What is the fear of dolls called, its causes, symptoms and treatment

What it is

Pediophobia is the name given to the fear of dolls. This is part of automatonophobia - the fear of any figures resembling a person. The fear extends to plastic, porcelain, latex and any other toys of an old-fashioned or modern look. Even mannequins in stores cause fear. Fortunately, the problem can be treated quite successfully if you consult a specialist in a timely manner.

Fear of dolls' gaze can occur in two main forms:

• Passive. A person leads a completely full life and only feels discomfort when he sees a toy.
• Active. In everyday life, an individual feels a constant fear of encountering a doll.

The danger and consequences of a phobia

A pediophobe cannot calmly walk through a shopping center; he will never buy a toy for his child. And meeting a doll in someone’s hands on the street can trigger the onset of panic.

As the phobia develops, the psychophysical symptoms also intensify. Complication options:

• disorientation;
• distorted perception of reality;
• altered state of consciousness;
• hallucinations;
• problems with hearing and vision.

Relationships with colleagues and close people deteriorate. The person becomes desocialized. Secondary disorders often develop, such as paranoia, schizophrenia, dissociative identity disorder, psychosis, social phobia and sociopathy. Constant tension leads to the development of psychosomatic diseases.

The desire to destroy a frightening object can lead to dangerous consequences for the patient himself and other people. For example, he may set fire to a toy store, attack a child, or get hit by a car while running away.

Fear of dolls: reasons

Pediophobia is not an innate fear, but an acquired one, the formation of which occurs on a subconscious level. Fear of dolls can occur for the following reasons:

• Watching horror films. Stories about killer dolls and other similar “horror stories” are not uncommon in cinema. Impressionable viewers transfer the fear they felt while watching it into everyday life.
• Childhood impressions. Sigmund Freud believed that all problems, including phobias, have their origins in childhood. If a child is frightened by a doll or severely scolded 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 help. If at that moment there was a toy next to the person, negative associations will clearly attach to it.
• Unaesthetic appearance. Some manufacturers (not on purpose or intentionally) make their dolls ugly and even scary. 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, damage and other occult things, as a rule, are wary of dolls.
• Rejection of falsehood. Artificial hair, lifeless eyes, unnatural proportions - all this causes fear and even disgust in some people.

Mechanism of development of phobia

There is no single and correct theory of the origin of the fear of dolls. In psychology, every concept that is at least somehow substantiated has its own strength.

Psychodynamic theory believes that the true cause of doll fear is repressed into the subconscious, while the mannequin becomes only a symbolic image of the manifestation of fear. In reality, a child may be afraid of his father, mother or brother, but cannot actively demonstrate his fear, which over time is suppressed, being released on a “similar” object - a doll or a ventriloquist.

Behaviorism speaks of the formation of a conditioned reflex. For example, a small child, walking with his mother in a large supermarket, suddenly lost track of his mother and got lost in a doll store. Realizing the fear of deep loneliness, the little boy found himself in the midst of many humanoid figures. This fear is associated and consolidated in the subcortical structures of the child, subsequently forming a phobia.

Behaviorists also argue that a child can “internalize” fear. This is called modeling. If a child’s role model – be it father or mother – is afraid of dolls, then by watching them, he may develop pediophobia.

Biological theory says that each individual member of a biological species has a hereditary predisposition to certain objects or phenomena. Most often these are: deadly spiders, dangerous plants, toxic mushrooms. This has a rational grain in relation only to truly dangerous things, but this theory is broken on the rock of a single thesis: dolls are not dangerous to humans and to humanity as a whole.

There is a hereditary predisposition to certain diseases - this is the thesis of the genetic theory. The presence of any fear in genes and passing them on to descendants is a scientifically proven idea. People have been talking about genetically determined diseases for a long time: diabetes mellitus, cancer, stomach ulcers, atherosclerosis and schizophrenia - all these diseases are partially transmitted by genes.

How fear manifests itself

Fear of dolls can have very different and unexpected manifestations. Here are the most common symptoms:

• Avoidance. A person suffering from pediaphobia usually avoids the toy departments in the store. Tries not to visit playgrounds and other places where he might encounter dolls.
• Anxiety attack. When a person sees a doll, unpleasant stories associated with moments of the past are scrolled through a person’s head. The individual begins to fear their repetition.
• Stupor. If a person does not have a bright, violent temperament, contact with a 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 visibility zone of the toy, the individual calms down.
• Deterioration in health. Contact with a frightening object may cause dizziness and nausea. In severe cases, the possibility of fainting and asthma attacks cannot be ruled out.

