Fear Of Dolls In Children

Dolls or puppets are toys that are easy to make with few resources and materials. At the same time, it is also easy to find them in any toy store. Children can use them to recreate games and express themselves, and they are a great tool for educators and psychologists. Sometimes, however, there are children who have a fear of dolls. Why is this happening?

This kind of irrational fear of dolls is more common than you might imagine. It is important to understand children who have this type of fear, to help them overcome it.

Fear of dolls

While dolls can be fun for some, others may feel an irrational and uncontrollable fear. And if a child fears popping up and the treatment does not take place in childhood, the fear may even continue into adulthood.

If this fear changes the quality of life of the child suffering from it, experts consider it a phobia. And it is important for parents and professionals to do everything they can to help the child overcome it.

For those who are not afraid of dolls, it may seem absurd to think that others have. But in reality, for those who suffer from it, it is a very real fear and they have it very hard. On many occasions, this fear also includes any puppet or puppet.

Phobia of puppets has to do with other phobias, such as automatonophobia (fear of human-like figures) or pediophobia (fear of puppets). It may also have to do with coulrophobia, which is the fear of clowns. It all depends on the type of fear the child has and how it experiences it.

The symptoms of a fear of dolls

The symptoms of phobia for dolls depend on how seriously the child experiences it. Physical symptoms can include dizziness, a feeling of unreality, headache, palpitations, nausea and panic attacks.

But in addition to the physical symptoms, there are also the psychological ones. These occur when the child or young person is aware that their fears are irrational and their thoughts are distorted. However, they can not help but avoid dolls because of the uncomfortable feeling they cause in them. This can cause self-esteem problems in the affected person.

The possible causes of fear of dolls

A fear of dolls can have certain causes that you should consider, even though most of them are unknown. It may be that the child has had some kind of traumatic experience with this type of toy. It is also possible that they may have a genetic predisposition to suffer from phobias, or that their personality traits make them more prone to it.

But with this in mind, we must also keep in mind that in most cases it happens due to an unpleasant experience. It could be because of a scary movie or story, a bad experience involving dolls, a dream, and so on.

Who influences it the most?

These types of fears and phobias usually affect children and adolescents more than adults. It is also a phobia that, with maturity and an understanding of what is real and what is not, can be overcome. Understanding why children are afraid of such dolls is necessary to overcome the irrational and uncontrollable panic.

How to overcome fear?

The biggest challenge is first and foremost to overcome the fear of dolls. It is important to focus on the child and their particular condition to help the best possible. That is why it is important to go to a professional. The professional will help channel the entire situation around the anxiety and know if there is only one or more types of fear.

Once the fear is diagnosed, psychotherapy should ideally be used through a cognitive behavioral desensitization process where the child may be able to overcome his fear through professional techniques. The child will be able to get rid of fear thanks to the help of a professional who will continuously monitor the process.

Fighting phobia of puppets

Overcoming a phobia or fear is not easy, so it is a slow and complex process. It must be treated in the right way so that it does not worsen and therefore it will always be necessary to be in the hands of a good expert. The goal is that the person can be in front of the dolls without experiencing anxiety.

In a controlled environment and together with a professional, therapeutic techniques should be used through progressive exposure to puppets. Thus, the person’s mind will be able to assume and internalize the experience and put an end to the irrational thoughts and unpleasant symptoms they are experiencing.