trip of phobia pictures

What Is Trypophobia? Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention

Because trypophobia can produce a range of symptoms with varying degrees of intensity, from mild aversion to an immediate, intense feeling of disgust, fear, or even a full-blown  panic attack , it’s likely “a natural and widely shared phenomenon” that many people can experience to some degree, says  Renzo Lanfranco , a postdoctoral research fellow in cognitive neuroscience at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden who has researched trypophobia.

Common Questions & Answers

Signs and symptoms of trypophobia.

One study, based on accounts by 200 members of a trypophobia Facebook support group, divided the symptoms into three categories:

• Cognitive-related reactions, such as uneasiness, helplessness, disgust, or fear
• Skin-related reactions, such as goose bumps, itchiness, or feeling your skin crawl

What Triggers Symptoms of Trypophobia?

Some trypophobia symptoms are set off by the sight of everyday, harmless items, such as:

• Soap bubbles
• Swiss cheese
• Hair follicles
• Showerheads
• Strawberries
• Pomegranates
• Poppy-seed bagels

Others respond only to more exotic or unusual images, such as:

• Coral reefs
• Lotus seed pods
• Surinam toad giving birth
• Photoshopped pictures, such as rows of holes or teeth embedded on an arm, shoulder, or face

In 2017, various photoshopped images, including one of a woman with her scalp removed to reveal a honeycomb and one featuring a woman with ring-shaped pits all over her face, were used to advertise the seventh season of  American Horror Story. The ad campaign set off latent trypophobia in so many people that it led to a tweetstorm of protests and warnings.

More recently, trypophobia support groups have warned of potential triggers in the movie  Black Panther , including one scene in which the character Killmonger, played by Michael B. Jordan, takes off his shirt to reveal a dense pattern of raised scars on his chest.

Why these or any images produce such an intense response in some people and not others is unknown, but recent studies have begun to tease out intriguing possibilities.

Causes and Risk Factors of Trypophobia

Their reasoning goes like this: Many of the world’s deadliest animals, including alligators and crocodiles, as well as certain venomous snakes, spiders, and insects have repeating high-contrast bumps, circular markings, or pits on their skin. And so any of our ancient ancestors who were disgusted or scared by those patterns would have had a greater chance of survival because they avoided or fled from them. According to this reasoning, these individuals survived to reproduce and passed those traits on to their offspring, who continued to pass it on, and the aversion continues in the gene pool to this day.

What Are the Risk Factors for Trypophobia?

How is trypophobia diagnosed.

Are you bothered by the bubbles of boiling water? Does the sight of cantaloupe seeds clustered inside the fruit disgust you? Do you avoid leopard skin patterns? All are possible signs of trypophobia. If you are merely bothered by these phenomena, however, you likely have a mild aversion. If your reactions trigger avoidance and changes in behavior, the condition may be more on the level of phobia.

While there is no well-researched way to diagnose trypophobia, you can discover for yourself if you have it by looking at triggering images, which are easy to find through Google and  Trypophobia.com . Or you can take the  Trypophobia Test on YouTube .

Prognosis of Trypophobia

Duration of trypophobia.

The duration of trypophobia will depend on a person’s particular situation. Some people battle symptoms, such as anxiety and fear, for their whole lives. Others are able to effectively control and manage their condition.

Treatment and Medication Options for Trypophobia

Many people with a mild aversion manage to control their fear and carry out daily activities without incident simply by avoiding triggers and by enlisting understanding friends and family to alert them to potential ones. If your aversion is on the level of phobia, avoidance can make your situation worse. The following are some approaches to treating problematic trypophobia.

Exposure Therapy  People who find that trypophobia disrupts their daily routines, reduces their self-esteem, or causes extreme anxiety can turn to the most widely accepted technique for taming phobias, a desensitizing process called exposure therapy.

In progressive steps by yourself or with the help of a therapist, you begin by looking at fairly benign triggering images. You then slowly work up to being able to stare at the images that previously felt most threatening until you realize that nothing bad is happening.

Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT)  If exposure therapy is not successful, or is too terrifying to even try, tapping — aka Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), a mind-body method for  reducing stress and anxiety — may help reduce or eliminate trypophobia, says Roberta Temes, PhD , a clinical psychologist in Scotch Plains, New Jersey .

EFT involves tapping specific acupuncture points on the body with the fingertips while focusing on the phobia and repeating positive affirmations.

The first step is identifying a feared object. “Let’s say it’s Swiss cheese,” says Dr. Temes. “This technique works best when you start in a state of terror, so you would visualize Swiss cheese until you became more and more upset. You then would tap different points on the face, upper body, or hands while saying something like, ‘Even though Swiss cheese disgusts me, I love and accept myself’; ‘Even though Swiss cheese disgusts me, I am safe,’ or ‘Even though Swiss cheese disgusts me, I’m okay. I can still go into the dairy aisle.’”

“This technique shifts the nervous system away from fight or flight and permits you to be brave in the face of your phobia because it permits you to accept yourself,” Temes says. Interestingly, this approach overlaps with exposure therapy in that both involve confronting the feared stimulus, directly in exposure therapy and in one’s mind in EFT.

Although science has not figured out how EFT works physiologically — it could simply be a placebo effect — some research has found that it can reduce the intensity of phobias.

Community  It may help to know that you are not alone. The public Facebook group  Trypophobia: Fear of Clusters of Holes , which has more than 14,000 followers, is a good place to find advice and support.

Medication Options

While exposure therapy is the preferred treatment method, phobias are sometimes treated with medications. Certain drugs can lessen anxiety and other symptoms that occur when someone is exposed to a trigger.

Alternative and Complementary Therapies

• Physical activity

Prevention of Trypophobia

• Exhale slowly through your nose for a count of four.
• Pause for a count of four.
• Inhale slowly through your nose for a count of four.
• Pause for a count of four before starting the cycle again with an exhale.
• Continue breathing this way for one to five minutes.

Complications of Trypophobia

• Mood disorders
• Social isolation
• Substance abuse
• Suicide (in severe cases)

Research and Statistics: Who Has Trypophobia?

While the exact prevalence of trypophobia isn’t known, some studies have shown the condition may be somewhat common.

Celebrities Who Are Trypophobes

Related conditions of trypophobia.

Some conditions that are related to trypophobia include:

Social anxiety disorder

Resources We Love

Favorite organizations for essential trypophobia information.

Trypophobia.com

From triggers to treatments, this site provides lots of information about trypophobia and related disorders.

Anxiety and Depression Association of America

With more than 1,800 professional mental health members, the ADAA is a top source for information on anxiety, depression, and related disorders. In their  podcast  section, you can listen to recordings from past professional conferences. They also offer free monthly  webinars , which cover a wide variety of topics.

Mental Health America

MHA is the nation’s leading community-based nonprofit organization dedicated to helping those living with mental illnesses. One of their many useful features is the  mental health screen  — a quick quiz that helps you determine if you’re experiencing a mental health condition, such as anxiety or depression.

Favorite Online Support Networks

Trypophobia Support Group on Facebook

Looking to connect with others? Individuals on Facebook have launched a closed group page dedicated to providing support to those with trypophobia. The group currently has more than 5,200 members.

National Alliance on Mental Illness Support Groups

NAMI offers free support groups for people who face mental health challenges.

Favorite Apps

Fears & Phobias

Want to overcome your trypophobia? This app uses daily hypnosis to help you learn to manage fears and phobias. Simply listening to the audio sessions could help you change your mindset, become more relaxed, and feel calmer.

What’s Up? A Mental Health App

We appreciate that this app uses techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) to help you cope with mental health issues. Its diary feature lets you rate your emotions. You’re also encouraged to use breathing techniques and read positive quotes.

Additional reporting by Julie Marks .

Editorial Sources and Fact-Checking

Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy . We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.