Symptoms that help recognize pediophobia

You can identify a tendency to this disorder yourself. If a person is afraid of dolls, the following signs indicate the presence of a phobia:

• in stores or at exhibitions with a large number of dolls, anxiety arises and a desire to leave quickly;
• at the sight of plastic figures that look like a person, it’s as if a “discharge” passes through the body or “goosebumps” run from fear;
• Any contact with toys results in unpleasant sensations: increased heart rate, shortness of breath, nausea, dizziness, tremors of the limbs;
• when seeing dolls or touching them, a person begins to be afraid, fall into a stupor, and therefore confusion of thoughts and speech is observed;
• The closer the toy is to the person, the stronger the described discomfort sensations appear.

If most of the listed symptoms are present, the condition can be called neurosis or phobia. The disorder manifests itself with varying intensity. When the pathology is active, it causes a lot of unpleasant sensations and does not allow you to relax. The sluggish version worries directly at the sight of dolls or contact with them.

Psychological help

If a person is haunted by a fear of dolls, it can seriously affect their quality of life. The most correct decision would be to contact a psychologist. A specialist may resort to the following treatment methods:

• Conversation. As a rule, the first session takes place in a question-and-answer format. During the conversation, the specialist will find out the roots of the problem and formulate ways to resolve it.
• Behavioral therapy. The psychologist gives the 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 anxious thoughts. Not only the emotional, but also the muscular reaction to the stimulus is blocked. Typically, relaxing music is used and breathing techniques are practiced.
• Exposure therapy. This refers to the deliberate introduction of the patient into a stressful state, in which he must remain to the breaking point under the supervision of a specialist. 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 suppress it, the patient is put into a trance state.

Psychotherapy

When choosing psychotherapy and a psychotherapist, you should consider price, time costs and effectiveness. The most inappropriate way is psychoanalysis. This is an expensive type of therapy, and full treatment requires several years.

Cognitive behavioral therapy and hypnotherapy are the main options. Each of these methods has its own advantages. For example, cognitive behavioral therapy will not only relieve a person of his fears, but also teach him to be his own therapist.

In addition, with the help of CBT, the client will reconsider his worldview and “remove” unproductive views and beliefs. The behavioral method will teach adaptability. The number of sessions varies from 5 to 15 visits.

Hypnotherapy is targeted. The effect of hypnosis occurs almost immediately after the start of treatment and has long-term results. However, there is a slight probability of renewed fears, but this figure is close to zero.

Psychologist's advice

To prevent the development of pathology, parents are advised to limit viewing of horror films where the main character is a doll or any other similar image.

Parents should monitor their child closely. Sometimes he is afraid to say something about himself or his fears, so adults sometimes need to be the first to make contact. When symptoms of pediophobia appear, parents need to ask about the child’s condition, accept and understand it, and seek help. Blaming him for this pathology is a terrible hole in the future mental health of the child.

Author of the article: Dubrovny Pavel Yurievich, medical psychologist

Drug treatment

Fear of dolls is a rare and quite complex phobia. Sometimes drug treatment may be required to effectively solve the problem:

• Phytotherapy. The most gentle method is to take herbal teas. Plants such as mint, hawthorn, valerian, peony, and 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 use 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 despondent and depressed. It is this group of drugs that will help you get out of this condition.

Prevention

Psychotherapists offer techniques that can help reduce the number of attacks and achieve emotional balance. Experts recommend that patients:

• Lead a healthy lifestyle.
• Systematically practice relaxation techniques.
• Avoid stress. Learn to behave more calmly in extreme situations.
• Increase the amount of physical exercise.
• Learn to react calmly to irritating factors.
• Limit the consumption of energy drinks and coffee.
• Reduce the amount of psychoactive substances consumed.

Celebrities with 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 encountered it and talk about it openly. Here's what we're talking about:

• Emily Blunt. As a child, the famous actress was very frightened by the garden plaster gnomes that stood in her neighbors’ 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 a story about his grandmother, who collected porcelain dolls. One day, the empty, cold glances of lifeless statues filled him with horror, which persisted for many years.
• Ashton Kutcher. Demi Moore, the actor's ex-wife, is fond of collecting dolls. Looking at the accumulation of lifeless faces, the man suffered from insomnia. As a result, he convinced his wife to donate the collection to the museum.

