Fear of Clowns Coulrophobia

Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right! Here I Am.! (This Gerry Rafferty tune) could be a nightmare to someone suffering from Coulrophobia. It is estimated that as many as 1 out of 7 people suffers from a Fear of clowns.
Sometimes also referred to as caulrophobia, or clownophobia this fear can be brought on by a childhood Trauma or fear of the unknown.

A clown is supposed to be a happy funny figure but one can easily see how a clown could frighten a child. A large person with a weird face huge hands and feet and oddly colored hair with a huge nose is frightening enough to a child but then this monstrous things wants to come over and be near the child and that’s enough to cause an ongoing fear. Clowns are often presented as drunken reckless or insane. The fact that a clown can do what he wants without fear of reprisal is frightening to many. Some people just think they are creepy and that they are hiding something behind all that makeup.

The image of the evil clown has become a. clichÃ?© in today’s society

From Bart Simpson’s “Can’t sleep clowns will eat me” to The Joker of Batman Fame Clowns are not always the picture of fun.

John Wayne Gacy an American Serial Killer convicted and executed for the rape and murder of 33 boys and men. between 1972 and his arrest in 1978 was known as the “Killer Clown” because he attended many block parties dressed in a clown suit and makeup under the name of Pogo the Clown.

In the Beatle’s animated movie “Yellow Submarine” The Blue Meanies use large clowns for artillery. .

Pennywise in Steven King’s Novel It is an evil clown with razor sharp teeth who drags children into the sewer.

Koko the Killer Clown appears in a sideshow at Coney Island

Homey D. Clown from In Living Color was a an ex-con drug addict with a penchant for violence…

Not to mention the 1988 Movie Killer clowns from Outer space” and the nasty clown doll in the movie Poltergeist.

For those suffering from coulrophobia, seeing clowns or merely thinking about clowns can result in the following symptoms:
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Breathlessness, dizziness, excessive sweating, nausea, dry mouth, feeling sick, shaking, Fear of Clowns Release E-course heart palpitations, inability to
speak or think clearly, a fear of dying, becoming mad or losing control, a sensation of detachment from reality or a full blown anxiety attack.
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A fear of Clowns is no laughing matter. Most of the time a clown is funny if seen at a birthday party or circus but when surprised by one in an elevator it’s a different story. Actor Lon Chaney, Sr.: “is quoted as saying
There is nothing funny about a clown in the moonlight.”