This storyboard image from The Fear Nobody Understands depicts how Anna’s daily routine becomes increasingly structured around toilet access, distance, timing, and the possibility of needing to leave. The public awareness film is scheduled to start shooting in Surrey on 25 and 26 July 2026.
The Surrey Institute of Clinical Hypnotherapy, SICH, focuses on anxiety-related disorders, with toilet anxiety among them.
The Fear Nobody Understands will use dramatic storytelling to show why toilet anxiety is not a fear of toilets, and why many people think they are the only ones who experience it
LONDON, LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, July 16, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — On 25 and 26 July, filming will commence in Surrey for a new scripted public awareness film that delves into the unseen reality of toilet anxiety—a condition that can quietly impact travel, career, relationships, and everyday independence.
The Fear Nobody Understands is a production by KindFame Productions and is backed by The Surrey Institute of Clinical Hypnotherapy. The narrative is built on over two decades of specialised clinical experience with thousands of individuals who have faced toilet anxiety.
Instead of a traditional documentary approach, this project will employ actors and a fictional storyline to immerse viewers in the thoughts and mental calculations of someone living with the condition.
Once finished, the production will be released both as a short film and as a five-part web series, making it easier for people searching online to identify and comprehend an experience that is often mixed up with other toilet-related fears.
Toilet anxiety is not a fear of toilets
Many people assume toilet anxiety is simply a fear of toilets or of using public restrooms. However, what many clients describe is nearly the opposite.
“Toilet anxiety is not usually a fear of toilets,” said Paul Howard, Senior Partner and Toilet Anxiety Specialist at The Surrey Institute of Clinical Hypnotherapy.
“It is the fear that you will need a toilet and will not be able to reach one in time. Someone with a fear of public toilets may avoid using them. Someone with toilet anxiety is often actively looking for them because knowing where the toilets are helps them feel safe.”
Howard notes that one of the most frequent comments he hears from new clients is: “Oh my God, I thought I was the only one with this problem until I found your website.”
Other clients report difficulty finding resources that match their actual experience.
“People tell me, ‘All I have ever found is sites talking about a fear of using a public toilet. That’s just not me. I’m happy if there is a public toilet. In fact, I go looking for them to feel safe,’” Howard said.
“That distinction is extremely important. A person may have spent years searching for an explanation and only found information about a condition that does not describe them. That can leave them believing that nobody else experiences what they do.”
This widespread misunderstanding is a key reason the film is being produced.
A hidden pattern of checking and planning
Someone living with toilet anxiety may appear composed and competent while privately calculating access, distance, timing, and ways to leave.
An ordinary trip may involve mapping routes and locating toilets in advance. Going to the cinema might hinge on getting a seat near the exit. Trains, traffic jams, queues, meetings, and unfamiliar places can all become challenging because toilet access might be uncertain, awkward, blocked, or delayed.
People may limit food and drink, make repeated precautionary trips to the toilet, decline invitations, or leave events early. Friends, family, and coworkers may never know the true reason.
“The person can become very skilled at hiding the problem,” Howard explained. “They may make excuses or quietly avoid situations without telling anyone why. From the outside, their decisions can appear unnecessary. From the inside, they feel essential to remaining safe.”
This can gradually create a conflict between the need to maintain control and the ability to trust the body.
“Knowing that a toilet is nearby may bring immediate relief, but nobody can guarantee immediate access to a toilet in every situation,” Howard said. “If someone’s freedom becomes dependent upon that guarantee, their world can gradually become smaller.”
Using drama to make an invisible experience visible
The central character in The Fear Nobody Understands is Anna, an outwardly capable woman whose daily life is increasingly shaped by the need to know where toilets are and how quickly she can reach them.
Although Anna and the other characters are fictional, the thoughts and behavioural patterns portrayed in the film have been informed by Howard’s clinical work with people experiencing toilet anxiety.
Using actors also protects the privacy of real clients who may not feel comfortable discussing such a personal problem publicly.
“We could have made a conventional documentary with interviews and explanations, but that would only tell the audience about toilet anxiety,” Howard said.
“We want people to experience an ordinary situation as Anna experiences it. A queue, a traffic jam or a closed door may mean very little to most of us. For her, it can change the entire situation.
“This is not intended to be a lecture or an advertisement disguised as a film. We are making a human story about someone who appears to be coping while privately managing a fear that nobody around her fully understands.”
At the centre of Anna’s story is the conflict between control and body trust. She has come to believe that remaining safe depends upon preparation, checking and guaranteed access. However, the more she tries to control every possibility, the less able she becomes to trust her own body.
A short film and five part web series
The production has been designed to work as one complete short film and as five individual online episodes.
Each episode will explore a different stage of Anna’s experience while contributing to the larger story. This will allow someone to encounter the subject through a particular situation or behaviour they recognise, even if they have not yet identified the wider pattern as toilet anxiety.
The complete film will bring those experiences together in a single narrative centred upon control, avoidance and the rebuilding of trust in the body.
Filming will take place on 25 and 26 July 2026, followed by editing, sound production and music. The release date will be announced once post production has been completed.
More information see why the film is being made.
About KindFame Productions
KindFame Productions is a Surrey based video production company producing creative film and video content for businesses, organisations and community projects. The Fear Nobody Understands is being created as a public awareness film and five part web series.
About The Surrey Institute of Clinical Hypnotherapy
The Surrey Institute of Clinical Hypnotherapy is based in Wallington, Surrey. Its therapists work with a range of anxiety related and behavioural problems.
Paul Howard has specialised in toilet anxiety for more than 20 years and has worked with thousands of people affected by fears surrounding toilet access, urgency and loss of control.
Mr Paul Howard
The Surrey Institute of Clinical Hypnotherapy
+44 20 8669 6990
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