A Lancashire grandad is finally able to relax in his garden after decades of being scared to the core of the moths that might “attack” him while he’s outside. The 59-year-old traces his lepidopterophobia, or the fear of moths, to when he was working nights at an envelope-making factory in his 20s.
The Darwen-based factory was a hotspot for disorientated bugs, which he recalled would often bump into the machines or even fly directly into him or simply land on his table. He admitted: “They frightened the hell out of me.”
Over time, seeing moths outside of work left Dave deeply unsettled thinking “these moths were out to get me, to attack me”. He even believed the insects “could sense” that he was absolutely petrified of them.
The anxiety that a moth might fly past, or even worse directly into him, left the grandad so nervous he couldn’t even enjoy summer evenings in the garden with his wife of 16 years, Bev. This cut out camping trips and most outdoor activities and Dave was often “dreading summer” when the bugs were likely to be around.
Feeling this was “unfair” on Bev, although she’d been incredibly understanding of his phobia, Dave decided to make a change as he felt his fear had “taken over” his life. He was selected to participate in an experiment and visit a clinic in Amsterdam specifically to help treat people with fears and phobias.
The Memory Reconsolidation treatment in October 2023 proved to be “life-changing” and was more of a success than any of Dave’s loved ones could’ve imagined as he even rescued one caterpillar from his shed and welcomed it into his home. Dave and Bev first found the Kindt Clinic in an ad for a Channel 4 documentary, The Fear Clinic, which is airing on January 21 and showcases Dave’s story.
The clinic relies on the technique by Dr Merel Kindt, involving a chat with a psychologist before Dave entered a room with around 30 to 40 moths for just five minutes. It wasn’t an easy move, Dave recalled to PA: “If you want to cry, cry, if you want to scream, scream, but the aim was to try and not leave the room.”
Dave was able to conquer his fear at the Amsterdam clinic
(Image: PA)
After five long minutes, Dave was given a beta-blocker and relaxed in another room in the clinic before returning to his hotel, instructed to get an early night while avoiding talking or even thinking about what he’d just been through. Quite literally overnight, Dave felt he had been changed: “I went back the next day and asked if I could hold a moth. I thought it would be big and clumsy but it was soft and gentle, it’s not what I thought it would be.”