Though scientists are still trying to understand the mechanism behind trypophobia, they have found that it is related to a person’s brain. Trypophobia is not officially recognized as an anxiety disorder by the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders.
However, there are many people who suffer from an uncontrollable fear of clusters of small holes in clusters. There are some who have found relief through hypnosis or psychotherapy, or even just through knowledge of this condition.
There are 2 theories on how trypophobia relates to your brain:
- Your brain has a hardwired aversion to these patterns because they resemble holes in the prey’s skin which would be used by predators to kill them.
- Your brain associates these patterns with poisonous animals or something dangerous that would cause harm
How to Overcome Trypophobia & the Fear of Holes
The fear of holes or trypophobia is a specific type of anxiety disorder. The term “trypophobia” is derived from the Greek word, “trypa”, which means ‘hole’. It’s characterized by an intense aversion to clusters of small holes and bumps or patterns that resemble small holes.
People suffering from trypophobia tend to avoid anything that causes them to experience the disgust and panic, such as images of honeycombs, sea urchins, and lotus seed pods. However, there are many ways one can overcome this fear.
What Are The Different Forms Of Trypophobia?
There are different types of Trypophobia, and it is important to understand the cause of the fear in order to treat it effectively.
Acute trypophobia is characterized by flushed skin, sweating, dry mouth, rapid heartbeat, and breathlessness when an individual sees a cluster of holes or bumps. Some people may experience panic attacks after seeing these images.
Dermotopic trypophobia is triggered by looking at or touching skin that has many pores visible or clogged pores
Atypical trypophobic stimuli include natural textures like wood grain and honeycomb
Phylogenetic trypophobia occurs when clusters are reminiscent of parasites found on other mammals
Is It Possible To Treat Trypophobia?
Trypophobia is an irrational fear of holes. It is not possible to treat this phobia because there are no studies that prove that it can be cured. What might help is to talk with a therapist or counsellor about the feelings of discomfort you feel when looking at images with clusters of holes.