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Automatonophobia – The fear of human-like figures
Other Phobias

Automatonophobia – The Fear of Humanlike Figures

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Unnerving, Humanlike Figures

Have you ever entered a mall or passed by a clothing shop’s display window only to be startled by the mannequins? Did you turn away, your eyes squeezed shut, wishing you had never looked in that direction?

Have you dashed out of a department store at the sight of a cluster of mannequins? Or maybe you froze up under the gaze of a torso mannequin while trying to pay for the pink silk scarf your mother mentioned she liked.

Even the sight of figurines on a cake may stir indescribable feelings that make you cringe. But you don’t know why you feel this way.

Living under a shadow that threatens to tear you apart is nerve-wracking. You can’t even explain to your friends why you won’t accompany them through the sculpture museum. Mannequins, figurines, and even art sculptures cause a deep fear in you.

Undeniably, your fear is real, but you can overcome it. How? you ask. The answer is simple. First, you come to understand it. Then you learn how to face it.

 

What Causes Automatonophobia?

When you look back, it may be hard for you to pinpoint where it all began. It could have been a scary movie you saw when you were young. Or it could have been a nasty prank your friends played with a doll or another human-shaped object.

Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Millions of Americans suffer from anxiety and phobia. Just like other phobias, this fear could have taken hold of you out of the blue. Maybe you felt uncomfortable around people whose faces lacked expression or those who stared blankly into space. You could have thought them to be lifeless, which may have led to the development of this fear.

Everything You Need to Know about Automatonophobia

If you merely dislike the sight of mannequins, dolls, or other humanlike figures, that would not be a phobia. It becomes a phobia when your fear of mannequins and other such objects becomes so overpowering that you’re unable to function normally. You may feel anxious and have difficulty breathing—that is automatonophobia. This phobia also includes the fear of statues, especially the fear of large statues. The fear of dolls, also known as pediphobia, is a related phobia.

Not all people are afraid of figures that resemble humans. Some may fear robots but may not be scared of dolls. Others are fine with mannequins, but wax figures made to look like humans spark fear in them.

The word automatonophobia comes from the Greek word automatos or autos, meaning ‘self-acting’, and Phobos, which refers to ‘aversion or deep fear’. So a deep fear of anything that resembles a human shape, like a ventriloquist’s dummy, would spark fear or agitation.

Some who suffer from the fear of humanlike figures also develop the fear that objects which move on their own can be harmful. For example, they may fear animatronics.

 

 

 

Symptoms of Automatonophobia

When you find yourself unable to focus in the presence of a humanlike figure, or feel nauseous or dizzy, that may be your body responding to something it finds threatening. In the case of automatonophobia, you may experience various symptoms, either physical, mental/emotional, or both.

Physical Symptoms

  • Shaking
  • Crying, running out of breath
  • Racing heartbeats
  • Dizziness, nausea
  • Feeling of choking
  • Hot or cold flushes (the feeling after running a lot)
  • Sweaty palms
  • Chest pain

Mental/Emotional Symptoms

  • The feeling of living in another world
  • Thoughts of dying
  • You feel as if you’re being chased
  • Panic attacks
  • Anxiety attacks
  • Living in constant fear

Autonomatonophobia can cause different symptoms in different people. These symptoms may cause you to feel embarrassed about your fear. And you may not feel like you can control it. Since you can’t avoid seeing these humanlike figures out in the world, the best thing to do is to deal with your fear.

Treating Automatonophobia

When you have an infection, you usually see a doctor, right? Similarly, when you fear something so much that it begins to disrupt your daily life, you need treatment before it gets worse.

Self-Help

Before getting professional help, consider whether it’s required. Ask yourself, “Can I manage this phobia on my own?”

Don’t give up. Keep asking yourself, “Are these nonliving objects going to hurt me?”

Try to distinguish reality from your thoughts. The more you think about it, the more you’ll believe it. So, remind yourself that humanlike figures are harmless pieces of plastic, marble, stone, or wax.

Write Down Your Thoughts

Writing down your thoughts and feelings in a journal can offer relief from some of the suffering. You want those anxious thoughts to come out onto the page. And when you write things down, you’re also hearing yourself out. With every word you’ll end up asking yourself, ‘Is this possible?’ With time you come to realize that it’s bigger in your mind than in reality.