• Is Trypophobia a Real Phobia? Popular Science.
• Fear of Holes. Psychological Science.
• Assessment of Trypophobia and an Analysis of Its Visual Precipitation. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology.
• Disgusting Clusters: Trypophobia as an Overgeneralised Disease Avoidance Response. Cognition and Emotion.
• Fear of Eyes: Triadic Relation Among Social Anxiety, Trypophobia, and Discomfort for Eye Cluster. PeerJ.
• Threat Perception Across the Life Span: Evidence for Multiple Converging Pathways. Current Directions in Psychological Science.
• Social Phobia: Indication of a Genetic Cause. ScienceDaily.
• Finding Gene-Environment Interactions for Phobias. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience.
• Specific Phobias: Symptoms and Causes. Mayo Clinic.
• Specific Phobias: Diagnosis and Treatment. Mayo Clinic.
• Relaxation Techniques: Breath Control Helps Quell Errant Stress Response. Harvard Health Publishing.
• The Breathing Technique a Navy SEAL Uses to Stay Calm and Focused. Time.
• Bees and Clowns and Holes, Oh My! Sarah Paulson’s Real Fears Were Written Into ‘American Horror Story’. People.
• Kendall Jenner: ‘I Have Really Bad Trypophobia’. US Weekly.
• Abbasi J. Is Trypophobia a Real Phobia? Popular Science . July 25, 2011.
• Cole GG, Wilkins AJ. Fear of Holes.  Psychological Science . August 27, 2013.
• Le ATD, Cole GG, Wilkins AJ. Assessment of Trypophobia and an Analysis of Its Visual Precipitation.  Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology . November 2015.
• Kupfer TR, Le ATD. Disgusting Clusters: Trypophobia as an Overgeneralised Disease Avoidance Response.  Cognition and Emotion . June 2018.
• Chaya K, Xue Y, Uto Y, et al. Fear of Eyes: Triadic Relation Among Social Anxiety, Trypophobia, and Discomfort for Eye Cluster.  PeerJ . May 5, 2016.
• LoBue V, Rakison DH, DeLoache JS. Threat Perception Across the Life Span: Evidence for Multiple Converging Pathways.  Current Directions in Psychological Science . December 14, 2010.
• Social Phobia: Indication of a Genetic Cause.  ScienceDaily . March 9, 2017.
• Gregory AM, Lau JYF, Eley TC. Finding Gene-Environment Interactions for Phobias.  European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience . March 2008.
• Specific Phobias: Symptoms and Causes. Mayo Clinic . October 19, 2016.
• Specific Phobias: Diagnosis and Treatment. Mayo Clinic . October 19, 2016.
• Bach D, Groesbeck G, Stapleton P, et al. Clinical EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) Improves Multiple Physiological Markers of Health.  Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine . February 19, 2019.
• Relaxation Techniques: Breath Control Helps Quell Errant Stress Response. Harvard Health Publishing . July 6, 2020.
• Divine M. The Breathing Technique a Navy SEAL Uses to Stay Calm and Focused.  Time .  May 4, 2016.
• Petit S. Bees and Clowns and Holes, Oh My! Sarah Paulson’s Real Fears Were Written Into ‘American Horror Story.’  People . September 19, 2017.
• Marquina S. Kendall Jenner: ‘I Have Really Bad Trypophobia.’  US Weekly . August 15, 2016.
• Impact of the DSM-IV to DSM-5 Changes on the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration . June 2016.
• Wells S, Polglase K, Andrews HB, et al. Evaluation of a Meridian-Based Intervention, Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), for Reducing Specific Phobias of Small Animals. Journal of Clinical Psychology . September 2003.

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What Is Trypophobia?

A fear of holes clustered together or repetitive patterns

• Is it Real?

Trypophobia is an intense and disproportionate fear or disgust for holes, bumps, or patterns that are clustered together or repetitive. For example, this can be triggered by holes in a honeycomb or sponge, the skin of a snake, or the seeds on a strawberry.

Trypophobia is not officially classified as a mental disorder, though it can affect people negatively in different ways. For many people, the condition is mostly uncomfortable and not debilitating. While there is limited and contradictory research on whether it is indeed a true phobia , people with trypophobia may meet the diagnostic criteria for a phobia if they exhibit symptoms that interfere with everyday living.

In fact, people who exhibit severe symptoms may be treated with therapies commonly used for anxiety disorders, such as exposure therapy.

Trypophobia Triggers

Trypophobia can be triggered by a range of objects and patterns. These can be naturally occurring or manufactured.

For example, someone with trypophobia may be triggered by:

• Lotus seed pods
• A cut pomegranate
• Insect eyes
• Sea sponges
• Condensation on a surface
• Bubble wrap
• Fishnet material
• Reptile skin
• Raspberries
• Bumps on the outside of a pineapple or jackfruit

Trypophobia can also manifest as an extreme aversion to patterns associated with certain skin conditions such as ichthyosis , which causes a diamond-shaped pattern on the skin.

People with trypophobia may be especially triggered by created images of human body parts superimposed with holes and other patterns. This may trigger trypophobia as an irrational fear of skin diseases or even a fear of holes in the hands or other body parts.

Is Trypophobia a Real Phobia?

Trypophobia wasn’t well known until recently. It is believed that the term trypophobia was first coined in 2005, when participants in an online forum claimed to have an unreasonable disgust or fear of objects with closely packed holes.

Since then, thousands of people have come forward claiming to be affected. This has led some experts to question whether trypophobia is a legitimate condition, or simply a socially influenced disorder, similar to Morgellons disease .

Usually, experts make a diagnosis of a phobia according to the criteria outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Edition 5 ( DSM-5 ). However, it’s been difficult to determine if trypophobia meets the conditions for a specific phobia because researchers interpret the condition differently. 

For example, one study published in Frontiers in Psychiatry in 2018 reported that many people claiming to have trypophobia exhibited disgust upon seeing clustered patterns, but not fear. These researchers ruled against classifying it as a phobia, since fear is a defining feature of phobias.

In contrast, the Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry published a report concluding that trypophobia is indeed a specific phobia. This was determined by the persistence of the symptoms, paired with the psychological stress and impairment study participants experienced.

Other researchers believe the initial disgust a person feels toward clustered patterns may begin as a fear, but with negative reinforcement and continued avoidance, can evolve into a phobia over time.

Symptoms of Trypophobia

Like other phobias, trypophobia manifests with both a psychological response and an autonomic nervous system response. These reactions accelerate a person’s negative experience, because extreme emotions spawn physical symptoms and vice versa.

Verywell / Laura Porter

People with trypophobia may experience some or all of the following physical and psychological symptoms:

• Panic attacks
• Overwhelming feelings of anxiety
• Hot flashes or chills
• Shortness of breath
• Rapid heartbeat
• Headaches and dizziness

People with phobias tend to avoid the object or experience that triggers symptoms, which can make it more difficult to function in certain circumstances.

A further challenge to the diagnosis is that trypophobia can coexist with other psychiatric disorders (such as major depressive disorder , obsessive-compulsive disorder , generalized anxiety disorder , or other phobias), which can create an overlap in symptoms.

What Causes Trypophobia?

Phobias don’t have a specific cause. Instead, they can result from any number or combination of complex factors, including genetics, prior trauma, learned responses early in life, and long-term anxiety or depression.

With trypophobia, some scientists believe the cause may be evolutionary. Rather than being caused by trauma or anxiety, researchers at the University of Amsterdam suggest that trypophobia may simply be an “exaggerated and overgeneralized version of a natural adaptive response” to patterns in nature we inherently view as dangerous.

For instance, a person may subconsciously associate a bumpy object with rashes or blisters, such as those seen in smallpox . Clusters of holes may be interpreted as parasitic infestations of the skin, and certain patterns can mimic the appearance of venomous snakes.

Similarly, a person may fear clustered patterns on food and other organic matter because it mimics the appearance of maggots, which could make food dangerous to eat. 

Other scientists are less supportive of the hypothesis. In a 2017 study, preschoolers exhibited an immediate aversion to colored photos of venomous snakes, but not to characteristic patterns associated with snakes. This suggests that any response to such patterns may be learned, rather than instinctual. It also raises doubt about whether or not trypophobia is a legitimate phobia.

Trypophobia Treatment

Trypophobia isn’t a specific condition, so there are no clearly established recommended treatments. However, people diagnosed with a specific phobia are typically treated with psychotherapy and, if needed, medications. 

