When he found out that his friend had an inexplicable fear of a Disney villain, he decided to solve the problem in a funny but very effective way.
We all have some kind of fear; some of them are common, like fear of cockroaches, heights, or even closed spaces. But some phobias, as strange as they may seem, exist and have little explanation.
For example, some people suffer from autophobia, which is the uncontrollable fear of being alone, and there are also those who suffer from gamophobia, the fear of getting married or taking on a commitment. And then there are phobias that haven’t even been named yet.
Kara Carneal, for example, has an inexplicable fear of Jafar, the villain from Disney’s movie “Aladdin.” Yes, that’s right, a character from a children’s animated movie. So, when her friend Kyle Philippi found out about her phobia, he decided to confront the problem head-on and performed exposure therapy, which involves gradually exposing the person to situations or objects that trigger their fear.
In a TikTok video, Philippi shared his method for freeing Carneal from her phobia and never fearing the Disney villain again.
In November of last year, Philippi invaded his friend’s apartment dressed as Jafar, reciting some of the character’s iconic lines. In the footage, we see Carneal sitting on the couch, clutching a pillow, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
The therapy didn’t stop there; in another video, the friend went to Cameo, a site where you can buy personalized videos from celebrities, and asked Jafar’s original voice actor, Jonathan Freeman, to record a special message for Philippi to dub in an elaborate theatrical production dedicated to helping Carneal overcome her phobia forever.
In an interview with Today.com, Carneal explained that when she watched the movie (the only time she watched it) as a child, she felt terrified when she saw the sorcerer wielding a snake staff and could never get over the fear.
And, as incredible as it may seem, Philippi’s method actually worked. At the beginning of 2023, he and his friend went to see the “Aladdin” musical on Broadway, and by the end of the show, Carneal even managed to give Jafar a hug!
This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