Relaxation Techniques

Each time you face something unwanted, take slow, deep breaths. It helps. Deep inhalation sends greater amounts of oxygen through your body. You’ll feel less shaky. Meditate by thinking of happy thoughts, your happy place to be, your favorite person, food, smells. Try thinking of a life without fear.

Talk with Someone

If you have someone you trust, share your fears with them. Your mother, your sibling, or someone else you’re close to. Go to whomever you think understands you best. Talking with someone can help you overcome your fear.

Professional Help

If self-help is not enough, you can consult your family doctor, who will guide you on what to do. They can suggest a therapist you can consult. A professional would understand the science behind your fears, and even help you learn how to deal with them.

Mental health professionals may use cognitive-behavioral therapy. This method of therapy helps you replace destructive or disturbing thoughts with more positive and realistic ones. The process has many goals you need to fulfill, and the therapist will be actively involved in helping you reach those goals. That means you may receive homework to do between sessions with them.

You may also experience systematic desensitization, where you come to terms with the cause of your fear. This replaces the fear response of your phobia with a more relaxed response. In the end, it teaches you to increase your control over your responses.

How to Overcome Automatonophobia?

Therapy will improve your phobia, but there is no guarantee it will go away completely. Continue to reassure yourself, write down your feelings, or talk with loved ones to keep in touch with how you feel. Even if you still feel some mild annoyance while looking at humanlike figures, you’ve come a long way from your phobia. And that deserves a pat on the back.

The very fact that you’re here, reading about what you fear, is proof that you want to do something about it. And that’s very brave indeed.

In Conclusion

Getting rid of this phobia is a long journey. So remain patient and stay focused on your destination: A happy life with no fears! The next time you enter a museum or department store, you may be able to walk out with a smile on your face and memories to cherish.

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Your Fear Goes Up and Down

Are you someone who would rather climb the stairs than take the elevator? You call it squeezing in a workout after being sedentary the whole morning. Or perhaps you claim it's a faster route. These are both typical, normal, and acceptable reasons. But what if you need to be in the conference room on the eleventh floor in five minutes, and you're wearing your business suit and wingtips? Would you still prefer to take the stairs? If your answer is yes, then maybe it's time to take a closer look at your reasons for avoiding elevators. Elevators stir all sorts of emotions in passengers. From the discomfort of closeness to strangers to the sensations in our gut, elevators can be a source of the heebie-jeebies for many, but for some, they can also be a source of terror. Let's dig a little deeper into the latter, and see what this terror is all about and what can be done to manage it. To begin with, does being inside an elevator give you chills or the sweats? Or does it trigger an unpleasant memory? Perhaps you remember movies you've watched where something terrible happens inside an elevator. From Silence of the Lambs, The Shining, Final Destination 2, or the king of all elevator horror films, 2010’s Devil, the elevator becomes witness to something sinister and horrible. And you want nothing to do with any of it. You know that you're not claustrophobic. You can deal with heights just fine, too. And you know that you're not going to be trapped inside. All of these contribute to a fear of elevators—but they don't apply to you. Yet being inside one does something to you. It's hard to explain.

What is the Fear of Elevators Called?

What you have is a fear of elevators, which is called elevatophobia. It is most commonly triggered by an experience of getting stuck inside either due to a power outage or technical maintenance. Hearing about other people's experiences or watching a movie about similar circumstances can prompt a fear of elevators getting stuck with you inside. Usually, claustrophobics and agoraphobics may also develop elevatophobia because the triggers and objects of these fears are related. Claustrophobia is the fear of closed and cramped spaces, while agoraphobia is the fear of being trapped without any means of escape. Put the two together, and the elevator becomes the perfect combination of both phobias. The space is limited and closed, with only one means of entry and exit. You can add another point of access if you consider climbing the cables like they do in the movies, but that certainly isn't ideal.

Symptoms of Elevatophobia

If for some reason an elevator stops due to an outage or some technical difficulty, passengers with elevatophobia may go into full panic mode. Even if the maintenance team advises that it will just be a matter of minutes, by then, the person's mind has become irrational with the fear of the elevator falling, being stuck for hours, or other unpleasant thoughts. You would expect a person to exhibit the following physical symptoms: Additionally, you would be filled with that overwhelming anxiety where you feel that you have zero control over the situation. You start fearing the unknown and are filled with negative thoughts about death and imminent doom. You become irrational and unresponsive.

