It’s one of many fears of harmless things, and is more likely disgust than fear, which is why the American Psychiatric Association (APA) doesn’t officially recognise this disorder in its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5).
A peer-reviewed study published in the March 2015 issue of the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology estimated that 15 percent of adults (18 percent of females and 11 percent of males) experience trypophobia to some degree.
The origins of trypophobia are in 2005 a blogger going by the name Louise wrote that she’d consulted Oxford English Dictionary spokesperson Margot Charlton about the correct way to combine the Ancient Greek prefix trypa, meaning “holes,” with phobia, meaning “fear.” resulting in the creation of a term that gets over 1 million results on Google.
People with trypophobia have a strong physical and emotional reaction whenever they see patterns made up of holes or spots. The bigger the cluster of circles, the more uncomfortable they feel.
- Trypophobia Triggers
- Poppy-seed bagels
- Strawberries
- Pomegranates
- Honeycombs
- Swiss cheese
- Air holes in chocolate
- Air holes in a slice of bread
- The head of a lotus flower
- Holes or pebbles in concrete
- Sponges
- Soap bubbles
- Patterns in the frosting of a cake or pie
- Shower heads
- The holes in an old hockey mask
- Hair follicles
- Skin problems like sores, scars, and spots
- Spotted animals
- LEDs in traffic lights
- Others respond only to more exotic or unusual images, such as:
- Coral reefs
- Lotus seed pods
- Surinam toad giving birth
- Photo-shopped pictures, such as rows of holes or teeth embedded on an arm, shoulder or face.
- Trypophobia Risk Factors
Trypophobia is more common in women than in men. It also runs in families. In one study, about 25% of people who had trypophobia also had a close relative with the condition.
Trypophobia Symptoms
The symptoms of trypophobia look a lot like a panic attack. You might have:
- Itching, goosebumps, or a feeling like your skin is crawling
- Nausea
- Shaking
- Sweating
- Shortness of breath
- A fast heartbeat
Some people who are afraid of hole patterns also have other mental disorders, such as:
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD)
- Social anxiety
- Panic disorder
- Bipolar disorder
- Major depression
How Do You Stop a Trypophobic Reaction?
Relaxation techniques can shorten trypophobia duration while it is occurring and reduce it’s frequency and intensity in the future.
One simple, effective technique is called box breathing.
- Exhale slowly through your nose for a count of four.
- Inhale slowly through your nose for a count of four.
- Exhale slowly through your nose for a count of four.
- Continue breathing this way for one to five minutes.
Exposure therapy
People who find that trypophobia disrupts their daily routines, reduces their self-esteem, or causes extreme anxiety can turn to the most widely accepted technique for taming phobias, a desensitising process called exposure therapy.
In progressive steps by yourself or with the help of a therapist, you begin by looking at fairly benign triggering images while using a relaxation technique, such as box breathing, and reminding yourself that you are not in any danger. Then slowly work up to being able to stare at the images that previously felt most threatening until you realise that nothing bad is happening.
If exposure therapy is not successful, or is too terrifying to even try then Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) might work.
Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT)
aka tapping, is a mind-body method for reducing stress and anxiety, may help reduce or eliminate trypophobia, says Roberta Temes, PhD, a clinical psychologist and the author of The Tapping Cure: A Revolutionary System for Rapid Relief From Phobias, Anxiety, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and More.
EFT involves tapping specific acupuncture points on the body with the fingertips while focusing on the phobia and repeating positive affirmations.
The first step is identifying a feared object. “Let’s say it’s Swiss cheese,” says Dr. Temes. “This technique works best when you start in a state of terror, so you would visualise Swiss cheese until you became more and more upset. You then would tap different points on the face, upper body or hands, while saying something like, ‘Even though Swiss cheese disgusts me, I love and accept myself’; ‘Even though Swiss cheese disgusts me, I am safe,’ or ‘Even though Swiss cheese disgusts me, I’m okay. I can still go into the dairy aisle.’”
“This technique shifts the nervous system away from fight or flight and permits you to be brave in the face of your phobia because it permits you to accept yourself,” Temes says.
If you can’t overcome your fear with practice alone, consider seeking professional help.
Sydney Phobia Therapy has an online therapy for trypophobia.
We currently use a 3rd generation version for fear of public speaking phobia therapy based on the original Fast Phobia Cure initially created by Richard Bandler and John Grinder in the 1970’s.
Now when I say fast, I mean typically one session only, no homework and its content free.
Content free means you don’t talk about, and you certainly don’t tell me, because I don’t want it either. You’re seeing me online, so stay in the comfort of your own space and no travel time, to have it removed, not to see if we can talk it to death.
