In a matter of phobias there is nothing decided. There are phobias that everyone knows and understands, such as arachnophobia or the fear of flying, for example. But there are also many phobias that affect the lives of many people in two ways: on the one hand, due to the very inability that the phobia in question produces and, on the other hand, due to the misunderstanding that said phobia generates. This time we talk about trypophobia, do you know what it is?
What is trypophobia?
Does this image give you chills? If so, perhaps you suffer from trypophobia, an uncontrollable fear or rejection of repetitive patterns, especially when it comes to closely together geometric figures. Holes, holes, rectangles or circles close together and small like those that form in the bubbles of a soft drink, for example.
Although it may seem like a strange phobia to you, the data suggests that 25% of the population suffers from some problem when faced with the image of a coral, a honeycomb or, simply, a polka-dot-printed fabric. Sometimes this phobia is also manifested by a dermatological problem when spots or hives appear on some part of the body.
Causes of trypophobia
Most phobias originate from a traumatic experience or are picked up by the cultural context. They also manifest more clearly when combined with anxiety problems and other emotional disorders. However, trypophobia has an evolutionary origin. Many poisonous animals have geometric shapes on their skin, and people with trypophobia seem to have this level of alertness to danger more developed.
Symptoms of trypophobia
When seeing this pattern of repetitive geometric figures, people with trypophobia experience different symptoms depending on the severity of the phobia:
- Tingle.
- Repulsion.
- Rejection.
- Palpitations.
- Distress.
- Anxiety.
- Difficulty breathing.
- Dizziness.
- Nausea
Trypophobia treatment
Like all phobias, the treatment goes through psychological that will be decided by the medical professional. In some cases it may be necessary to use medication, although in general a gradual exposure therapy is sufficient, which in no case can be done on our own, or with a cognitive behavioral treatment in which one learns to transform the fear.