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My Curious Phobia (Trypophobia)

merricat

confused particle
Joined
Aug 2, 2013
Messages
468
Location
UK
This one doesn't particularly interfere with my life, so it’s hardly extreme, but it’s certainly an odd one, which I’ve pondered over the years with absolutely no idea how it could have come about.

As far as I can tell, I have had it since as far back as I can recall, from early childhood at least.
There were two weird phobias initially, although I grew out of the intense horror of my skin touching a carpet or rug by the time I reached adulthood:oops:.

Ok, I’m delaying mentioning it.....it is called trytophobia!
An absolute horror of tiny holes or protrusions, usually clustered together (never individually).
I can barely even describe what this does to me. It isn’t revulsion exactly, but it feels physical - when exposed to such an image, whether in picture format or ‘real’ life, it is as if my entire being wants to fold up like origami. It makes me feel as though I am turning in on myself in an effort to rid myself of the sensation. But still, this exact sensation is difficult to describe.
It is deeply unpleasant and impossible, and it must be got away from immediately for fear of imploding.

A sieve leaking water is bad enough but usually the holes are just about large enough to ease the horror. Someone pushing plasticine through very tiny holes would send me into a fit! (Anyone recall that kid’s game in the 80’s called barber shop? Aaaagh!)
But those which often appear in nature are far, far worse, the internet is full of ‘em.

I have shown such images, with my eyes shut haha, to others and found no such issues with them. It would be a fabulous way to torture me!

Another issue is the apparent cruelty of the internet - to read anything about it whatsoever is quite impossible due to the writers stuffing tons of horrific illustrations of tiny holes into the articles!

Anyone else have anything like this?
If there is a dedicated phobia thread please do merge, I just can’t locate it.
 
Could this thread possibly be merged with the ‘ curious phobias’ one?

A new angle to consider and squirm over has just arisen; my OH just asked me did I recall how horrified I was many years ago when he showed me a picture of an exploded steam engine (he loves his trains!).
Not remembering this one he showed me the photo just now - oh boy!

This is like a sort of inversion of the little holes phobia. Possibly even more violent a reaction. Those terrible flailing tubes at the front of the train are destroying me. I just can’t deal with that!

Here is a picture, I managed to save it whilst looking away from it - not easy!

93FBCA08-F193-4C27-8228-8544E23D2107.png

Image source https://www.reddit.com/r/Catastroph.../the_result_of_a_boiler_explosion_on_a_steam/
 
Could this thread possibly be merged with the ‘ curious phobias’ one?

A new angle to consider and squirm over has just arisen; my OH just asked me did I recall how horrified I was many years ago when he showed me a picture of an exploded steam engine (he loves his trains!).
Not remembering this one he showed me the photo just now - oh boy!

This is like a sort of inversion of the little holes phobia. Possibly even more violent a reaction. Those terrible flailing tubes at the front of the train are destroying me. I just can’t deal with that!

Here is a picture, I managed to save it whilst looking away from it - not easy!

View attachment 10357
Image source https://www.reddit.com/r/Catastroph.../the_result_of_a_boiler_explosion_on_a_steam/


*nods* Cthulhu Train.
 
Could this thread possibly be merged with the ‘ curious phobias’ one?

A new angle to consider and squirm over has just arisen; my OH just asked me did I recall how horrified I was many years ago when he showed me a picture of an exploded steam engine (he loves his trains!).
Not remembering this one he showed me the photo just now - oh boy!

This is like a sort of inversion of the little holes phobia. Possibly even more violent a reaction. Those terrible flailing tubes at the front of the train are destroying me. I just can’t deal with that!

Here is a picture, I managed to save it whilst looking away from it - not easy!

View attachment 10357
Image source https://www.reddit.com/r/Catastroph.../the_result_of_a_boiler_explosion_on_a_steam/

Oh my Gawd...that immediately reminded me of this horror from the Space 1999 episode “Dragon’s Domain" :eek:

dragon3~01.jpg
 
Anyone recall that kid’s game in the 80’s called barber shop? Aaaagh
we had it, the play-doh fuzzy pumper barbershop

there were moulds you clamped over the characters head, each represented a style and you expunged the dough up through the characters body and the extruded strands emerged from the head and formed into said style
 
Play-Doh was like a shite version of Plastacine. Plastacine came in useful one day when I was little and there was a flash flood threatening to seep through the back door.