How is pediophobia diagnosed?

To diagnose paedophobia, a doctor or mental health professional will need to conduct a clinical interview. They will likely follow the diagnostic guidelines published by the American Psychiatric Association, known as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).

The doctor will ask some questions about your symptoms and medical history or ask you to fill out questionnaires.

Your doctor may also want to rule out other underlying medical conditions that may be associated with the development of the phobia, such as schizophrenia, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or personality disorders.

The scariest movies about dolls

Considering the fact that cinema is an important factor in the formation of pediatric phobia, it is worth paying attention to this issue. Here are the scariest movies about dolls:

• "Children's Games". The film is about how the restless soul of a killer inhabits a children's doll. The little owner of the toy, suspecting something is wrong, tries to tell the adults about it, but no one believes him until terrible events begin to happen.
• "Lord of Puppets" The film is 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.
• "Lovely Dolly." A film about the owner of a large toy factory. One day, a doll found during an archaeological excavation ends up in a warehouse. It turns out that the toy was possessed by an evil spirit.
• "House of Wax". The film is about a group of young people who encountered an evil maniac master. He made large wax dolls from living people.

Causes of phobia

Such a harmless childhood fantasy easily turns into a phobia at the moment when the child has to endure psychological trauma. If he accidentally breaks the doll, then subconsciously he will perceive this fact as murder. The natural reaction in this situation would be to turn to parents, on whom it depends whether the game turns into a pathological fear or remains a game. If a child has a trusting relationship with his parents, then the parents will be able to join in the gameplay. In such a situation, it would be appropriate to either repair the toy, or if repair is impossible, explain to him that he is more valuable to them than any doll in the world.

If parents begin to scold a child for a broken toy, then he not only feels guilty for killing his friend, but may also begin to perceive any doll as dead.

As a result, the child develops a pathological perception of dolls no longer as living ones, but as the living dead. He may also begin to fear that his toy will want revenge.

Another reason that can cause fear of dolls is the fear of artificially reproducing a human model. This fear probably goes back to the archetypal biblical prohibition of creating a homunculus, a human being made of clay, alive but without a soul. As a result, a person subconsciously fears that he will not be able to control the inanimate copy of a person and that it will definitely attack him.

If parents scold for a broken toy, the child may develop a phobia

What scientists say about pediaphobia

The 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 among cavemen. Even then, another person meant danger. Thus, the doll’s fear of a human face is something like an echo of the consciousness of the ancestors. But again, this description is not true for all cases.

Types of doll phobia

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A person suffering in the presence of dolls should not remain silent about his problem. It is imperative to inform your friends that pediophobia interferes with your friend’s everyday life, that this is a disease, and it is worth keeping it in mind in order to prevent accidental situations in which a person may even lose consciousness. Among the types of pathology, the following can be distinguished:

• Fear of the doll's gaze. Often it is eye contact with the doll's gaze that sends children into panic. It seems to them that they are constantly being watched, and that the toy is about to say something or scare them in some other way;
• Fear of clowns. They, as if on purpose, are overly decorated people, causing a feeling of madness, unpredictable behavior and danger. If a child encounters an overly active clown and is frightened by his obsessive behavior, the situation may become entrenched in the mind and turn into a phobia;
• Fear of mannequins. Fear of life-size mannequins occurs in adults and children with an unstable psyche or a highly developed imagination. The size of such dolls is close to real, they are dressed in the same clothes as passers-by, but most often they do not have a face. Such a sight frightens impressionable people, especially in recent years, when with the development of social networks a person is becoming increasingly impersonal, having only an artificially created outer shell, behind which lies a spiritual emptiness;
• Fear of antique dolls. This type cannot be called far-fetched, because it is the most difficult to treat. The dolls, recognized as antiques, were created many decades ago, with hairstyles and outfits from bygone centuries and outdated cultures reminiscent of children reborn from the past. Most patients associate them with dead children.

