia is more common in children, but it can survive into adulthood intact if left untreated. And, like all phobias, the physical symptoms go through dizziness, a feeling of unreality, palpitations, headache, nausea or panic attack.
More complicated are the psychic symptoms of pupa phobia where the person who suffers from it is very aware that their fear is irrational and excessive, of their distorted thoughts and of their need to avoid these puppets, dolls or puppets. And that causes a feeling of inadequacy that generally ends with self-esteem problems.
The causes of pupa phobia
If we find it difficult to imagine an adult with this phobia , it does not seem so strange to us to imagine a child traumatized by a puppet or puppet show. Depending on the situation, depending on the context, it may even be normal to experience a certain rejection of these types of dolls.
Although the purpose of puppets is to brighten and not complicate people’s lives, pupa phobia is better understood when we remember coulrophobia or fear of clowns. Something that in principle is friendly becomes dangerous when there is a previous anxiety disorder that multiplies fear with the most unexpected stimuli.
Overcome the fear of puppets
It is tempting to think that pupa phobia is not a major phobia because it is relatively easy to avoid the situation that produces the fear. But phobias that are not treated often give rise to more phobias, so it is best to ask for psychological help. If the phobia is detected in childhood, it is even more important to see a professional as soon as possible.
We cannot condemn a child to suffer for life from a phobic disorder that will lead him to feel irrational fears in the most everyday situations. To overcome a phobia, both in childhood and in adulthood, cognitive behavioral therapy is the most effective, but it will always be accompanied by relaxation techniques to reduce anxiety.