Trypophobia - Fear of Holes
For the longest time I thought I was the only one in the world who was unnerved by holes. Not all holes mind you, just tiny holes in asymmetrical clusters, often times with things in them. Like a lotus seed pod. They creep me out, horribly. I can’t stand to look at them . When I do, I start to get really uncomfortable and a creepy, itchy feeling crawls all over my body.
After a while I found my sister and brother were also afflicted with this weird fear of clustered holes, so I felt a little bit better in knowing that I wasn’t 100% off-the-wall nutty. And after a little while longer I found out other people had this bizarre phobia as well. Strangers on the internet. That’s when I came across the unofficial name of this fear: trypophobia, derived from the Greek word where trypa means hole and phobia means fear.
What is a phobia?
A phobia is an irrational fear of an object or situation that a person feels compelled to avoid. Some phobias are minimal, however some can inhibit the ability to work, socialize and live a productive life. Phobias are marked by extreme anxiety, they are:
1) Uncontrollable feelings of panic, dread or horror.
2) Preoccupation with the phobia.
3) Rapid heartbeat, trembling, sweating, and shortness of breath when confronted with the phobia.
4) Constructing ways to avoid the phobia at all costs.
What causes a phobia?
Phobias arise due to a combination of genetic disposition and external events. Many phobias develop due to trauma as a child, like being bitten by a dog and then fearing all dogs throughout life. Others are learned. If you grow up watching your mother freak out about spiders, you will probably feel the same way about them later.
Trypophobia is considered a specific phobia since a single trigger is what causes anxiety in an individual.
Treatments for phobias
A lot of therapists use a technique called desensitization to cure a phobia. Desensitization is the process of introducing the trigger of a phobia into a person’s life. With trypophobia I would start with looking at a picture of, let’s say, a lotus seed pod. Then when I feel comfortable with just a picture, I would get a real one. After feeling comfortable with that, I may touch it and so forth until I’m not rendered an itchy mess anymore.
Reverse your thinking when you are confronted with the trigger of your phobia. This can help train you into recognizing irrationality behind your fear. For trypophobia instead of thinking, “That thing is really itchy-looking and gross,” try shifting it to something more positive like, “It’s just a bunch of holes. They can’t do anything to me.”
As panic and fear begin to take hold because of a phobia, try thinking of something other than your fear. Count backwards from 100 by twos or talk to yourself about something totally not related, like your plans for the weekend. This can temporarily get your mind off the fear.
Take a deep breath. Meditation and deep breathing are just a couple ways you can clear your head of anxiety and unwanted thoughts.
