Coulrophobia: the fear of clowns
Published: January 05, 2021
Fear is a common and natural human reaction. Like all emotions, fear can be mild, medium or intense, depending on the situation and the individual.
Coulrophobia is a relatively new kind of phobia that refers to phobia of clowns and circus performers. It is an unusual phenomenon, clowns are generally considered a great source of entertainment, created to make children and adults alike laugh. This fear usually sets in very early, like during the early childhood. Coulrophobics are usually also scared of Santa Claus or any other person (created or real) with painted faces.
Many celebrities like Johnny Depp, Billy Bob Thornton, Daniel Radcliffe and Sean Combs are coulrophobics. A typical reaction when faced with coulrophobia includes the following: the voice generally chokes and you cannot breathe properly. Some other symptoms include trembling and shaking, perspiration, nausea and.
It is difficult to precisely know how many people suffer from coulrophobia, but it is assumed that one in every seven people suffer from it to some degree.
Johnny Depp is among those celebrities who suffer from more than one phobia; coulrophobia is one among them. According to the Courier Mail, he once said, “I guess I am afraid of them because it’s impossible – thanks to their painted-on smiles – to distinguish if they are happy or if they’re about to bite your face off.”
Once, while promoting his film ‘Sleepy Hollow’, he (according to toptenz.com) told reporters: “There always seemed to be a darkness lurking just under the surface, a potential for real evil.”
Famous rapper and music producer Sean Comb was so scared of clowns that he had a strict “No Clown Clause” in his performance agreements.
Billy Bob Thornton – a man who has an inconceivable amount of phobias and fears, including of antique furniture, dolls, chicken and chromophobia (a fear of bright colors) – was once quoted by The Guardian as saying: “It’s like you don’t really know the guy that’s lurking behind the face.”
Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe also suffers from coulrophobia.
This fear of clowns is easily curable if proper treatment is treatment brought into use including medications, hypnotherapy and various other therapies. The best way is to avoid the clowns either in reality or in films or television series.
It is essential to seek professional psychological treatment that is the most comfortable for coulrophobics. One such treatment is exposure treatment wherein the phobic person is exposed to clowns until the fear subsides.
Celebrities who are plagued by their phobias include Justin Timberlake, Christina Ricci, Woody Allen and Billy Bob Thornton.
Image: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/53035
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Sandi
10. Apr, 2012
It surprises me that Johny Depp is afraid of clowns. But, I know that a lot of people are. It’s quite understandable. Some person they really don’t know with their face all disguised. I may be a little skeptical myself.