Other than that it was good for making snakes or sometimes snails. Play-Doh smelled nicer though, a bit like almonds.
 
Play-Doh was like a shite version of Plastacine. Plastacine came in useful one day when I was little and there was a flash flood threatening to seep through the back door.

Other than that it was good for making snakes or sometimes snails. Play-Doh smelled nicer though, a bit like almonds.
My Mum found out how to make Play-Doh.
 
This one doesn't particularly interfere with my life, so it’s hardly extreme, but it’s certainly an odd one, which I’ve pondered over the years with absolutely no idea how it could have come about.

As far as I can tell, I have had it since as far back as I can recall, from early childhood at least.
There were two weird phobias initially, although I grew out of the intense horror of my skin touching a carpet or rug by the time I reached adulthood:oops:.

Ok, I’m delaying mentioning it.....it is called trytophobia!
An absolute horror of tiny holes or protrusions, usually clustered together (never individually).
I can barely even describe what this does to me. It isn’t revulsion exactly, but it feels physical - when exposed to such an image, whether in picture format or ‘real’ life, it is as if my entire being wants to fold up like origami. It makes me feel as though I am turning in on myself in an effort to rid myself of the sensation. But still, this exact sensation is difficult to describe.
It is deeply unpleasant and impossible, and it must be got away from immediately for fear of imploding.

A sieve leaking water is bad enough but usually the holes are just about large enough to ease the horror. Someone pushing plasticine through very tiny holes would send me into a fit! (Anyone recall that kid’s game in the 80’s called barber shop? Aaaagh!)
But those which often appear in nature are far, far worse, the internet is full of ‘em.

I have shown such images, with my eyes shut haha, to others and found no such issues with them. It would be a fabulous way to torture me!

Another issue is the apparent cruelty of the internet - to read anything about it whatsoever is quite impossible due to the writers stuffing tons of horrific illustrations of tiny holes into the articles!

Anyone else have anything like this?
If there is a dedicated phobia thread please do merge, I just can’t locate it.
So would a sponge freak you out, what with all the holes in it ?
 
So would a sponge freak you out, what with all the holes in it ?

No, sponges are ok. Never thought about that one. The very worst are clusters of holes, like the lotus plant thing. Sweet jaaaysus!

I’m ok with crumpets too.

If someone put pin pricks into a plastic cup and filled it with water, THAT would be dreadful. The tinier the holes the worse it is.
 
do you not shower then
No issue there either.
I’ve been thinking about the feeling, which is difficult to describe, but it seems to be about a certain... unexpectedness, randomness.
The exploded steam engine and the lotus plant images horrify me on an immediate, physical level. As if there’s something uncanny and ‘alive’ about them.
A crumpet, bath sponge and shower head are perhaps more practical, known, expected?

Just ideas, not terribly certain either way.
 
I can:
2-iron-filings-on-a-magnet-science-photo-library.jpg
 
This one doesn't particularly interfere with my life, so it’s hardly extreme, but it’s certainly an odd one, which I’ve pondered over the years with absolutely no idea how it could have come about.

As far as I can tell, I have had it since as far back as I can recall, from early childhood at least.
There were two weird phobias initially, although I grew out of the intense horror of my skin touching a carpet or rug by the time I reached adulthood:oops:.

Ok, I’m delaying mentioning it.....it is called trytophobia!
An absolute horror of tiny holes or protrusions, usually clustered together (never individually).
I can barely even describe what this does to me. It isn’t revulsion exactly, but it feels physical - when exposed to such an image, whether in picture format or ‘real’ life, it is as if my entire being wants to fold up like origami. It makes me feel as though I am turning in on myself in an effort to rid myself of the sensation. But still, this exact sensation is difficult to describe.
It is deeply unpleasant and impossible, and it must be got away from immediately for fear of imploding.

A sieve leaking water is bad enough but usually the holes are just about large enough to ease the horror. Someone pushing plasticine through very tiny holes would send me into a fit! (Anyone recall that kid’s game in the 80’s called barber shop? Aaaagh!)
But those which often appear in nature are far, far worse, the internet is full of ‘em.

I have shown such images, with my eyes shut haha, to others and found no such issues with them. It would be a fabulous way to torture me!

