Fear Of Pumpkins(Cucurbitophobia): Causes, Symptoms, Treatments, Therapies

Fear of pumpkins – Cucurbitophobia. The fear of pumpkins or cucurbitophobia is an excessive, irrational, and unreasonable fear of pumpkins. Cucurbitophobia comes from the Latin Cucurbita, representing different pumpkin family members (Cucurbita maximum).

Cucurbitophobia is quite common. Now that Halloween is around the corner, it is not surprising to see children burst into tears at the sight of pumpkins and lanterns. Let’s study everything about this phobia as well as its treatment.

You may also be interested in reading: Fear Of Worms: Causes, Symptoms, Treatments

Causes of fear of pumpkin phobia

  • Most phobias, including fear of pumpkins, start in childhood.
  • Sometimes they can appear for no apparent reason.
  • However, in the case of cucurbitophobia, the scary meaning of pumpkins during Halloween is the most common trigger.
  • Pumpkins are more than tasty and nutritious fruits; They are the stuff of legends.
  • We all know the use of pumpkins in carving.
  • The Celts, Irish, and Scots who immigrated to the United States began using pumpkins instead of potatoes and turnips to create these terrifying displays.
  • Pumpkins are soft and easy to carve; Halloween tricksters also find them fun to smash and smash.
  • It is due to these comforts, as well as their excess availability during Halloween that people use these fruits to symbolize Halloween.
  • The phobic mind tries to make sense of the unexpected feeling of intense anxiety or panic, which, in turn, adds to the phobia.
  • In most cases of childhood phobias, the phobia outweighs the fear with age.

Symptoms of Cucurbitophobia

The symptoms of pumpkinphobia can range from physical to emotional.

Physical components can include:

  • Tremors,
  • Crying,
  • Screams,
  • Accelerated heart,
  • Short of breath,
  • Sweat,
  • Abdominal discomfort

The emotional components include:

  • Scared of losing control
  • Thoughts of death or dying
  • Thoughts of embarrassing yourself by fainting, etc.
  • Fear of turning into a pumpkin

The phobic can try to flee or escape using any measure to avoid the situation where he has to face a pumpkin.

  • This phobia can intensify in the days leading up to Halloween, creating limitations in one’s life.
  • Trying to escape the decorated patios of people’s houses during Halloween can make pumpkins look scarier.

Treatment for fear of pumpkins

  • The treatment of Cucurbitophobia can be divided into two parts: facing the object of fear, in this case, the pumpkin, and dealing with scary thoughts associated with anxiety.
  • It is crucial to stop avoiding lanterns or pumpkins.
  • You can start by reading more about pumpkins or touching or looking at them.
  • Parents should help children deal with their scary thoughts for fear of pumpkins.
  • If a child seems willing to talk about his fear, parents can help him rationalize it.
  • For example, if the child says he will be attacked by a flashlight, gently comfort him by saying that he has not attacked him so far, nor will he in the future, and that he is entirely safe.
  • If the phobia affects you or your loved one, you may want to seek therapy.
  • A psychiatrist could advise the person scared of pumpkins or suggest a treatment appropriate to their needs.
  • Cognitive-behavioral therapy, neurolinguistic programming, and hypnotism are some phobia therapies that can be used to cure cucurbitophobia once and for all.

Georgia Tarrant
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Hello, how are you? My name is Georgia Tarrant, and I am a clinical psychologist. In everyday life, professional obligations seem to predominate over our personal life. It's as if work takes up more and more of the time we'd love to devote to our love life, our family, or even a moment of leisure.