Antique doll

Manifestations of fear of dolls in humans

People who are afraid of dolls behave absolutely adequately in everyday life. They calmly visit all public places, but in some situations they begin to change before our eyes:

1. Avoidance of dolls
   . A pediophobe will never in his life visit a department that sells items for children's entertainment. It will also bypass playgrounds and entertainment centers for children. People with a similar problem will buy anything for their child except dolls.
2. Unexplained anxiety
   . If the poor fellow was unable to avoid visual contact with the object that frightens him, then he will literally begin to screw himself up. Individual fragments of memories from the unpleasant contact with the doll will begin to appear in the mind, which will only increase the feeling of anxiety.
3. Panic attack
   . After bringing himself to a state of increased excitability, the pediophobe begins to either aggressively or behave demonstratively. His only desire will be to leave the danger zone at the most active pace.
4. Psychological stupor
   . Not all people have a violent temperament, so their reaction to a doll may be exactly the opposite of the panic voiced above. Pediophobes with a similar personality simply freeze at the sight of a children's toy in the form of a small human copy.
5. General deterioration in health
   . Any stressful situation with a fear of dolls can cause dizziness and attacks of nausea. At the same time, a person’s breathing becomes difficult and even in particularly difficult cases, coordination of movements is lost.

What are the causes of the disease

Fear at the sight of dolls is not only a children's problem.
Quite often, the fear of mannequins becomes a big challenge for an adult; it prevents them from visiting modern shopping centers and puts a person into a state of panic and confusion. The causes of a phobia of dolls can be:

• childhood psychological trauma, when a seemingly ordinary doll frightened a child by accidentally falling on him, or, due to its interactive abilities, suddenly moved, like a living person;
• watching horror films starring dolls or mannequins;
• meeting with a specimen made exactly like a human child, when it is difficult to understand at first glance that it is an inanimate doll;
• congenital disorders of consciousness.

Important! This disease should not be treated with disdain and the pediophobe should not be given toy dolls. Such a joke can aggravate a mental disorder and lead to serious problems with the perception of the world.

Ways of deliverance

If signs of neurosis are detected in a child, then you need to contact a psychotherapist. Because a minor degree of disorder is easier to deal with, faster and with fewer side effects. In addition, it is unlikely that you will be able to get rid of the phobia on your own.

An adult can simply learn to control his emotions. However, under the influence of circumstances, the disease will manifest itself sooner or later. In addition, a meeting with an object of fear can happen completely unexpectedly. Moreover, there is a “spring effect”, when having suppressed panic once, the next time you meet, fear will manifest itself with greater force. Then it will be almost impossible to cope with it.

Therefore, you should not be ashamed of your pediophobia; you are not the only one who faces this. You need to acknowledge its existence and contact a psychotherapist. Once you acknowledge the existence of a problem, you can begin to fight it. Psychologists are sure that phobias are not mental problems, but are problems of a psychological nature. You will have to contact a psychiatrist when the neurosis goes too far.

To cope with the problem, it is advisable to find a specialist who has extensive experience in dealing with similar situations.

What to look for when choosing a psychologist:

• Qualification level;
• How experienced is he in treating phobias?
• What feedback do clients leave about his work?
• What is the result of the activity?

The very first classes will be held in the form of a conversation. When communicating with you, the specialist will try to “get to the bottom” of the essence and cause of the phobia. Therefore, it is very important to be honest, frank and as open as possible with him. There is no need to hide even small details. Most patients with phobias are distinguished by their individual characters. Therefore, the disorder may have different causes for its manifestation.

Taking into account your situation, the specialist will draw up a treatment regimen. Several methods are used today:

• NLP method;
• Corrective therapy;
• Hypnosis;
• Anti-stress techniques.

However, if pediophobia has already acquired the form of neurosis, which has been preventing you from living peacefully for a long time, and there has been no therapy, then you will have to undergo a course of drug treatment. This is necessary in order to eliminate symptoms of anxiety and cope with panic attacks.

Medications include:

• Tranquilizers;
• Antipsychotic drugs;
• Effective antidepressants.

It is worth tuning in to long-term therapy, which can last up to a year. You cannot simply buy medicines at a pharmacy. They are not sold without a doctor's prescription.

Neuroses caused by dolls

1. Pediophobia is the name given to fear provoked by toys. People suffering from pediophobia fear that the doll might suffocate them during sleep or cause a heart attack.
2. Glenophobia is a neurosis associated with the fear of the gaze of dolls. A person becomes anxious because it seems to him that he is being watched. Fear of mannequins prevents you from visiting clothing stores. Glenophobia affects both children and adults.

Fear of dolls can arise upon contact if a person enters a room filled with them. This could be a certain type of doll - beautiful girls, babies. Pediophobia is observed in women with a rich imagination. In men, this type of phobia is rare and has a pronounced character.

There is another variant of the manifestation of pediophobia. Some people take a doll with them all the time because it makes them feel safe.