According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the most common fears people have include the fear of socializing, open spaces, heights, enclosed spaces, insects, snakes, dogs, storms, and needles.
Actress Nicole Kidman has a fear of her own: the fear of butterflies, known as lepidopterophobia.
IMDb reports, Kidman acquired the phobia as a child despite endless attempts to conquer her fear.
"Sometimes when I would come home from school the biggest butterfly or moth you'd ever seen would be just sitting on our front gate," she said. "I would climb over the fence, crawl around to the side of the house - anything to avoid having to go through the front gate. I have tried to get over it (the phobia) I walked into the big butterfly cage at the American Museum of Natural History and had the butterflies on me, but that didn't work. I jump out of planes, I could be covered in cockroaches, I do all sorts of things, but I just don't like the feel of butterflies' bodies."
While many people see butterflies as cute and harmless creatures, people like Kidman are afraid of how they look and skittish by their behaviors. Someone with the same fear was featured on Animal Planet's My Extreme Animal Phobia. The show chronicles people's experiences which can result in debilitating fear and anxiety that affects their social and personal life.
While taking part in a quiz about her Big Little Lies co-star, Reese Witherspoon was asked to pick which of the two statements – Nicole’s high school nickname was ‘Legs’ and Nicole is deathly afraid of butterflies – she thought was true. Witherspoon told Entertainment Tonight, "She's not afraid of butterflies. I agree that she was probably called 'legs'. Am I wrong?"
“She suffers from lepidopterophobia – a fear of butterflies. And her high school name was ‘Stalky'," the interviewer replied.
Lepidopterophobia originates from the Greek word Lepidoptera, the group or class of insects including butterflies, moths, skippers and other winged insects. This phobia is closely linked with Entomophobia, fear of insects, or Mottephobia, the fear of moths.
According to Verywell Mind, many people develop phobias from single or repeated events; where they were in an environment that was unfamiliar or startled by an unpredictable or uncontrolled interaction with butterflies or moths, or these animals were present during the uncomfortable or unfortunate event.
The most proven way to help with lepidopterophobia is facing the fear head-on. MEE, or mere exposure effect, is a method that has shown exposure to the object of your fear in a controlled and intentional environment is a good way to help neutralize the phobia.
The best way to face the fear is to interact with or expose yourself to butterflies, for example butterfly and moth exhibits, or going to a garden, may be a good way to face the fear. While the fear may never go away completely, intentionally interacting with or exposing yourself to butterflies is a good start.
She May Fear Butterflies, But Has Love For... Snakes?
Kidman expressed her fondness for snakes during an appearance on Conan in 2015.
"I'm open to snakes," the actress revealed with Conan O'Brien. She shared she finds snakes awesome and enjoys holding them.
Our advice to the actress is to assume greater control of her fear of butterflies by voluntarily interacting with them. Maybe she should consider joining butterfly conversion projects, trying immersion therapy, or even creating art with her feared subjects.