Seeing a honeycomb, a sea sponge, or simply an Emmental cheese can trigger an intense reaction of disgust or fear in some people. It is what is known as trypophobia and it happens when you see elements containing repetitive geometric figures, especially holes. Although this phobia is not officially recognized as a mental disorder, it can cause great distress and different hypotheses have been proposed to explain its origin.
At the end of this article you will find several images of objects that usually cause trypophobia or hole phobia in sensitive people. If you are one of them, you can read the rest of the article without fear and skip the last section.
Trypophobia: what is it
The trypophobia It is a type of phobia that is characterized by fear or aversion toward objects (or images) composed of repetitive geometric patterns and very grouped. It occurs especially with groups of small holeswhich is why it is also known as phobia of holesbut it can also occur with rectangular patterns, squares, small protuberances, etc.
Although the prevalence of trypophobia is unknown, a 2013 study indicates up to 16% of the population experience some degree of discomfort when looking at images with holes, such as a lotus seed pod.
Trypophobia is not officially recognized as a specific mental illness, although there are researchers who believe that when it causes a excessive and persistent fear and distress, may meet the criteria of the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders of the American Psychiatric Association (DSM-5) for the category of specific phobias.
Phobia of holes or trypophobia: images that cause it
If you are reading this article, you may have been interested, either out of curiosity or because you suffer from a hole phobia or know someone who suffers from it and are trying to understand. Keep these in mind examples of items and images that can cause trypophobia:
- The honeycombs.
- Sea sponges.
- Cheese with holes (emmental type).
- Bread with seeds.
- Fruits with small seeds, such as strawberries or papaya.
- The seed pod or capsule of the lotus flower.
- The sunflowers.
- Skin problems such as sores or spots.
- Animals with spots on their skin, such as leopards or Dalmatian dogs.
- The shower heads.
Symptoms of trypophobia or hole phobia
He fear and anguish They are the main symptoms of phobias. People with trypophobia may experience a strong physical and emotional reaction or a intense disgust every time they see repetitive patterns made up of holes, and often the more holes or repeated geometric figures there are, the greater the discomfort.
They often avoid those things (objects, images, foods…) that trigger trypophobia.
Others symptoms that people with trypophobia may have are:
- Tremors.
- Nausea.
- Difficulty breathing.
- Increased heartbeat.
- Sweating.
- Goosebumps.
- Shivers.
In the most serious cases they may even suffer a panic attack.
Possible origin of trypophobia or phobia of holes
The exact causes of trypophobia are unknown, but there are some hypotheses about it:
- Some research suggests that it could be due to a biological repulsion that associates patterns with repetitive geometric shapes with danger or illnessbecause it is reminiscent of diseased skin, specifically a dermatosis, or the presence of parasites, for example. According to this theory there would therefore be a evolutionary basis.
- Other researchers believe that the fear triggered by these types of repetitive patterns could be due to a unconscious association with the skin of dangerous or poisonous animals. Fear of alleged threats is also considered a adaptive evolutionary response.
- Other studies indicate that it is only a natural human response to certain types of visual stimuli and it would be due to its association with supposed threats such as diseases or poisonous animals.
In some cases, trypophobia is linked to other mental disorders described in the DSM-5 as generalized anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Exposure therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and relaxation techniques are possible treatments for this disorder and can help reduce symptoms.
Examples of images that cause trypophobia
Below we show you some images of patterns and objects that typically provoke fear in people with trypophobia: