Fear expert sends in the clowns to help combat rise of ‘coulrophobia’
A HYPNOTHERAPIST will be sending in the clowns to combat the growing phenomenon of ‘coulrophobia’ this Halloween.
Adam Cox is hosting what is billed as “The World’s First Workshop to Combat Killer Clown Fears” later this month. His clinic on London’s Harley Street will feature clients who suffer panic attacks and other forms of anxiety from catching a glimpse of a clown.
Thanks to the 2017 re-make of horror master Stephen King’s 1990 film ‘It’, more people are running scared than ever before.
The so-called ‘killer clown craze’ that stormed the internet last year has also led to a surge in the number of people suffering from coulrophobia, or fear of clowns. Mr Cox said: “Because of ‘It’ and killer clowns, it is one of the fastest-growing phobias.
“It’s because the face paint represents a mask, which hides human emotion and gives an element of anonymity.
“I’m expecting clowns to be one of the popular Halloween costumes of this year and many teenagers will use the killer clown masks to cause mayhem anonymously while trick or treating. For those that have a fear of clowns this Halloween could be a real-life nightmare.”
A research study two years ago revealed that up to 12pc of the population have a fear of clowns, he said. Their reactions range from a racing heart, sweating or chills to full-on panic attacks and even heart attacks, he said.
To counter their fears, he will use various hypnosis and other phobia-busting techniques like neurolinguistic programming (NLP) that ultimately culminates with sending in two ‘killer clowns’ to the workshop on November 25 so clients can confront their worst fears. The cost of the workshop is around €110.