Pediophobia

I have always loved dolls! My parents bought me a Sindy doll when I was about five years old, and over the next five years, My Sindy had ‘everything’. Saving up my pocket money, I bought her dresses, shoes, and all sorts of ‘house’ stuff, and my parents bought me the horse, so my Sindy was a dancer, horse-woman and “the type of doll I wanted to be” in high heels and smart suits — a real ‘business-doll’. Even when I was sixteen, I still loved my Sindy and would dress her up but not ‘play’ with her. Sindy became more of an ornament.

I became friends with a girl in High School, and we would visit each other, have tea, go out for a burger and generally hang out together. Mentioning my Sindy, I will never forget her saying: “Oh no, don’t show me, I’m terrified of dolls!” How can anyone be terrified of dolls?

PEDIOPHOBIA = a fear of dolls, is a relatively common kind of phobia. It is an anxiety disorder that can be associated with a range of dolls, from old-fashioned china dolls and porcelain dolls to dolls that talk and move.

This can be looked at as an irrational fear of something that poses no actual threat. It is a type of anxiety disorder and some can become frozen with fear just by thinking about dolls. Interestingly, mental health professionals take this seriously and believe that counselling (and even medication) can help to treat the person. The actual fear a person feels about “dolls” is completely out of proportion to any actual danger posed by the “doll”.

It is great that this is taken seriously. Therapy and various techniques can help control the anxiety and ‘deal’ with the problem. To me, who loves dolls, it can be very strange but it is a very “real fear”.

I never did find out why my friend was so terrified of dolls but I wanted to try and understand her. It is amazing what you can find out on the internet.

One reason that is mentioned is watching or hearing horror stories about dolls. Everyone has heard of the film series “Annabelle” but what many do not realise is that it is actually ‘based’ on a real life horror story. “Annabelle” was a raggedy doll (first introduced as a red-haired doll in 1915) who was a gift to a nurse in 1970. The doll began to move around, leak blood and leave hand-written notes asking the nurse to “help me / help us!” It was discovered that a young seven year old girl had died on the site of the apartment building the nurse lived in, and that her ‘spirit’ lived in the doll. The little girl was called Annabelle Higgins. The doll is now in the Warren’s Occult Museum in Connecticut.

A far more Positive side to dolls is that they are used to help people with dementia. These people are soothed and comforted by holding a doll (or a soft toy animal). These “dolls” are said to help relax the person, and are used in therapy. This kind of therapy actually helps the individual to feel relaxed enough to be able to communicate. It also gives him or her something to care for and he or she feels ‘useful’. This can also help to bring memories back into the minds of when the person had children and cared for them. This type of therapy has a very Positive effect on those with dementia.

I still love dolls and my friend is still terrified of them but at least I have some kind of understanding why now. What about you? Do you love them or are you terrified? After all, they are ‘just’ dolls and some of them are very pleasant to look at and keep.

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