Treatments include:

• Exposure therapy, which can reduce a person's response to fear by exposing them gradually to the thing they avoid and are afraid of.
• Cognitive-behavioral therapy helps people address the negative thoughts, behaviors, and emotions that arise when they are exposed to their phobia, then replace them with feelings of safety and positivity.
• Benzodiazepines are central nervous system depressants that can be used to relax someone who is experiencing stress, anxiety, and panic in response to a phobia.
• Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors help treat phobias by regulating serotonin, a brain chemical that plays a role in mood and anxiety.
• Beta blockers can counteract the anxious effects of phobias by blocking the beta receptors. This slows the heart rate and helps lower blood pressure to reduce symptoms of anxiety. However, this medication is only helpful when taken prior to a known exposure to the feared element.

If you or a loved one are struggling with anxiety or a phobia, contact the  Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline  at  1-800-662-4357  for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.

For more mental health resources, see our  National Helpline Database .

A Word From Verywell

Regardless of whether trypophobia becomes a recognized diagnosis by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, it can potentially be detrimental to daily life. Any overactive response to an object or situation that is persistent and triggers avoidant behaviors should not be ignored or minimized. You can get help by seeking a therapist or doctor who specializes in treating phobias and anxiety disorders. 

A professional can help you discover different coping tools and treatments to find the one that’s right for you. Many people have phobias and irrational fears and are able to overcome them with the right kind of help. Talking openly with your loved ones about your fears can make events less intense and help you gather support in your healing journey.

Wagner KD, Croley JA, Wilson JM. Trypophobia, skin, and media . Dermatol Online J . 2018;24(11):13030/qt2n54z5tw.

Martínez-Aguayo JC, Lanfranco RC, Arancibia M, Sepúlveda E, Madrid E.  Trypophobia: what do we know so far? a case report and comprehensive review of the literature .  Front Psychiatry . 2018;9:15. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00015

Vlok-Barnard M, Stein D. Trypophobia: an investigation of clinical features . Braz J Psychiatry . 2017;39(4):337-341. doi:10.1590/1516-4446-2016-2079

National Health Service. Symptoms: Phobias .

Kupfer T, Trong Dinh Le A. Disgusting clusters: trypophobia as an overgeneralised disease avoidance response . Cognition and Emotion . 2017;32(4):1-13. doi:10.1080/02699931.2017.1345721

Wang C, Zhao Z, Zheng J. Is trypophobia a phobia? Psychol Rep. 2017;120(2):206-218. doi:10.1177/0033294116687298

By Michelle Polizzi Polizzi is a freelance health and wellness writer and certified yoga instructor. She is based in Colorado.

To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories .

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Alexandra Simon-Lewis

Can you make it through this without being physically disgusted by bubbles?

Look at a bubble. Round, aerated, generally mysterious. But when do bubbles become nauseating?

From bubbles in a hot cup of coffee, to holes in a sponge or plaster, while the common appearance may seem innocuous it has been known to trigger intensely anxious responses. And that response has a name: Trypophobia.

Trypophobia, characterised as the fear of holes, has also been linked to a more generalised aversion to circular shapes such as bubbles. But what makes bubbles so disgusting? The answer may be found lurking just under the skin.

Previous evidence suggested that the fear of bubbles stemmed from the clusters of round shapes found on poisonous animals, such as snakes and the blue-ringed octopus. But a new theory from psychologists at the University of Kent suggests our innate suspicion of rough circular shapes could, in fact, be linked to a history of human illness.

Tom Kupfer, of the University's School of Psychology, noted that many infectious diseases result in clusters of round shapes on the skin: smallpox, measles, rubella, typhus, scarlet fever etc. Similarly, many ectoparasites, like scabies, ticks and botfly also lead to clusters of round shapes on the skin. In other words, if your skin starts popping, it's probably a bad sign.

Kupfer recruited 300 trypophobia sufferers from various support groups, as well as 300 university students with no known history of the condition. Both groups were given 16 cluster images of real objects related to a diseased part of the body. Eight pictures were focused on images of illness - including but not limited to such nauseating sights as a cluster of ticks and a circular-shaped rash in the centre of someone's chest. The other eight images were unrelated to illness or disease, such as drilled holes in a brick wall, or lotus flower seeds.

Both groups found the disease-related images to be unpleasant, whereas only the trypophobia sufferers found the non-disease related images to be extremely unpleasant. These findings suggest that individuals with trypophobia have heightened responses to bubble aversion, even in images with no underlying scenes of illness. But unlike most phobias, trypophobia results in intense feelings of disgust more often than fear.

Kupfer and his team then asked trial participants with trypophobia to describe their feelings when looking at cluster images. Analysis of these responses revealed that the majority of individuals with trypophobia experienced disgust or disgust-related feelings like nausea or the urge to vomit, even towards the disease-irrelevant cluster images like a sponge or bubbles. Only a small proportion described feeling fear or fear-related feelings.

In addition to disgust, trypophobic individuals frequently reported feelings like skin itching, skin crawling or even the sensation of 'bugs infesting the skin'. This skin response suggests that people with trypophobia may perceive cluster stimuli as if they are cues to ectoparasites, even leading some to feel as if they are infested.

Kupfer states that, "these findings support the proposal that individuals with trypophobia primarily perceive cluster stimuli as cues to ectoparasites and skin-transmitted pathogens".

Scrolling through the images, it's easy to see why these bubbles created such strong responses. If you've actually managed to pay attention to my words instead of the bulbous ticks and scars before you, congratulations. You can go throw up now.

This article was originally published by WIRED UK

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How to Overcome Trypophobia

Last Updated: January 31, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Alexandra Janelli . Alexandra Janelli is a Certified Hypnotherapist, Anxiety & Stress Management Coach, and owner and founder of Modrn Sanctuary, a holistic health and wellness facility in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. With over 10 years of experience, Alexandra specializes in helping clients push through their roadblocks to achieve their goals using her hypnotherapeutic approach. Alexandra holds a BS from the University of Miami. She graduated from the Hypnosis Motivation Institute with an Advanced Training Graduate Diploma in Hypnotherapy and Handwriting Analysis. Alexandra is also a Certified Life Coach from the iPEC Coach Training Program. She has worked with Academy Award Nominee Actors, world-renowned photographers, singers, top-level executives, and professionals across many sectors of business. Alexandra has been featured on MTV, Elle Magazine, Oprah Magazine, Men's Fitness, Swell City Guide, Dossier Journal, The New Yorker, and Time Out Chicago. There are 12 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 427,457 times.

Trypophobia is a relatively new term used to describe a fear of clusters of holes. People who suffer from trypophobia have an irrational fear of clusters of holes that causes them to experience anxiety and other negative effects. The effects can range from mild to severe and different types of holes may trigger the phobia. [1] X Research source If you are suffering from trypophobia and it is affecting your daily life, you should seek help from a mental health professional as soon as possible. Keep reading to learn more about how to overcome trypophobia.

Understanding Your Fear

• For example, are you bothered by bubbles or anything resembling bubbles? Do honeycomb patterns bother you or just actual honeycombs? Are you upset by certain animals because of the patterns on their skin? Try to identify as many triggers as possible.
• Try to describe how your triggers make you feel as well. Do you get nauseous? Do you feel anxious? Do you tremble? Identify the specific reactions that you have to your triggers.
• If one type of clustered hole pattern is scarier to you than another, try ranking the items on your list. That way you can start by dealing with the least frightening one on your list and work your way up.

Dealing with Anxiety

• For example, if you feel anxious when you see a lotus pod, learn more about the lotus and why it develops clusters of holes. What purpose do they serve? Learning about the reason for the clustered holes will help you to confront the source of your fear and perhaps even appreciate the shape for the function it serves.

• For example, if you come face to face with a cluster of holes that causes you to feel anxious, take a deep breath and then examine your feelings. What does the object make you want to do? How does it make you feel? What is irrational about your feelings?
• Try writing out your response to trigger objects and reframing them as normal thoughts and feelings toward the object. For example, you might record something like, “I feel nauseous and anxious when I see a honeycomb. It make me want to throw up.” Then, recognize that this thought is irrational and rewrite your reaction as it should be if you did not have the phobia. For example, “I feel amazed by the pattern of the honeycomb and I want to eat the honey.”

• Consider taking a yoga or meditation class to learn some basics exercises that you can use a on a daily basis.

• Aim for 30 minutes of exercise per day.
• Eat a balanced diet of healthy whole foods like fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins.
• Get 7-9 hours of sleep per night.