Possible Complications of Elevatophobia

When the panic sets in, the possibility of emergencies related to pre-existing conditions may make themselves known. This might include serious health crises like heart attacks or asthma attacks. When this happens, fear becomes a medical emergency. Elevator rides do not last long; it's just a matter of minutes or even less. But the fact that a person can escalate from panic to a near fatal medical situation classifies the fear of elevators as a 'hard phobia.'

Trying Some Self-Help Methods

Your fear of elevators can likely interfere with your social and work life and relationships. Not everyone understands that elevatophobia, like most phobias, can be crippling. But don't be disheartened. Depending on the level of your fear and level of control, you can gradually face and manage your phobia. Here are some recommendations you can try:
  1. Make a List of Everything that Entails Riding in an Elevator This is a systematic approach to getting over your anxiety. By following a step-by-step process, you can identify where the fear kicks in at its strongest. You can write a list of steps like pressing the topmost button and waiting to arrive on that floor, watching as the door closes and opens, being alone inside the elevator, or having delays with the doors opening. Now try doing the opposite. For example, face away from the door or occupy yourself with your phone so that you are distracted.
  2. Create Your Fear Ladder Although the name says fear of elevators, it is not the whole process that scares you. There are just phases and parts of the elevator riding experience that cause you to panic. So go back to the list you initially created and label the fear level you feel. You can do it numerically, too, like ten being 'really scary,' six, 'manageable scary,' and one, 'not scary at all.' You can put the corresponding fear levels so you can focus more time and effort into activities that are more scary to you.
  3. Face Your Fear By now, you have identified what scares you the most. You can try repetitive action to minimize your fear and increase your sense of ‘normalcy’. Remember that the longer you expose yourself to your fear, the better you get at handling your emotions. If you are feeling overwhelmed, stop. Pushing yourself too fast and too soon can backfire. Modify your pace and go slower instead.
  4. Talk About Your Fear People by nature, unfortunately, are not quick to offer understanding and support. You need to tell them what's wrong before they can empathize. Talk to someone who you trust and ask for their support, especially in the initial phase of overcoming your fear. If you are too afraid to ride the elevator alone, you can ask them to go with you, and before you realize it, you are on your floor, and there was no indication of panic.
  5. Learn To Be Patient Be patient with yourself and your predicament. This is, after all, your fight against fear. It might take hundreds of elevator ride practices before the fear gets under control. Even then, there might be some hesitations and episodes of nervousness. These are acceptable and expected, so cut yourself some slack and congratulate yourself for every progress.

Seeking Professional Help

Along with self-help, you can always enlist a medical professional's aid to support you with your elevatophobia. Talking to someone who has experience with similar cases can be comforting, because you know that you are not alone, and this situation can get better. Talk to your doctor about the severity of your fears and the symptoms that you experience. Explain how you deal with it in an attempt to control it. An exam and a health history are made to ensure that there are no unrelated or underlying problems that your symptoms might mask. Usually, phobias like this are approached with a combination of psychotherapy and medication. Your doctor will talk about these options with you, and it's entirely up to you, with your doctor's recommendation, what you want to pursue. For psychotherapy, the most common type is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which aims to help you find different ways of behaving, thinking, and reacting when about to step inside an elevator or when already inside it. With medications, there are beta blockers and benzodiazepines, but note that these can have side effects. Whatever these side effects are, you should promptly share it with your doctor.

Simple Tips to Overcome Elevatophobia

Elevators are not perfect, but their likelihood to malfunction, fall, or get stuck is very low. If you are not fully confident with this information, you can help overcome your elevatophobia by learning common elevator safety tips and basic elevator operations. These should help curb your mild fear until you become more self-assured. In addition to that, here are some of the things that you can do to gradually overcome your fear of elevators—both in getting on and riding one.

Conclusion

Yes, elevatophobia can be a challenge in today's world, but don't allow the elevator to win. Don't let it stop you from taking a job on the top floor or attending a social gathering on the rooftop. Sure, you can take the stairs if you insist and arrive winded and sweaty, with the party about to wrap up. But is this the quality of life you seek? Elevators are designed to make life easier. There are guaranteed ways to help you overcome elevatophobia. Take the first step and seek help. Soon, you’ll see yourself breezing through the floors with those arduous stair climbs little more than a memory.
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