What’s Samhainophobia? This time of year is especially hard for people with the fear
For most, Halloween is a time of spooky celebration where we’re able to embrace our darker side for a night (or a month, for those enthusiastic decorators) and watch as children run around gleefully dressed up to satisfy their sweet tooth. But for some, this time of year is downright horrifying – and the fear isn’t fabricated like some big budget horror movie.
It’s called samhainophobia, a fear of Halloween, which falls on October 31 annually. According to Newsweek, the word derives from Samhain, the “Gaelic festival marking the end of the summer harvest season, and the midpoint between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice.”
Samhainophobia is a relentless escalation of anxiety to all things associated with the holiday and, depending on the severity, could be considered a diagnosable specific phobia, PsychCentral said.
Symptoms can include the following, according to PsychCenral:
Dread and anxiety from anything related to Halloween
Shortness of breath
Hot or cold flashes
Shaking or tremors
Inability to speak in a coherent manner
Tingling sensation or numbing
While there are no known causes of the phobia, it’s suggested by Psychtimes that genetics and your environment could play a large role in its development.
Catherine Blackmore, a woman with the disorder, said that her fear started after watching the original “Halloween,” the 1978 horror movie starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Newsweek reported.
“I know I only have a limited time before things start to change — for instance, as soon as the stores begin stocking Halloween items such as masks, costumes and decorations I know I can no longer go into town,” she said.
What can help the anxiety
As most experts say, it always helps to talk about the phobia with a trained medical professional, and About Social Anxiety lists some ways to help cope.
If you’re looking for ways to gradually ease into the holiday, here are some tips:
Don’t participate that night. Turn off your porch lights so you don’t have trick-or-treaters gathering at your doorstep.
If you DO want to hand out candy, limit your time or choose a specific time period (like earlier, when all the really little ones are running about with their parents).
Try to view it as a “social challenge” to face your fear. Work your way up to maybe put on a costume this year
If you’re not ready for that just yet, there are other ways to help:
- Find ways to relax like yoga or meditation
Dialectical behavior therapy
Use techniques from cognitive-behavioral therapy in order to analyze your thoughts around the holiday
This story was originally published October 30, 2020 at 12:39 PM with the headline "What’s Samhainophobia? This time of year is especially hard for people with the fear."