Christmas: a time for treats — or treatment?

CHRONICLE Business writer Martyn Torr has donned his festive party hat to take a light-hearted look at Christmas and asks — are you suffering from Christmas phobia?

There are plenty of people who suffer from Christmas phobia — even if it’s not a condition that is officially recognised.

If you are the kind of person who seems extra anxious as Christmas draws near and yet there isn’t a rational justification for the fear, you may well be a Christmas phobic.

If the thought of the decorations, Christmas parties and secret Santa gets you worried and moody then a phobia of the festive season might be the cause.

Don’t take my word for it . . . Graham W Price is a chartered psychologist and an expert at curing phobias. He has many years’ experiencing curing a wide range of phobias — including Christmas phobia.

So what exactly is a phobia? Well, it’s officially described as “an irrational fear that generates anxiety whenever we’re exposed to the thing we fear.” And there are named phobias for just about everything — except Christmas. Christmasophobia, perhaps?

If you are a Christmasophobic, where might that phobia have come from? Perhaps a fearful or traumatic childhood experience?

“I read a sad but endearing story of a Japanese lady with Christmasophobia,” explained Graham.

“Her mother left her at the age of nine on Christmas Eve, never to return. Less common might be a similar experience later in life. One of my Christmasophobic clients had experienced a trauma on Christmas Day at the age of 19.”

Sometimes a relatively mild recurring disturbance can grow into a phobia over time.

A challenging family relationship that has to be endured only at Christmas could trigger a phobia after repeated bad experiences.

Can Christmasophobia be cured? Any phobia can be cured, states Graham, adding: “If the phobia was triggered by a trauma, treatment for post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) could be sufficient to cure the phobia.

“The favoured treatment for this has been cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). Nowadays, more modern techniques, often combined with CBT, can achieve a quicker cure,” he points out.

If the phobia has been reinforced over many years by avoiding the trigger, in this case avoiding Christmas, the phobia can be cured using the classic CBT technique of exposure therapy. This means repeated exposure to the feared anxiety trigger — in other words, fully participating in Christmas.

More modern, acceptance-based techniques, often combined with CBT, can expedite the cure.

To employers, if the phobia is affecting an employee’s ability to work, don’t panic, says Graham, who continues: “You can get them back to full productivity and enjoying the fun of the season with the rest of the team. Perhaps you could gently suggest a session with a phobia expert — or offer to pay for a session as a Christmas present.

“My client whose Christmasophobia had been triggered by a trauma at the age of 19 had certainly re-inforced the problem by repeatedly avoiding her family’s Christmas celebration.

“Her treatment first addressed her PTSD symptoms using the modern “rewind technique” which involves repeatedly watching an imagined video of the trauma in a relaxed state. Her phobia was then further treated using acceptance action therapy, an advanced form of CBT focusing on accepting feelings and being willing to experience anxiety-provoking situations.

“Her phobia was quickly cured enabling her to spend Christmas with her family for the first time in years,” explained Graham.

“These days no-one should have to endure their christmasophobia, or any other phobia, for long.

“Modern treatments are highly effective and, in my experience and the experience of other specialists, all phobias can be quickly cured.”