Getting Help

• feeling disabled, panicky, or depressed because of your fear
• feeling like your fear is unreasonable
• dealing with the fear for more than 6 months

• Everything is learned through association. So in the subconscious mind, you might have created an association, for instance, that dogs are painful. Therefore, when you see a dog you react and respond. By reframing that by creating a new association through exposure or repainting a past trauma, you can shift that to have a different outcome.
• The process of visualization can help you create a new and positive image that can be reached, that can help reframe the past associations and make you overcome fears and phobias.
• Medications If your fear of holes is causing you to have severe anxiety or panic attacks, your therapist may refer you to a psychiatrist who can prescribe medicine that may help you. Keep in mind that the medicines used to treat anxiety associated with fear will only reduce your anxiety temporarily. They will not take care of the root cause. [14] X Trustworthy Source HelpGuide Nonprofit organization dedicated to providing free, evidence-based mental health and wellness resources. Go to source

• Consider joining an online forum if you don’t feel comfortable sharing your fear with any of your family or friends just yet. You may find that others have similar concerns and experiences that may help you to feel less alone. They may also suggest methods that they’ve used for dealing with the stress associated with trypophobia.

Expert Q&A

• Be patient and persistent. While some people may be able to overcome a phobia rather quickly with exposure therapy, others will need more time. If your phobia does not respond to therapy right away, keep trying. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 1

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Expert Interview

Thanks for reading our article! If you'd like to learn more about overcoming your phobias, check out our in-depth interview with Alexandra Janelli .

• ↑ https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00015/full
• ↑ http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/news/releases/fear-of-holes-may-stem-from-evolutionary-survival-response.html
• ↑ https://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/news/were-only-human/into-the-hole-terror-and-survival.html
• ↑ https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21834-trypophobia
• ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5811467/
• ↑ https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/publications/overcome-fear-anxiety
• ↑ http://psychcentral.com/lib/top-10-lesser-known-self-help-strategies-for-anxiety/
• ↑ http://www.helpguide.org/articles/anxiety/phobias-and-fears.htm
• ↑ https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/six-relaxation-techniques-to-reduce-stress
• ↑ http://www.adaa.org/tips-manage-anxiety-and-stress
• ↑ https://www.helpguide.org/articles/anxiety/phobias-and-irrational-fears.htm
• ↑ http://www.helpguide.org/articles/anxiety/anxiety-medication.htm

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To overcome trypophobia, try to reduce your anxiety by meditating, doing some yoga, or simply taking a hot shower. If you feel up to it, you can try exposure therapy by looking at images that make you uncomfortable for as long as you can stand. Additionally, you can write down your thoughts and feelings about the images to help you understand the effects of your phobia. It might also help to talk to a friend or family member about your fear, since talking about something can help reduce its impact. For more tips from our Counselor co-author, including how to seek help from a mental health therapist, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Is Trypophobia a Real Phobia?

We investigate the fear of creepy clustered holes

By Jennifer Abbasi | Published Jul 25, 2011 8:40 PM EDT

If you’re like me and you have a visceral reaction to the image above—if it makes your skin crawl, your hair hurt, and your stomach turn—you can count yourself among the trypophobic. According to its Facebook page, which is more than 4,000 members strong, trypophobia is fear of clustered holes. It is usually small holes in organic objects, such as lotus seed heads or bubbles in batter, that give trypophobics the extreme willies, triggering reactions like itchy skin, nausea and a general feeling of discomfort. (A picture of a candy bar with a pattern of small air bubbles did me in. Goodbye, dear chocolate. For now.)

Scroll through the gallery below to see some photos that may trigger your latent trypophobia.

My editor tasked me with investigating what causes this bizarre and irrational fear, which I had never heard of before.

It turns out that I’m not alone. I contacted roughly 10 psychologists for this story, and of those who got back to me, none had heard of it. The evolutionary psychologists I emailed were unwilling to speculate on the potential biological underpinnings for a fear of small, clustered holes. Trypophobia is not an official phobia recognized in scientific literature. For many (though perhaps not all) who have it, it’s probably not even a real phobia, which the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders says must interfere “significantly with the person’s normal routine.” Having just looked at a bunch of holey pictures and videos, I’m severely grossed out, but I can still write this story.

Although this may be of no comfort to those who suffer from it, trypophobia is simply one of an infinite number of fears that people experience, some more idiosyncratic than others. The online Phobia List, run by an amateur etymologist, contains the names of hundreds of fears, from the well-known (fear of heights: acrophobia) to the fringe (fear of the great mole rat: zemmiphobia). Trypophobia hasn’t made the list yet.

According to Martin Antony, a psychologist at Ryerson University in Toronto, past-president of the Canadian Psychological Association and author of The Anti-Anxiety Workbook, with the exception of a few terms (agoraphobia, claustrophobia and arachnophobia among them), professionals who study and treat phobias tend not to use all the Latin and Greek names that get tossed around on message boards and in the press.

Antony wasn’t surprised to hear that some people have an intense aversion to clustered holes because “people can be afraid of absolutely anything.” The factors that contribute to fears and phobias include traumatic experiences (getting bitten by a dog leading to a fear of dogs, for example), observational learning (watching others be afraid of heights), information and instruction (learning to fear being alone in the dark after watching too many horror movies), and various biological factors (like an inherited predisposition to anxiety). “Although the studies on causes of fears have all focused on more common ones, such as spiders and snakes, there is no reason to think that different factors would be responsible for more unusual fears, Antony says.

Trypophobia may also be catching. An element of so-called emotional contagion seems to be at work on Facebook , where some group members say they didn’t realize they were trypophobic until they started reading others’ comments and clicking on the pictures. “It’s not unusual to laugh harder at a funny movie if others around you are laughing,” Antony explains. “In the same way, we may be more likely to experience fear in a particular moment if others around us are fearful.” For me, however, all it took was a verbal mention of a “fear of small holes” to illicit a shudder. I became disgusted before looking at a single gnarly image of a skin graft or lamprey eel (look ’em up) or reading an online comment. I also immediately assumed that we were talking about biologic objects—holes in wood, in particular. Clearly, in me the fear was preexisting.

One trypophobic reported on Facebook that her fear stems back to childhood, when she had a Renaissance Faire dagger with a handle covered in little holes. Another member wrote: “I was stung by a bee in high school on my outer thigh. I had an allergic reaction, and my skin started to swell. The swelling was so bad, I could see each individual pore on my leg and I freaked out. Since then, I have not been able to look at clusters of holes without getting the heebie-jeebies.” Just. Gross.

Fear and disgust often go hand in hand, Antony says. “Evolutionarily speaking, almost all of the things that arouse a strong disgust-reaction–spiders, mice, blood, vomit–are things that could have been triggers for fear of illness.” Perhaps the same could be true for little holes, especially in natural objects where they seem particularly out of place. I suspect that we’re disgusted by pockmarked objects because they don’t look quite “right”; these perceived deformities signal danger, which we manifest as revulsion. But then again, a fear of asymmetry (another form of things looking not quite right) in some people with obsessive-compulsive disorder is not associated with disgust, Antony says. Perhaps holes, particularly in organic objects, subconsciously remind us of the symptoms of contagious illnesses that affect the skin, such as the rash or blisters associated with measles and chicken pox, respectively. All of this, of course, is speculation, and just goes to show how little we know about trypophobia.

Masai Andrews hopes that will change. Andrews, who runs Trypophobia.com , founded the Facebook group page in 2009 when he was a sociology minor at SUNY-Albany. “I started the website and Facebook page because I suspected this was a very common phobia and I wanted a place where people could compile information,” Andrews says. “It is my hope that one day the academic and scientific communities will, at the very least, acknowledge the aversion to holes and certain patterns.”

When that happens, a Wikipedia page dedicated to the fear should follow. Surprisingly, one doesn’t exist today. “I can barely keep a page up on the subject without it getting taken down,” Andrews says. In March 2009 the powers that be at Wikipedia determined trypophobia to be a “likely hoax and borderline patent nonsense.” The deletion page also says that Wikipedia is “not for things made up one day.” As for who actually made the word up, that distinction probably belongs to a blogger in Ireland named Louise, Andrews says. According to an archived Geocities page , Louise settled on “trypophobia” (Greek for “boring holes” + “fear”) after corresponding with a representative at the Oxford English Dictionary. Louise, Andrews and trypophobia Facebook group members have petitioned the dictionary to include the word. The term will need to be used for years and have multiple petitions and scholarly references before the dictionary accepts it, Andrews says. I, for one, would prefer to forget about it forever.

Want to find out if you’re trypophobic? Take this quick visual test. But beware: You may be skipping lunch today.

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Have You Heard of Trypophobia?

If you've ever experienced strong aversion, fear or disgust while looking at objects or photos of objects with lots of little holes, you might have a condition called trypophobia. This strange word describes a type of phobia in which people have a fear of, and therefore avoid, patterns or clusters of small holes or bumps, says Ashwini Nadkarni, M.D. , a Boston-based associate psychiatrist and instructor at Harvard Medical School.

While the medical community does have some uncertainty about the official classification of trypophobia and what causes it, there's no doubt that it manifests in very real ways for individuals who experience it.

So, What Is Trypophobia?

There's little known about this condition and its causes. A simple Google search of the term will bring up loads of potentially triggering trypophobia pictures, and there are even online support groups for trypophobics to warn each other of things like movies and websites to avoid. Yet, psychologists remain skeptical of what, exactly, trypophobia is and why some people have such adverse reactions to specific images.

"In my 40-plus years in the field of anxiety disorders, no one has ever come in for treatment of such a problem," says Dianne Chambless, Ph.D., a psychology professor at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

While, Martin Antony, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at Ryerson University in Toronto and author of The Anti-Anxiety Workbook , says he did get an email once from someone who was struggling with trypophobia, he has never personally seen anyone for the condition.

Dr. Nadkarni, on the other hand, says she treats a fair number of patients in her practice who present with trypophobia. Although it's not named in the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) , an official manual compiled by the American Psychiatric Association used as a means for practitioners to assess and diagnose mental disorders, it is recognized under the umbrella of specific phobias, says Dr. Nadkarni.

Why Trypophobia Isn't Officially Considered a Phobia

There are three official diagnoses for phobias: agoraphobia, social phobia (also referred to as social anxiety) and specific phobia, says Stephanie Woodrow , a Maryland-based licensed clinical professional counselor and nationally certified counselor specializing in the treatment of adults with anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and related conditions. Each of these is in the DSM-5. Basically, the specific phobias category is the catch-all for every phobia from animals from needles to heights, says Woodrow.

It's important to note that phobias are about fear or anxiety, and not disgust, says Woodrow; however, obsessive-compulsive disorder, which is a close friend to anxiety disorder, can include disgust.

Trypophobia, on the other hand, is a bit more convoluted. There is a question of whether it might be better classified as a generalized fear or disgust toward dangerous things, or whether it can be considered an extension of other disorders such as a generalized anxiety disorder, says Dr. Nadkarni.

She adds that existing studies on trypophobia indicate that it does involve some sort of visual discomfort, particularly toward imagery with a certain spatial frequency.

If trypophobia conclusively fell under the classification of a phobia, then the diagnostic criteria would include an excessive and persistent fear of the trigger; a fear response out of proportion to the actual danger; avoidance or extreme distress related to the trigger; a significant impact on the person's personal, social or occupational life; and at least six months of duration in symptoms, she adds.

Trypophobia Pictures

Triggers are often biological clusters, such as lotus-seed pods or wasps' nests that occur naturally, though they can be other types of non-organic items. For example, the Washington Post reported the three camera holes on Apple's new iPhone were triggering for some, and the new Mac Pro computer processor tower (dubbed the "cheese grater" among the tech community) sparked conversation around trypophobia triggers on some Reddit communities.

A few studies have linked the emotional response of trypophobia to the triggering visual stimuli as part of an aversion response rather than a fear response, says Dr. Nadkarni. "If disgust or aversion is the primary physiological response, this may suggest the disorder is less of a phobia since phobias trigger the fear response, or 'fight or flight'," she says.

What It's Like to Live with Trypophobia

Regardless of where science stands, for people like Krista Wignall, trypophobia is a very real thing. It only takes a glimpse of a honeycomb—in real life or on a screen—to send her into a tailspin. The 36-year-old Minnesota-based publicist is a self-diagnosed trypophobic with a fear of multiple, small holes. She says her symptoms began in her 20s when she noticed a strong aversion to items (or photos of items) with holes. But more physical symptoms began to manifest as she entered her 30s, she explains.

"I would see certain things, and it felt like my skin was crawling," she recalls. "I would get nervous ticks, like my shoulders would shrug or my head would turn—that body-convulsion type of feeling." (

Wignall dealt with her symptoms the best she could with little understanding of what was causing them. Then, one day, she read an article that mentioned trypophobia, and although she had never heard the word before, she says she immediately knew this is what she had been experiencing.

It's a little hard for her to even talk about the incidents, as sometimes just describing things that have triggered her can make the convulsions come back. The reaction is nearly instantaneous, she says.

While Wignall says she wouldn't call her trypophobia "debilitating", there's no doubt it's impacted her life. For example, her phobia forced her to get out of the water two different times when she spotted a brain coral while snorkeling on vacation. She also admits to feeling alone in her phobia because everyone she opens up to about brushes it off, saying they've never heard of it before. However, there now seem to be more people speaking out about their experience with trypophobia and connecting with others who have it via social media.

Another trypophobia sufferer, 35-year-old Mink Anthea Perez from Boulder Creek, California says she was first triggered while dining at a Mexican restaurant with a friend. "When we sat down to eat, I noticed her burrito had been cut down the side," she explains. "I noticed her whole beans were in a cluster with perfect little holes between them. I was so grossed out and horrified, I started itching my scalp really hard and just freaked out."

Perez says she's had other frightening occurrences, too. The sight of three holes in a wall at a hotel pool sent her into a cold sweat, and she froze on the spot. Another time, a triggering image on Facebook led her to break her phone, throwing it across the room when she couldn't stand to look at the image. Even Perez's husband didn't understand the seriousness of her trypophobia until he witnessed an episode, she says. A doctor prescribed Xanax to help ease her symptoms—she can sometimes scratch herself to the point she brakes the skin.

Trypophobia Treatments

Antony says exposure-based treatments used to treat other phobias that are done in a controlled way, where the sufferer is in charge and not forced into anything, may help people learn to overcome their symptoms. For example, gradual exposure to spiders can help ease fear for arachnophobes.

Dr. Nadkarni echoes the sentiment that cognitive-behavioral therapy, involving consistent exposure to the feared stimuli, is an essential component of treatment to phobias because it desensitizes people to their feared stimuli. So in the case of trypophobia, treatment would involve exposure to small holes or clusters of these holes, she says. Yet, since the blurred line between fear and disgust is present in people with trypophobia, this treatment plan is just a cautious suggestion.

For some trypophobia sufferers, getting over a trigger may just require looking away from the offending image, or focusing their attention on other things. For others like Perez, who are more deeply affected by trypophobia, treatment with anxiety medication may be needed to better control symptoms.

If you know someone who's trypophobic, it's key to not judge how they react or how triggering images make them feel. Often, it's beyond their control. "I'm not afraid [of holes]; I know what they are," says Wignall. "It's just a mental reaction that goes into a body reaction."

Related Articles

If You Can't See This Images Without Being Skeeved, You May Be Trypophobic

Sep. 6 2018, Updated 3:18 p.m. ET

Does the idea of seeing a bunch of holes squeezed tightly and close together make you cringe? Do you feel anxious gazing at pictures of holes for extended periods of time? If so, you probably suffer from trypophobia.

Although the phobia isn't officially recognized by the medical community , there are throngs of people who can't look at the images below without freaking out and/or getting sick to their stomach.

And while looking at these makes my skin crawl, I was able to make it to the end of this list without setting my laptop on fire and noping away from the internet for a while. How about you? (Also, totally don't light your laptop on fire even if you feel like it — just give it to me, if you're just going to destroy it anyway.)

1. Like I was saying, it isn't officially recognized, but there are people who get very uncomfortable from the following pictures.

For some, it manifests itself physically, resulting in symptoms like the ones the user above tweeted out:

 "UPDATE: I barely have any finger nails, but THIS is how itchy I got from it. I even had a couple small hives break out."

2. Others began tweeting out images that might induce trypophobic reactions.

Sure, it looks like an ordinary car speaker, and it totally is. Unless you're terrified of small holes being placed close together. Now it's become a madness trap.

3. These straws are gonna get ya.

Long, neon beacons of death.

4. Even bread isn't safe.

Can we also just talk, for a second, about how many holes are in this bread? I've seriously never seen anyone yeast it up like this before.

5. Please, not lasagna.

OK this one's freaking me out more than the others. It looks like it's a used alien bug-egg pod. Imagine all of the creatures that crawled out of that? Obviously none, it's a carb-a-licious treat, but still.

6. Care for some French dessert?

Clafoutis is traditionally made with flan batter, black cherries, and powdered sugar. Trypophobic anxiety is optional.

7. This unforgiving panino.

All she wanted was a sandwich, but the more she looks at her food, the less of an appetite she has. I think the oozing cheese or condiments pouring out through the holes is what makes this especially egregious.

8. Oh, you thought that cucumbers were just innocent little vegetables? Guess again, yo.

You'll never watch Veggie Tales the same way again.

9. They look like little bug heads.

This is not cool, why does something that looks like this even exist on the planet? It kinda reminds me of this grossness right here .

10. Yuck, yuck, double yuck.

I would not call my dog a good boy if he brought this stick back to me.

11. Have fun taking a shower from here on out.

Guess I'll be dirty forever now.

12. The ocean is packed with trypophobia.

Yet another thing to be terrified of in the great below.

13. Honeycombs anyone?

Step 1: freeze in terror after seeing a beehive. Step 2: get stung by bees.

14. The longer you stare at it, the worse it gets.

It's stuff like this that really makes me hate Mother Nature.

15. Ugh they're even worse when they're discolored.

This zombie plant looks like something straight out of a movie.

16. Oh hey, just check out this toad's back for a sec.

Pretty good defensive mechanism against predators, actually. I wouldn't want to eat this at all.

17. I sincerely apologize for this.

Holes + human flesh = barf.

18. Buildings can trigger it too.

It's a shame I'll never get to see what they've got on display inside.

19. Pay close attention to the footwear that you're rocking.

This shouldn't be a problem we have to worry about.

20. I'll judge the cover of this book.

Verdict? It creeps me the heck out.

21. I love Ethiopian food but...

...I always stayed away from that sour pancake. Now I know why.

22. Great, now coffee is ruined.

Blast you, trypophobia!

Were you able to get through this entire thing without wanting to puke? Congrats! You don't have trypophobia.

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This is what it feels like to have trypophobia, fear of holes

An innocent field trip to a honey farm first set me off.

• Brittany Anas
• April 29, 2019 | Last updated on 01/07/2022

Editor’s Note: This story includes images that could cause distress for readers with trypophobia.

Back in middle school, my class went on a field trip to a honey farm. The beekeeper, I remember, held up honeycomb while telling us about the art of harvesting honey. I felt my stomach begin to churn, and I averted my eyes from the honeycomb’s cluster of hexagonal holes.

“Don’t worry, there are no bees hiding out in this one!” the beekeeper assured, as I had made, well, a beeline to the back of the group to hide out behind the teachers and chaperones.

In that moment, I decided it was far easier to feign fear of bees than try to explain it was actually the honeycomb , with its cluster of symmetrical holes, that was repulsing me.

Fast forward a couple of decades and I learned my somewhat bizarre, lifelong fear of holes has a name: trypophobia. While it’s not officially recognized in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which includes a compendium of phobias, it is beginning to gain more attention in both pop culture and academic research, and, as it turns out, it affects a lot of people.

What It’s Like To Have Trypophobia

The best way that I can describe trypophobia is by saying it’s the visual equivalent of hearing nails scratch across a chalkboard. Seeing clusters of holes makes me squirm, and the worst offenders induce nausea.

Aside from honeycombs , clusters and patterns of holes surprisingly pop up in a lot of places. Sponges, pomegranates and chia seeds, for instance, all trigger it for me. I also loathe bumpy pumpkins that look like they have warts. Come fall, I order my groceries online to avoid seeing them at the front of grocery stores. Sounds dramatic, yes? But sometimes the lumpy pumpkins are coupled with lotus pods, which is the ultimate visual assault in my book.

Also, I completely lose my appetite if someone at the table orders octopus . (I’m a food writer, and octopus started becoming popular in recent years at restaurant openings.) The dimensional, raised suction holes on the creature’s tentacles sets off my trypophobia more than anything else.

I recognize that trypophobia can sound like a silly, irrational fear. (I suspect this is why no one has really talked about it in the public discourse until recently.) The first time I was scuba diving, I was less concerned about being 55 feet underwater with an oxygen tank strapped to my back than I was with catching a surprise glimpse of coral and not being able to avert my gaze quickly enough. As a biology student in college, explaining that I had trouble studying for the test because the clusters of cells were grossing me out sounded more ridiculous than, “My dog ate my homework.” I get it; it’s weird.

But, is trypophobia — which gives me goosebumps and turns my stomach — actually a phobia?

I posed this question to Daniel Chazin , Ph.D., a licensed clinical psychologist who practices in Pennsylvania and specializes in anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders.

“For many, disgust — more than anxiety or fear — tends to be the predominant emotional response,” Chazin said in reference to trypophobia.

While Dr. Chazin has been working with clients with anxiety and related disorders for years, the first time he said he heard clients complain of a fear of holes was around 2013 or 2014, shortly after articles about trypophobia began to pop up in the mainstream media.

“It is possible that as clients have read more about the problem, they are more likely to report and discuss their symptoms, and that this, in turn, has prompted more press and increasing scholarly research,” Chazin said.

In January 2018, Emory University researchers published their own findings backing up the idea that the aversion to holes may be driven more by disgust than fear. They theorized that clusters of holes may be an evolutionary indicative of contamination and disease, which could be visual cues for rotten or moldy food or infected skin.

Trypophobia in Pop Culture

In 2016, model and reality star Kendall Jenner put a major public face on trypophobia , admitting that honeycombs and the little bubbles that form while making pancakes both set her off. It was the first time I felt like I could relate to a Kardashian .

Then, in 2017, FX’s promotional materials for “American Horror Story: Cult” prompted further discussions about the fear of holes as trypophobia became a key part of the season. The show’s main character, Ally Mayfair-Richards, is overwhelmed by holes in her soufflé and a coral in her therapist’s office. One woman told CNN that advertisements for the show, which included digitally altered images of holes on body parts, triggered a panic attack.

As it turns out, the aversion to clusters of holes is fairly common. According to University of Essex scientists  who pioneered research on the fear of holes, about 16% of people have some form of trypophobia, which could range from mild disgust to full-on panic attack. (I probably fall somewhere in the middle.)

The researchers at Essex also believe there is an evolutionary explanation: Clusters of holes trigger adverse reactions because they are reminders of visual features on animals that could pose danger to humans. Examples referenced in the study include blue-ringed octopus, deathstalker scorpions and king cobra snakes.

“We think that everyone has trypophobic tendencies even though they may not be aware of it,” visual science expert Geoff Cole said in the news release when the research was published. “We found that people who don’t have the phobia still rate trypophobic images as less comfortable to look at than other images. It backs up the theory that we are set-up to be fearful of things which hurt us in our evolutionary past. We have an innate predisposition to be wary of things that can harm us.”

So, have you ever experienced discomfort looking at clusters of holes?

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List of Phobias: Common Phobias From A to Z

Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Types of Phobias

• List of Phobias

Common vs. Rare Phobias

A phobia is an anxiety disorder involving excessive and persistent fear of a situation or object. Exposure to the source of the fear triggers an immediate anxiety response.

Phobias are one of the most common mental illnesses in the United States. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIH), approximately 12.5% of adults in the U.S. will deal with a specific phobia in their lifetime.  Women are more likely to experience phobias than men. Typical symptoms of phobias can include nausea, trembling, rapid heartbeat, feelings of unreality, and being preoccupied with the fear object.

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) identifies three different categories of phobias:

• Social phobias : Now known as social anxiety disorder, this phobia is marked by a fear of social situations in which a person might be judged or embarrassed.
• Agoraphobia : This phobia involves an irrational and extreme fear of being in places where escape is difficult. It may involve a fear of crowded places or even of leaving one's home.
• Specific phobias : When people talk about having a phobia of a specific object such as snakes, spiders, or needles, they are referring to a specific phobia .

