Phobia:Fear of Big Statues
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Facing My Fears
Finally! There is a name for the phobia that has plagued me all of my life. Automatonophobia is the fear of life-like statues, ventriloquist dummies, wax statues ( I am sure dolls and manequins are also included.) It is an affliction that, ironically, petrifies me. Seriously, I become what frightens me most.
In a situation where I come face to face with those cold, dead eyes "looking" back at me, I momentarily, become frozen with fear. I have trouble going forward into a room that may have one large statue, but I run away if I encounter a room with two or more statues. Museums are difficult for me, to say the least.
I lived in NY for most of my life and have visited the Art museum, possibly twice. I entered a hall that had heads and/or busts, on pedestals, so I was literally surrounded by the cold, lifeless eyes that were positioned, well, at eye level! I somehow left my group and had to find the area that merely had paintings.
When I was very young, the family went several times to Staten Island and we had to cross the river by ferry boat. Yes, we always had to pass the Statue of Liberty. Though she was big, she was far away enough for her presence not to bother me. In fact, it always fascinated me because I found it strange... I thought she was on some post that shot straight up from the water. ( I was an imaginative kid!)
The climb inside the 50 ft woman
The summer I was 11years old, I went on a field trip to visit Liberty Island. Oh, I discovered that there is an island and WOW! Is that Liberty Statue huge! Very, very big. As I got closer, my legs were turning into seaweed, but I had to go along with the group. We entered the base and were allowed to step onto the balcony ( I guess) While out there, someone said to look up. I did look up to see way above my head, a massive arm that held a large torch! Creepy image. It is an image I will never forget. But there are other images within the Statue of Liberty. So we re-enter the thing and proceed to go up, up in a spiral staircase. We were kids, so the climb and crampiness did not bother us. I was twitching when I realized that I could see the lines of the folds of her toga (?) and then the lines of her hairdo.from INSIDE. it is among my files of my nightmares.
The cure?
My mom's closest friend, was like an "aunt" to us and she wanted to cure me of my affliction. She was either trying to be helpful(???) or was simply sadistic. She was something of a collector of religious statues ( lucky me) which she kept in a small room. A room which may have doubled as a walk-in closet/ tomb. Yes, she did use that room to try to cure me, but it never worked, in fact I think it set me back, way back.
Yet another field trip
She took me to a place that had a garden on the outside and the building was cave-like on the inside. They call it a Grotto. The outside was bad enough with large angels all over the place. I cowered as I walked through there. Then, the "auntie" brought me into the cave-like structure. Sadistic? Yes! The inside was dark (of course) and the images were illuminated, life-sized statues of the religious kind, depicting the stations of the cross. Imagine the agony and passion of Christ, but set with statues. I am still having trouble trying to figure if it was art. They were painted, with all the gory details. I could not wait to run outside even if I had to dodge the angels! The Grotto, was in The Bronx, NY. I do not know if it is still there, because I never went back. But if anyone enjoys that kind of art and feels like venturing there, have fun.
Future sightings?
I am glad to know that I am not alone with this madness. I am even too frightened to get hypnotized...don't know what i might find out.
I have worked in several jobs and in one of them, I dressed mannequins. It did not bother me. It was a little bit like playing with dolls. I know in my heart, that I would not be able to be in a roomful of mannequins.
I have been to Washington, DC and visited several historic buildings. One of them, I believe it's The Capital, that features The Hall Of Presidents. Proudly, I did face my demons. Yes, you know where this is heading. While being educational, it is also daunting for someone who cannot be in such a setting.
I truly don't know if I will ever grow out of this fear, but I have faced my phobia on several other trips , and it is not as extreme as when I was a child.
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Thank you for the nice comment. I had forgotten about another incident that happened a few short years ago. I should have known better when we entered this Asian/fusion restaurant that had giant horses flanking the entry. Inside, there were ancient warriors, very nice decor. I ate my meal and needed to go to the restroom...but the darkened hall featured another large warrior. I "held my water"...until we got to the nearest dept. store.
I have a slight sadistic streak apparently as I'm the one who took her to the popular Asian-fusion restaurant and laughed all the way to the nearest department store with a public bathroom
Wow! That is intense. I hope you somehow manage to shake this phobia. So many amazing places and things to do have some sort of statue and I believe it would be a shame to miss those things because of a fear like this. I hope you still get to enjoy your life fully though!! I know so many people get bogged down by the phobia that life actually gets in the way. I wish you the best of luck with this!! Once again INTENSE.
good on you for facing your fears so many times ... Keep doing it but gently (maybe once every 2 months) and you will find that it isn't as hard after a couple of years or maybe less. Dont go to the places that truly scare you just to somewhere that is peacefull yet has maybe one of these statues. Also you don't need to get close you just need to be able to look at it for a minute or two with a supportive person. then go and have a picnic or something in the general area but where the statue is no longer visable.
I time you may be able to have the picnic (when your ready and it no longer causes you undue stress) in view of the statue.
voted up and interesting and thanks for sharing ... Ride on the backs of Dragons ~ Face your fears and do it anyways
Oh Lyn, thank you for the advice! (getting a little choked up here) I mean it sincerely,I have tried get more exposure to them gradually. Sometimes it is quite embarrassing in public.
