It’s a time for joy for most, but for some unlucky people, Christmas can be plagued with festive phobias that spoil the holiday.
Dr Christopher Paul Jones, a Harley Street doctor who specialises in all things phobia, says the time of merriment can be incredibly triggering for some.
It even has a name, Christougenniatikophobia – which is a type of heortophobia, the fear of holidays.
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From the fear of popular decor like tinsel, snowy scenes or even Father Christmas himself, the expert has seen it all.
“At the time of Christmas, some people get incredibly phobic,” Dr Jones, who has been working with people suffering from phobias for over 20 years, told What’s The Jam.
“Now, you’d think that’d more for things like Halloween.
“But it could be from breakups, lost traumatic events or hostile family gatherings.
“Sights and smells can all trigger you to go back there.
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“But then there are more weird ones – like the fear of Santa Claus or fear of the snow.”
The London-based doctor even has his own seasonal clients who he treats annually to conquer their phobias.
He said: “One of the strangest ones I’ve had was a lady with the fear of tinsel.
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“Anything to do with Christmas would trigger that fear for her.
“Just the possibility of seeing tinsel would make her run a mile.
“She was spending Christmas alone and it was ruining her life.”
But luckily, it’s not all doom and gloom – and Dr Jones says such issues are treatable.
He said: “When someone has a phobia, they’re told to let go of it or get out of it.
“But that’s not how the mind works – the mind works through conditioning.
“When we regressed back to the route cause [of the woman with the tinsel phobia], something happened in her childhood.
“She had been wrapped up in tinsel for a Christmas game with her cousin.
“It went over her mouth and she started to choke.
“Her brain then linked tinsel with danger.”
The expert worked with her over time to tackle the issue, and she has since been able to enjoy the festive period once more.
Dr Jones added: “For anyone else struggling with Christmas phobias, just know that emotions aren’t logical.
“The trigger from the past has caused your brain to associate danger.
“When you can find that and isolate it, there are solutions.”
And Christopher has seven steps to releasing your phobia and “reclaiming Christmas”.
- Recognise what you are really afraid of.
- Relax the conscious mind.
- Recognise what need this phobia is meeting.
- Deconstructing your strategy.
- Letting go of the past.
- Creating a positive anchor.
- Rehearsing a positive future.
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