While not comprehensive, this list of phobias offers a glimpse of the many phobias that can have a serious impact on a person's life. As you may notice while you browse through this list, most specific phobias fall into one of four major categories:

• Fears of the natural environment
• Fears related to animals
• Fear related to medical treatments or issues
• Fears related to specific situations

One important thing to remember is that virtually any object can become a fear object. The names of specific phobias are often formed as nonce words, or words coined for a single occasion only.

These names themselves are often formed by taking a Greek prefix that represents the fear object and adding the -phobia suffix. Because of this, any attempt at a completely exhaustive list of phobias would be a futile exercise. Any list of phobias could grow with the addition of newly coined terms for previously unnamed specific phobias.

A–Z List of Some of the More Common Phobias

This article lists more than 100 of the most common phobias . It also covers some of the treatment options that are available.

Click Play to Learn More About Common Phobias

This video has been medically reviewed by Daniel B. Block, MD .

• Ablutophobia : Fear of bathing
• Achluophobia : Fear of darkness
• Acrophobia : Fear of heights
• Aerophobia : Fear of flying
• Algophobia : Fear of pain
• Agoraphobia : Fear of open spaces or crowds
• Aichmophobia : Fear of needles or pointed objects
• Amaxophobia : Fear of riding in a car
• Androphobia : Fear of men
• Anemophobia : Fear of air
• Anginophobia : Fear of angina or choking
• Angrophobia : Fear of anger
• Anthrophobia : Fear of flowers
• Anthropophobia : Fear of people or society
• Aphenphosmphobia : Fear of being touched
• Arachibutyrophobia : Fear of peanut butter
• Arachnophobia : Fear of spiders
• Arithmophobia : Fear of numbers
• Astraphobia : Fear of thunder and lightning
• Astrophobia : Fear of outer space
• Ataxophobia : Fear of disorder or untidiness
• Atelophobia : Fear of imperfection
• Atychiphobia : Fear of failure
• Automatonophobia : Fear of human-like figures
• Autophobia : Fear of being alone
• Bacteriophobia : Fear of bacteria
• Barophobia : Fear of gravity
• Bathmophobia : Fear of stairs or steep slopes
• Batrachophobia : Fear of amphibians
• Belonephobia : Fear of pins and needles
• Bibliophobia : Fear of books
• Botanophobia : Fear of plants
• Cacophobia : Fear of ugliness
• Catagelophobia : Fear of being ridiculed
• Catoptrophobia : Fear of mirrors
• Chionophobia : Fear of snow
• Chrometophobia : Fear of spending money
• Chromophobia : Fear of colors
• Chronomentrophobia : Fear of clocks
• Chronophobia : Fear of time
• Cibophobia : Fear of food
• Claustrophobia : Fear of confined spaces
• Climacophobia : Fear of climbing
• Coulrophobia : Fear of clowns
• Cyberphobia : Fear of computers
• Cynophobia : Fear of dogs
• Daemonophobia : Fear of demons
• Decidophobia : Fear of making decisions
• Dendrophobia : Fear of trees
• Dentophobia : Fear of dentists
• Domatophobia : Fear of houses
• Dystychiphobia : Fear of accidents
• Ecophobia : Fear of the home
• Elurophobia : Fear of cats
• Emetophobia : Fear of vomiting
• Entomophobia : Fear of insects
• Ephebiphobia : Fear of teenagers
• Erotophobia : Fear of sex
• Equinophobia : Fear of horses
• Gamophobia : Fear of marriage
• Genuphobia : Fear of knees
• Glossophobia : Fear of speaking in public
• Gynophobia : Fear of women
• Haphephobia : Fear of touch
• Heliophobia : Fear of the sun
• Hemophobia : Fear of blood
• Herpetophobia : Fear of reptiles
• Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia : Fear of long words
• Hydrophobia : Fear of water
• Hypochondria : Fear of illness
• Iatrophobia : Fear of doctors
• Insectophobia : Fear of insects
• Koinoniphobia : Fear of rooms
• Koumpounophobia : Fear of buttons
• Leukophobia : Fear of the color white
• Lilapsophobia : Fear of tornadoes and hurricanes
• Lockiophobia : Fear of childbirth
• Mageirocophobia : Fear of cooking
• Megalophobia : Fear of large things
• Melanophobia : Fear of the color black
• Microphobia : Fear of small things
• Mysophobia : Fear of dirt and germs
• Necrophobia : Fear of death or dead things
• Noctiphobia : Fear of the night
• Nomophobia : Fear of being without your mobile phone
• Nosocomephobia : Fear of hospitals
• Nyctophobia : Fear of the dark
• Obesophobia : Fear of gaining weight
• Octophobia : Fear of the figure 8
• Ombrophobia : Fear of rain
• Ophidiophobia : Fear of snakes
• Ornithophobia : Fear of birds
• Osmophobia : Fear of smells
• Ostraconophobia : Fear of shellfish
• Papyrophobia : Fear of paper
• Pathophobia : Fear of disease
• Pedophobia : Fear of children
• Philematophobia : Fear of kissing
• Philophobia : Fear of love
• Phobophobia : Fear of phobias
• Podophobia : Fear of feet
• Porphyrophobia : Fear of the color purple
• Pteridophobia : Fear of ferns
• Pteromerhanophobia : Fear of flying
• Pyrophobia : Fear of fire
• Samhainophobia : Fear of Halloween
• Scolionophobia : Fear of school
• Scoptophobia : Fear of being stared at
• Selenophobia : Fear of the moon
• Sociophobia : Fear of social evaluation
• Somniphobia : Fear of sleep
• Tachophobia : Fear of speed
• Technophobia : Fear of technology
• Thalassophobia : Fear of the ocean
• Trichophobia : Fear of hair
• Tonitrophobia : Fear of thunder
• Trypanophobia : Fear of needles/injections
• Trypophobia : Fear of holes
• Venustraphobia : Fear of beautiful women
• Verminophobia : Fear of germs
• Wiccaphobia : Fear of witches and witchcraft
• Xenophobia : Fear of strangers or foreigners
• Zoophobia : Fear of animals
• Zuigerphobia : Fear of vacuum cleaners

While listing all of the phobias that may exist is not possible, it can be helpful to look through a list of some of the more commonly described phobias. As you can see by looking at this list, almost any object or situation can become the source of fear.

Symptoms of Phobias

Phobias lead to physical, emotional, and behavioral symptoms. Common symptoms include:

• Chest tightness or pain
• Chills or hot flashes
• Choking sensations
• Difficulty breathing
• Increased blood pressure
• Racing heartbeat
• Shaking or trembling

In addition to these physical symptoms, people may experience dread, a sense of impending doom, fear of losing control, or even the feeling that death is imminent. To avoid such feelings, people with phobias may avoid any situation where they might potentially encounter the source of their fear.

Causes of Phobias

The exact causes of phobias are not known, but it is likely that a combination of factors plays a part. Some factors that increase the risk of developing a phobia include:

• Genetics : People with a close family member with a phobia or another anxiety disorder also have a greater risk of a phobia. It is important to note, however, that people who don't have family members with the condition still develop phobias.
• Traumatic experiences : A difficult, stressful, or traumatic experience can also trigger the onset of a phobia. For example, being bitten by a dog as a child might trigger a fear of dogs in adulthood.

Some phobias are more common, while others are often quite rare. Five of the most common phobias include arachnophobia (the fear of spiders), ophidiophobia (the fear of snakes), glossophobia (the fear of public speaking), acrophobia (the fear of heights), and social phobia (the fear of social interactions).

The fear of public speaking is so common that some researchers have estimated that as much as 77% of people have some level of this fear.

Rare phobias may be novel terms coined to identify a single, unique case or fear that occur quite infrequently. Some different rare specific phobias include spectrophobia (the fear of mirrors), chiclephobia (the fear of chewing gum), and hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia (the fear of long words).

Treatment for Phobias

While phobias can be distressing and create disruptions in your life, they are treatable. Some of the different treatment options include therapy and medication.

Exposure Therapy

Exposure-based treatments are the first-line approach in the treatment of phobias. In this type of treatment, you are gradually and progressively exposed to what you fear. You might start by just thinking about your phobia trigger and then move slowly toward looking at images of the object and finally being near the object in real life.

Types of exposure-based treatments that may be used include:

• In vivo exposure : This involves being exposed to the source of your fear in real life.
• Virtual exposure : This involves the use of virtual reality to practice gradual exposure.
• Systematic desensitization : This involves being gradually exposed until you become desensitized to the source of your fear.

