What Is Trypophobia?
Trypophobia is a fear of or aversionxxto tightly packed patterns of holes or other similar patterns, such as those found in honeycombs, sea sponges, or soap bubbles. If you have trypophobia, these sights might make you feel panicky, shaky, and sick.
How common is Trypophobia?
It’s difficult to know for sure how common trypophobia is. In one study, researchers found that 18% of adults had some degree of trypophobia. Some studies show that even some young children are disturbed by images of clustered patterns.
Trypophobia Symptoms
The symptoms of trypophobia look a lot like a panic attack. You might have:
- Nausea
- Shaking
- Shortness of breath
- Rapid breathing
- Fast heartbeat
- Sweating
- Chills
- Choking or dry mouth
- Intense feeling of disgust, revulsion, or terror
- Pale skin
Trypophobia Treatment
Because trypophobia isn’t a true disorder, there’s no set treatment for it. And while there isn’t a cure for any phobia, there are steps you can take to gain control over what triggers your stress and anxiety.
Some of the top treatments for trypophobia are:
Exposure therapy (desensitization). Not everyone can tolerate exposure therapy because it means you have to do something that upsets you. But if you have a specific phobia, there’s a good chance it’ll help you.
Here’s how it works: Your therapist gradually exposes you to whatever causes you fear or disgust. Then, they give you tools to manage anxious thoughts, feelings, or physical reactions that come up during therapy. You repeat this with multiple sessions until you feel more comfortable around your triggers.
Exposure therapy for trypophobia may include:
- Thinking about your trypophobia triggers
- Looking at pictures or videos with clusters of holes
- Holding a sponge or something else with repeating patterns
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). This is a type of talk therapy that can help you change your thoughts and perceptions about what causes your fear and aversion. You also learn healthy ways to deal with the thoughts and feelings that trypophobia triggers.