I totally understand ... Many people don't know the stress you go through before you even leave your home just by knowing there is going to be a statue where your going. That is why I suggest doing this process as gently as possable as in time that stress will dissapate at least for the area you do this for and therefore you will have less stress when going other places.
Having someone who will support you and not make fun of your fear with you during this process will help to make you feel safer and calmer quicker so pick your support person carefully and good luck.
Hey, i too am petrified of statues they scare the living hell out of me and i'm not even going to try to face them!
I am also scared of dummys but for some reason manniquins you tend to find in clothes stores do not seem to bother me i think its just because of the lack of features.
I guess what really gets me about statues is just how they have so many details and they are kind of big and threating specially those eyes i hate them. I don't mind statues that are smaller than me and i don't normanally have a problem with like animal stautues that aren't doubled in size, so it is quite strange.
Musems are hard for me too and as i love them makes my phobia so inconveint. My worst childhood memory i think was when i went on holiday and we went to the local swiming pool which had a hindu/indian theme. And well you can imagine all those hindu statues with all the different arms and stuff it was horrible.
I also dream to live in Rome one day but think i may need therapy before i move there as Rome is full of statues!
Anyway good luck with your phobia hope it improves.
Thank you, Random, I would probably NEVER go to Rome because there are so many statues there!
I have thought for so long that I must be the only person with this phobia.....I'm 63 yrs. old and have had this fear my entire life. Like you I visited Washington D.C. yrs. ago. The Hall of Presidents still gives me horrors. I have had nightmares that a Big statue in the city next to where I live of Hannibal Hamlin is in a small park there...he sort of comes to life.....he's cast in bronze I believe....and he's chasing me. I have never forgotten that nightmare. It's horrible...if you don't have this phobia, you could not understand how it scares you so. Any place that has high cavernous ceilings is a part of my phobia too!!!!!!
Hi Sylvia, Yep that Hall of Presidents is too much for me to handle. And yes, those big dome ceilings come with the package. (Probably because the usual places that have those ceilings also contain statues.)
i have the exact same phobia as u do i cant be around any statue thats bigger than me or even pictures or paintings depending on what they are, the only time my fear didnt bother me it was when i saw an ancient egyptian exhibition in times square and it had alot statues and huge coffins but it didnt bother me because i love those things so i guess the like i have for ancient egypt beats my phobia but on everything else its the same thing
Yes, even Close-up pictures of Michelangelo's sculpture "David" frighten and intrigue me at the same time. It is a beautiful piece of art, but I cannot get past his eyes.
Hi Zabella,
I am SO very glad you wrote of your fear of statues -- I have the very same phobia and have kind of ashamed for years because I didn't think anyone else experienced this fear. It's wonderful to know I'm not alone! And like your aunt, my mother tried to "cure" me by basically holding me hostage next to a large statue of George Washington on a horse near where we lived at the time (I also grew up in NYC). It was bad enough I had to pass this thing every day to and from school, but when walking with my sister, I could always cross the street. I guess this one day, walking past it with my mother, she decided crossing the street was not an option and she was going to "make" me overcome my fear. Like you said, it only set me back further. I think my love of art has lessened the fear somewhat, but I have to take it in small doses. Thanks for sharing your story. I truly appreciate it.
I AM SO RELIEVED I AM NOT ALONE!!!!!!!!! I fear entering Catholic churches because of the religious statues. I am afraid of statues depending on their size and type. If it is a life size or bigger religious statue or even a painting my hearts starts pumping real fast and my hands get cold; I simply freeze. I could never enter the Sistine Chapel... Also some Renaissance time paintings freak me out. I have never met anyone like me. As an adult I have made myself to confront these fears but I have not been successful yet. Incredibly though, I was able to look and get into the Statue of Liberty but I get scared just imagining seeing the Christ of Los Andes...
I also have this phobia, and it is awful; I recall one harrowing time when we visited a graveyard in New Orleans. The tiny mausoleums were fine, but there was one GIANT one with angels ALL OVER IT. Over the doors and everything. I didn't get closer than maybe 30 feet, but it was STILL really awful.
Also, that Dr. Who episode with the angels. Seriously.
You think that's Bad? See the fontana del panethon! that shit is some serious nightmare fuel!
Mr Japan, Thank you for that..You were absolutely correct. I looked it up (my curiosity got the better of me) now I know for sure, that I will not visit Rome in this lifetime.
Yay now I can finally put a name to my fear. I am thankful to never have had quite as horrible of an expierence. but the first time I relized that I am obsolutely terrified of statues was when we went to a college trip with my high school class. In edgewood college, the base floor has this huge status, too big in my opinion.It was this ladies head, just the head on a pedistal and she was staring right at me. I literally stoped and looked away. I couldnt look straight at it, or be anywhere near it. I had this uneasyness feeling and wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. I stood firmly near the door , ready to exit at any moment. when I told my friends, because they noticed, I told them,I was scared, they laughed. when the tour guided finally moved on to the next room, I walked all the way around the statue, no where near. and boy was I glad to get out of there. !small figurence, I don't mind but large, ones, like the statue of liberty. I applaude you Zabbella for going up there. I think I would have cowerd at her feet and retreated to a fetal position.
mythicalstorm273 Level 7 Commenter 8 months ago
This was quite interesting. I am fascinated by phobias! Not just by the names but what they do to people. I am sorry to hear this phobia plagues you, but the experience you have written about is truly fascinating!