Tripophobia is characterized by a psychological disorder, in which the person has an irrational fear of images or objects that have irregular holes or patterns, such as honeycombs, clusters of holes in the skin, wood, plants or sponges, for example.
People with this fear feel bad and symptoms such as itching, tremors, tingling and disgust come into contact with these patterns. In more severe cases, tripophobia can lead to nausea, increased heart rate and even a panic attack.
Treatment may include progressive exposure therapy, use of anxiolytics and antidepressants, or psychotherapy.
People with tripophobia when exposed to patterns such as lotus seeds, honeycombs, bubbles, strawberries or crustaceans may have symptoms such as:
In more severe cases, the person may also experience panic attacks, due to an extreme level of anxiety. Know what to do during a panic attack.
Research shows that people with tripophobia unconsciously associate holes or objects with irregular patterns, usually related to patterns created by nature, with potentially dangerous situations. This sense of danger is mainly triggered by the similarity between the appearance of holes with the skin of poisonous animals, such as snakes, for example, or with worms that cause skin diseases, such as the heel of passion fruit.
If you’re curious, look at the heel of passion fruit, however, if you think you have tripophobia, it’s a good idea to avoid seeing images of this problem.
Generally, people with this phobia cannot distinguish between situations in which there is danger or not, because it is an unconscious reflex that causes uncontrollable reactions.
There are many ways to treat this psychological disorder, with exposure therapy being the most effective method. This type of therapy helps the person to control fear, modifying their response to the object that causes it, and should be done very carefully so as not to cause trauma.
This therapy should be performed with the help of a psychologist by gradually exposing itself to the stimulus that causes phobia. Through dialogue, the therapist uses relaxation techniques, so that the person faces fear, until the discomfort disappears.
This therapy can be combined with other techniques that help reduce anxiety and treat this fear:
Tryptophobia is not yet recognized in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, but some studies show that phobia exists and causes symptoms that affect people’s lives.