Scared of Michael Jackson? Understand rare phobias like Key Alves, from BBB23

Spider phobia, the dark, and tight spaces are considered relatively “common” phobias. But have you ever heard of Michael Jackson phobia? Yes, the singer. If you follow Big Brother Brasil, probably yes.

Key Alves, participant of this year’s edition, raised the curiosity of other “brothers” and internet users by reporting that he is afraid of the singer, who died in 2009.

In several cuts of the program it is possible to see her telling some funny episodes about what her colleagues called “Michaelphobia”.

I’m scared to death of michael jackson I swear, loving knowing it’s a mass outbreak https://t.co/vrra2WGBPX

— duncan mackinder (@iconicduncan) February 1, 2023

In one of them, Key remembers that he saw the singer in the corridors and that he appeared in his dreams. This only stopped happening after a hypnotherapy session in which the professional said she would “forget” the singer. But the “fear” remains.

In conversation with CNN, psychologist Luana Ganzert, a specialist in emotions, explained that a phobia is an exaggerated fear of something – objects, animals, people, places or situations that the brain identifies as danger.

“This often irrational lack of control is caused by excessive anxiety and triggers physical symptoms such as tachycardia, sweating, shivering, shortness of breath, nausea, and even fainting,” warned Ganzert.

According to the Interamerican Society of Hypnotherapy, there are more than 500 examples of phobia, which can manifest in different ways and belong to several categories.

What is the origin of phobias?

A person was sexually abused as a child in an environment that had geckos. Later, she ended up developing a phobia of the animal due to the trauma she experienced.

Iara Rolim, psychologist

From the point of view of psychoanalysis, a current of studies of the human mind, phobias are generated in childhood.

Iara Rolim, a psychologist specializing in phobias, explained to CNN that a child can feel helpless when facing some very strong emotional situations, and ends up associating the experience with some external experience.

“I have a report of a case of a person who suffered sexual abuse in childhood in an environment that had lizards. Later, she ended up developing a phobia of the animal due to the trauma she had experienced,” said Iara.

The professional also added that there may be another reason: “Learning and living with adults who also had the same fear can be another factor in the development of a phobia.”

unusual phobias

Just go to Google and type “Phobia of…”, and the first results are the best known or “normative”: clown, height, insects, dark, indoors, cockroach, snake.

But the subject is even more curious when the phobias are rare, like Michael Jackson’s. There are those who are afraid of navels, omphalophobia; wet hair, a beard, mirrors, being alone… the list is long.

Luana Ganzert justifies that each phobia is a unique creation of each mind that differs from person to person: “It’s hard to know what caused Key’s excessive fear of Michael Jackson, for example. Probably, she must have suffered some trauma associated with the figure of the singer, or associated with some negative projection of him”.

how to treat

According to the psychoanalytic approach, Iara advises the person to identify and understand the trauma experienced by regressive psychotherapy to childhood. From there, it will be possible to understand what was the association made of this emotion to other objects, situations or people.

For Luana, methods such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, controlled medication and hypnotherapy can help reduce phobic symptoms.