Fear of flowers (anthophobia)

Anthophobia is a fear of flowers. It can range from discomfort around a single type of bloom to avoiding gardens, florists and wedding venues. Gifts of flowers, which most people see as kind, can feel stressful to receive.

About this phobia

The name comes from the Greek anthos, meaning flower. It is also written as anthrophobia, which is easy to confuse with anthropophobia, the fear of people. It is an uncommon term with little clinical documentation, and for some people the fear is really about the bees and insects that flowers attract.

What it feels like

• Feeling tense when handed a bouquet
• Avoiding parks or gardens in spring and summer
• Disliking the look of certain petals or seed heads up close

Explore more unusual fears in the rare phobias A to Z, or browse the common phobias.

Common questions

Is a fear of flowers linked to trypophobia?

It can be for some. Seed heads such as lotus pods have clusters of small holes that trouble people with trypophobia. Others fear flowers for different reasons, such as insects or a past bad experience.

How can you help?

I use hypnotherapy and NLP to change how your mind responds to the thing you fear, so the old alarm stops going off. Sessions are one to one over Zoom, and you get a recording of the hypnosis to listen to afterwards.

How many sessions will I need?

Many clients notice a real difference after one 90 minute session. If the fear goes back a long way, three sessions gives us room to make the change stick.

Ready to start?

Book a £49 consultation call and we’ll talk through your fear, or take the free suitability test first.

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