During this process, you'll also practice relaxation techniques to help calm your body when your fear response kicks in.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Often referred to as CBT, cognitive behaviorial therapy involves learning to identify the underlying negative thoughts that contribute to feelings of fear. Once you become better at noticing these thoughts, you can then work on replacing them with more positive, helpful thoughts.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing 

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy utilizes rhythmic eye movements to help people process and recover from traumatic experiences. It is frequently used in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) , but can also be effective in the treatment of a variety of other mental health conditions including phobias.  

Medications

Medications may be prescribed in some cases to help manage some of the symptoms you might be experiencing as a result of your phobia. Medications your doctor might prescribe include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) , beta-blockers, and anti-anxiety drugs.

A Word From Verywell

Phobias can have a serious impact on well-being, but it is important to remember that you are not alone. Phobias are common and treatable. If you believe that you have the symptoms of some type of phobia, consult a doctor for further evaluation and treatment advice. 

National Institute of Mental Health. Specific phobia .

Regier DA, Kuhl EA, Kupfer DJ. The DSM-5: Classification and criteria changes . World Psychiatry. 2013;12(2):92-8. doi:10.1002/wps.20050

American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.) . Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing; 2013.

Anxiety & Depression Association of America. Symptoms .

Van houtem CM, Laine ML, Boomsma DI, Ligthart L, Van wijk AJ, De jongh A.  A review and meta-analysis of the heritability of specific phobia subtypes and corresponding fears .  J Anxiety Disord . 2013;27(4):379-88. doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2013.04.007

Heeren A, Ceschi G, Valentiner DP, Dethier V, Philippot P.  Assessing public speaking fear with the short form of the Personal Report of Confidence as a Speaker scale: confirmatory factor analyses among a French-speaking community sample.   Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat . 2013;9:609-18. doi:10.2147%2FNDT.S43097

Thng CEW, Lim-Ashworth NSJ, Poh BZQ, Lim CG. Recent developments in the intervention of specific phobia among adults: A rapid review .  F1000Res . 2020;9:F1000 Faculty Rev-195. doi:10.12688/f1000research.20082.1

Valiente-Gómez A, Moreno-Alcázar A, Treen D, et al. EMDR beyond PTSD: A systematic literature review .  Front Psychol . 2017;8:1668. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01668

Spiegel SB. Current issues in the treatment of specific phobia: Recommendations for innovative applications of hypnosis . Am J Clin Hypn . 2014;56(4):389-404. doi: 10.1080/00029157.2013.801009

By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

What Do You Call a Fear of Being Photographed?

Reader’s Question

I want to know what the term is for a fear of having one’s photo taken. I have a friend who says that he hates to have his picture taken and will do everything possible to avoid doing so. He has mentioned something about feeling like the spirit of a person is being endangered. I think it may be a phobia. Is there a name for this?

Psychologist’s Reply

Technically, a phobia is a fear that is connected to a specific, identifiable object or situation. And although some “lists” of phobias total over 100 items, there is no specific term for a fear of being photographed per se . There are some terms related to the fear of bright lights or of technical equipment such as cameras, but no specific term that is generally accepted which describes the fear of having one’s picture taken.

Concern over possibly endangering the human spirit or soul through photography or other similar circumstances is another matter, however. There are many cultures throughout the world whose religious and other belief systems include the concern that a soul can be “captured,” imprisoned, or stolen wholly or in part by a variety of means, including photography. Such beliefs don’t really involve an irrational fear like we seen in phobias, but rather are rooted in the major tenets of the religion.

Beliefs about certain objects and their powers regarding the human soul have been with us through many ages and cultures. The superstition about bad luck coming from a broken mirror originated from ancient folklore that a mirror image necessarily contains the soul and therefore breaking it causes a fracturing of the soul. Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans thought that reflective surfaces could permit seeing the future by gaining access to the eternal soul. Many Native American cultures believe that the soul can be endangered by photography. Crazy Horse strictly forbade his picture being taken, and in fact no photos of him were ever taken while he was still alive. In certain Mayan cultures, photography is feared, especially when it might involve photographing infants whose souls are considered too fragile and susceptible to many avenues of being separated from the body. In some areas of Chiapas, Mexico, it’s still illegal to take a photograph in church (I experienced this personally when doing mission work there in the mid-sixties). Such laws were passed when most cameras still had a mirror inside them. Because Voodoo practitioners believe that any sympathetic (similarly appearing) object can create a powerful link to another such object, photographic images are regarded as prime tools for casting spells or curses.

Talk to a Psychiatrist or Therapist Online (Please read our important explanation below.)

All things considered, your friend is less likely to be afraid of the camera per se , or of the situation of being photographed. Rather, he might be struggling with concerns of a religious or cultural nature that causes him to be wary of subjecting his soul to damage, capture, etc.

Some individuals who subscribe to certain belief systems that include concern over photography can be convinced it is safe to have their pictures taken with digital photography because there are no mirrors present in the camera and because the image is ultimately assembled from digital components.

Please read our Important Disclaimer .

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The Top 12 Travel Phobias You Probably Have and Don't Even Realize

Author of 'The Anxious Traveler'

Sure, you may know you have aviatophobia (fear of flying), claustrophobia (fear of enclosed spaces), xenophobia (fear of strangers) and mysophobia (fear of germs); those are all pretty pedestrian. What about all those other angst-inducing scenarios and situations that crop up when you're living life on the road? They've probably given you a tic or two, whether you want to admit it or not. Let's look at 12 real, honest-to-God, official phobias identified by scientists, psychologists and very renowned researchers (probably ones that don't do much traveling) that can develop when you're vagabonding the globe. You'll find that they're really nothing to laugh about!

12. Nomophobia: The fear of being out of mobile phone contact. Develops after you: 1) find yourself repeatedly lost, late, drunk or confused; 2) have once again left your cruise partner behind at the last shore excursion; or 3) are waiting to hear back from MasterCard about doubling your credit card limit now that you're on vacation.

11. Agyrophobia: The fear of crossing the road. Of particular prominence in Belarus, Azerbaijan, and other places where smiling drivers drive a perfect 40 mph in the 40 km/hr zone, use their horn only in emergencies, and wave you across the pedestrian crosswalk with their two largest fingers.

10. Autophobia: The fear of being alone or isolated. Develops after repeatedly encountering closed currency exchange counters, boarded-up travel info help desks, and hotel rooftop access doors that automatically lock from the inside.

9. Pedophobia: The fear/dislike of children. Of particular concern when: 1) taking your middle seat on a 12-hour flight next to a screamer, across from a babbler, and behind a squealer, or 2) realizing that the average age of the other guests at your "family friendly" hotel is about 10 years old.

8. Emetophobia: The fear of vomiting. At its most intense when, once again, you strike up a conversation with the beautiful person next to you after you've consumed vodka during turbulence.

7. Decidophobia: The fear of making decisions. At its worst when your new, drunken travel partner is relying on you to find the safest way back to the hostel at 2 a.m., and you have no more Euros.

6. Ipovlopsychophobia: The fear of having one's photograph taken. This is for you, ladies. Symptoms occur after: 1) the airline once again leaves behind your checked bag containing your makeup tote, 2) you've finally noticed the hotel security cameras, or 3) you realize your father is following your boyfriend's blog.

5. Halitophobia: The fear of bad breath. At its most wretched when exceeding the standing room capacity of buses; in Rome, in August, during a heat wave; or when having to make an emergency trip to a dentist recommended by your hostel.

4. Sesquipedalophobia: The fear of long words. Particularly prominent when trying to read the menu at a tourist-unfriendly, exotic little restaurant you're dining at with an attractive local you just picked up.

3. Disposophobia: The fear of getting rid of or losing things. Severe symptoms occur after you've been pick-pocketed, mugged, and had a bad experience with a bellhop all on the same trip.

2. Chronophobia: The fear of time and time moving forward. Of particular concern when you start receiving airline departure check-in reminders, your coworkers start calling you, and/or you can't even remember the beginning of your trip.

And the number one under-recognized travel phobia is...

1. Phobophobia: The fear of having a phobia or fear. Because the last thing you want to find out when you're trying to have yourself a jolly-good time somewhere is that you have yet another new hang-up!

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