Lifestyle

Trypophobia: Why We’re Afraid of Holes Close to Each Other (Trypophobia Test & Trypophobia Cure)

2021-07-22 , 3:17 pm

Last Updated on 2024-05-14 , 5:25 pm

Heard of trypophobia before? No? But have you ever looked at a picture of holes very close to each other and had shivers down your back? And for some reason, every time you look at it, the feeling gets worse and you start to feel goosebumps, cold sweat, body shakes, and even nausea?

What on earth is this strange feeling? And why do I have it?

Well, if you find yourself being described, you’re not alone. According to research, you likely have a fear called trypophobia, a fear that celebrities like Kendall Jenner and Sarah Paulson also have.

So to answer your questions, here’s everything you need to know about the fear of holes close to each other.

What Triggers Trypophobia?

Well, there are lots of things that can trigger the fear, and the things can be as harmless as things like a sponge, honeycombs, hair follicles, showerhead, soap bubbles, strawberries, skin pores etcetera. But it can also be unusual things that we don’t often see, like coral reefs, lotus seed pods, and other photoshopped images that are designed to scare the bejeezus out of everyone.

What happened to photoshopping cats doing cute and funny stuff?

Symptoms of Trypophobia

So what happens when a trypophobe is triggered?

There are three different categories of reactions that can happen when a trypophobe gets triggered. The first would be the cognitive-related types. You could start to feel uneasy, anxious, overwhelming fear, and disgust.

The next would be the skin-related types. It’s like your body knows how afraid you are, and starts developing goosebumps. You may even start to feel like your skin is crawling and you have to scratch the itch.

And the last would be the physiological types. You may feel dizzy and feel like you can’t really breathe properly. You’ll suddenly be able to hear your racing heartbeat really loudly and break out in cold sweat. In some cases, you may even start to feel nauseous and vomit.

Causes of Trypophobia

What exactly causes this irrational fear of holes?

To this date, no one really knows why some of us have this fear of holes close together. But there are quite a few theories that may explain this phenomenon.

Arnold Wilkins and Geoff Cole, psychologists of England’s University of Essex Centre for Brain Science, conducted a study and found that trypophobia could have been evolved through evolution by natural selection.

Many of the world’s deadliest animals like snakes, crocodiles, and spiders have repeated high-contrast bumps, circular markings, or pits on their skin.

And back then, only those who had a fear of these patterns ran from these creatures and had a higher chance of surviving. As such, it is believed that our ancestors who survived passed this trait to their offspring so that they can have a better chance at survival, and this trait has continued to this day.

Two University of Kent researchers further studied this and drew links to the fear of getting infectious skin diseases instead, like smallpox and measles, as this was a more persistent threat as compared to the danger of an animal lurking nearby.

Treatment for Trypophobia

So can trypophobia ever be treated?

The short answer is, yes, it can.

The most common type of treatment is Exposure Therapy, which is a process of desensitising by slowly exposing yourself to more and more upsetting pictures of holes close together until your mind is able to realise that you are not in any way threatened.

Just like how you would be able to get over your fear of heights by exposing yourself to high elements, this works the same way.

Another type of treatment is through using Emotional Freedom Techniques. This is an interesting method as it focuses on tapping specific acupuncture points on your body with your fingertips while keeping your mind on your fear and repeating positive words.

Repeat after me, kids: even though this sponge disgusts me, I love and accept myself. Even though this sponge disgusts me, I am safe.

There is still a lot of debate on whether this works or if it’s just a placebo effect, but hey, anything to stop the fear, right?

One more type of treatment is through medication. This is the least preferred method as it is mostly used as a short-term treatment, but it still works and can help to reduce anxiety levels and other symptoms if you are exposed to the fear. Typically, sedatives are used for relaxation, and beta-blockers are used to stop the effects of adrenaline pumping in the body.

Alternatively, you can make some lifestyle changes and start getting active. Bust out those hiking shoes and spend more time outside with nature, or pull out that yoga mat you bought for your new year’s resolution but never got to use and start meditating and doing yoga. These exercises would definitely contribute to helping you get over the fear, and plus, you get to cross something off your list.

Prevention of Trypophobia

Can you actually prevent trypophobia?

You can try to do so by practising box breathing, which is basically learning to calm yourself through deep-breathing exercises.

All you have to do is take a deep breath for 4 counts and then exhale for 4 counts. Repeat these 2 steps for about 5 minutes and you should be feeling much better than when you were first exposed. Over time, the intensity of your symptoms when you are exposed to a trigger will be much lesser.

While we may all be ashamed of having fears, it is something that almost everyone has. So if you’re afraid of being laughed at for being a trypophobe, just remember, it’s all about teaching yourself to be calm and relaxed when you’re exposed to a trigger so that the symptoms won’t be that bad. Good luck!

Featured Image: URACHAI JAMEET / Shutterstock.com