(Newswire.net — April 4, 2022) — Trypophobia is the phobia or the fear of holes or any surface or an item with closely packed holes. Similar to other phobias, people with trypophobia feel distressed, disgusted, and queasy when looking at small holes clustered together. Trypophobia definition was introduced to the web forum for the first time in 2005.
Phobia got its name from two Greek words; trypa, meaning punching holes, and phobia, meaning fear. Trypophobia encompasses a whole range of fears, including fear of porous structures such as the skin, soap bubbles, spongy surfaces, and things with repetitive structures.
You can be informed about the more detailed definition of the disease and current scientific data through this page.
What triggers trypophobia?
There is no conclusive research or study on what specifically triggers trypophobia. Some experts believe that trypophobia is a result of social anxiety because the many holes on the object resemble the eyes of people staring back in a social situation. At the same time, others believe that trypophobia is a reaction to the visual energy in the images of the objects.
Trypophobia is also thought to be an evolutionary response where the reaction warns people about the nature of infectious diseases.
Regardless of the cause, trypophobia is largely visual, so the phobia can be triggered when the person sees or comes in close contact with:
- Showerheads
- Pebbles or holes in concrete
- Skin diseases like spots and sores
- Spotted animals
- Spotted fruits like strawberries
- Swiss cheese
- Lotus flower
- LEDs
- Sponges
- Honeycombs
- Water droplets formed due to condensation
Although trypophobia triggers are largely visual, some people are thought to be among the risk category of this phobia. This includes individuals with social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, OCD, and major depressive disorder.
Symptoms of trypophobia
Individuals with trypophobia show varying degrees and different types of symptoms depending on their level of aversion to the holes pattern. These symptoms include:
- Feeling distressed and upset
- Goosebumps with chills and a crawling sensation on the skin
- Lightheadedness or dizziness
- Sweating
- Trembling and shaking
- Increased heartbeat
- Panic attacks
- Nausea
- Gagging
- Visual discomfort including illusions, distortion, and eyestrain
- Balance disorders
- Getting angry
Trypophobia treatments
Trypophobia has no set treatment currently since it is not considered a true disorder. However, there are possible treatment options that have benefited those with trypophobia. These are:
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy or CBT: This type of trypophobia treatment involves talking to a therapist in order to try to change the negative feelings or fear around holes and patterns and combat fear. In case of severe trypophobia, CBT is used in combination with drug therapy.
- Relaxation methods: These primarily involve deep breathing and relaxation exercises to relieve stress and anxiety caused by the object with holes.
- Medications: Depending on the severity of the trypophobia, treatment with antidepressants such as sertraline has also been found useful. In some cases with trypophobia, prescription with tranquilizers can also relieve stress and panic attacks.
- Exposure therapy: This involves exposing the individual with trypophobia to objects with patterned holes or clusters of holes. Exposure aims to help the individual with trypophobia to overcome the anxiety and fear of holes by rationalizing them as non-threatening. Exposure therapy in trypophobia is found to be very successful.