Halloween week — pumpkin carvings, candy corn, witches’ stew, bloody costumes, spiders, and clowns — and themed parties can be triggering for individuals with phobias, social anxiety, or other forms of mental illness.
“With most phobias, it becomes less about the object of phobia and more about avoiding the potential of having the uncomfortable feeling of fear and panic,” says Dr. Rebecca Sinclair, Director of Psychological Services at Brooklyn Minds.
Dr. Sinclair has worked with many individuals who have had phobias. In many cases, these fears become generalized, causing the individual to fear everything related to that original phobia. For instance, when individuals fear blood, they sometimes fear the color red. In extreme cases, individuals will remove every red item from their home and will refuse to approach anyone wearing red clothing. They may avoid doctors’ offices or team sports out of fear of potentially seeing blood.
The effects of living with a phobia
A phobia can easily impact every aspect of an individual’s life and eventually, that fear can become less about avoiding the fear and more about anticipating the feelings associated with being afraid. The fear of fear keeps many from participating fully in social environments, making day-to-day activities very challenging — and making “fun” things like trick-or-treating impossible to enjoy.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, phobias are the most common mental disorder in the United States. Life becomes difficult when phobias start to impede upon our lives in a negative way. Phobias can be debilitating, life-altering, and downright painful, and they can be especially difficult to handle on a themed holiday (in which the theme is scary and full of everything and anything).
Whether you’re afraid to walk your two-year-old child through a dark street full of strangers who are covered in face masks or you’re afraid to see a vampire or touch hands with a stranger, know that it’s okay to feel overwhelmed, embarrassed, and terrified (and not in a good, funny way).
Coping and conquering your fears
Maybe the whole holiday makes you deeply uncomfortable (which is called Samhainophobia). Take a deep breath, sit back, and know these fears can be combated. The first thing you need to do is address the phobia before it surfaces.
Phobias often stem from something, such as a traumatic experience or a learned response. Figuring out a small step to face these fears is key to overcoming them. Someone who is afraid of bugs might try looking at pictures online of cartoon bugs before moving up to something tougher, like looking at pictures of real bugs.
If the phobia feels beyond your control (ex: you can’t calm your anxiety or you feel you can’t leave your house or go to a certain place because of the fear), you’ll want to seek professional treatment, which may consist of exposure therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), or dTMS, which is preferred by Brooklyn Minds, and is a form of treatment that mentally and physically exposes you to your fears.
Ideally, you don’t want to let your fear of small spaces, ghosts, or anything else get in the way of enjoying your life, but it can happen.
If suddenly faced with a phobia, try focusing on your breath; this is a great way to stay grounded. Additionally, try focusing on physical sensations, such as feeling the weight of your feet on the ground, or squeezing a stress ball or eating sour candy. This can help you stay present. And always know that no phobia is too strange or too difficult to overcome.