Another issue is the apparent cruelty of the internet - to read anything about it whatsoever is quite impossible due to the writers stuffing tons of horrific illustrations of tiny holes into the articles!

Anyone else have anything like this?
If there is a dedicated phobia thread please do merge, I just can’t locate it.

I have this, it's usually the worst when you encounter rotting stuff or things in nature. I'm ok with sieves and colanders. Some believe that it is an OTT response to a very natural avoidance of rotting things that in pre-medicine eras was probably very sensible.


Also lets lay off posting pics, spoilers or no spoilers. It can cause deep unhappiness and with me nausea which is up there with motion sickness.
 
I have this, it's usually the worst when you encounter rotting stuff or things in nature. I'm ok with sieves and colanders. Some believe that it is an OTT response to a very natural avoidance of rotting things that in pre-medicine eras was probably very sensible.


Also lets lay off posting pics, spoilers or no spoilers. It can cause deep unhappiness and with me nausea which is up there with motion sickness.

I’m sorry to hear you are likewise afflicted - although glad to hear that I’m not alone.

I have wondered whether an early experience may have created it, but if it has, then I am blissfully unaware. I do get somewhere close to it sometimes, you know, the ‘essence of why’, but then it slips away almost immediately like a half remembered word on the tip of your tongue.

Definitely nature stuff. The worst!
Not sure about the rotting things though. On an older thread I think ermintruder mentioned something relating to ocular overload, and I do feel that it is largely a sensorial response, as opposed to a traumatic incident, but even that theory doesn’t quite feel right.

Interesting nonetheless.
 
This Live Science article:

https://www.livescience.com/65667-woodpecker-image-trypophobia.html

... shows a recent woodpecker photo (displayed in the article) that's triggering many trypophobic folks online. The article then proceeds to describe the state of research into this recently recognized phobia.

Why This Image of a Woodpecker Is Creeping People Out
When a seemingly innocuous image of a woodpecker stashing away its acorn supply made the internet rounds, Twitter-users expressed revulsion. They weren't reacting to the bird or the actual acorns, but to the set of holes in which the bird was storing its treasure. Clustered in an irregular pattern, the holes were triggering a condition called trypophobia.

To someone with this phobia, an otherwise benign – and even downright gorgeous – image can spark fear and disgust. These individuals aren’t just afraid of any hole they see. Trypophobia is characterized by an aversion to clustered patterns of irregular holes or bumps. The term seems to have been coined by someone in an online forum in 2005, though scientists say the condition has likely been around for much longer. ...

"We know that this condition pre-existed the internet — although the internet may have exacerbated it," Arnold Wilkins, a psychologist at the University of Essex ...

The phobia isn't an official disorder, meaning it’s not listed in the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,” but up to 10% of people report experiencing symptoms, which include anxiety, nausea and a “skin-crawling” sensation, Wilkins said, after viewing certain images. "It can be quite debilitating," he added.

So why is this phobia so common? Scientists are still trying to answer this question, but many believe the aversion is evolutionarily adaptive.
"You avoid things that are likely to harm you," Wilkins explained. ...
 
This Live Science article:

https://www.livescience.com/65667-woodpecker-image-trypophobia.html

... shows a recent woodpecker photo (displayed in the article) that's triggering many trypophobic folks online. The article then proceeds to describe the state of research into this recently recognized phobia.

Christ looked at it for about a second it's horrible.

I'll say it again - it's not a fear response it's just revulsion. It' a physical feeling of nausea.

I can honestly say its almost autonomic and it's gotten worse with age which suggests something else either neurological or physiological is going on.

I'd be interested in what the article said without the picture.
 
My eldest daughter has these reactions quite strongly. As NF says, it is not fear but revulsion, or disgust, suggesting a deep response to an unhealthy situation; to be avoided. There was a BBC article/survey about disgust a few years ago (can't find it all now) that had some images that most people found repulsive - they were suggestive of disease or, at least, harm - and the need to avoid (being disgusted) is buried deep in our programming. Very similar to the vague shape of a snake in the grass. I think trypophobia is related to that somehow. My daughter feels sick when she sees the image from the Terminator film where the cyborg's arm is burnt and has various-sized holes in his synthetic flesh - I won't post it here, I'm not that cruel!
 
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