In this case, trypophobia has not been studied in depth and therefore, it is not yet a recognized or approved phobia by the Statistical and Diagnostic Manual of Mental Disorders. The word was created in 2005 and its etymological origin responds to Greek roots, in which “trypa” means hole and phobia, which, as many already know, means fear.

In short, it can be stated that trypophobia is the irrational repulsion or fear of a set of holes , holes or gaps. In such a way that, this phobia will be greater the more holes of similar size and together appear. In other words, it is the repetitive patterns that cause an increase in anxiety in people who suffer from this phobia. It is estimated that 25% of people currently suffer from this phobia, something that explains that it is more serious and normal than people think.

Why does this phobia occur?

There are many theories about the origins of this type of phobia. According to a study published in Psychological Science, it is repetitive or similar patterns that produce anxiety, fear and anguish in those who suffer from this type of disease.

As for the symptoms, as previously explained, trypophobia is not properly diagnosed, so at present, its symptoms are considered to be the same as those of any other existing phobia . Anxiety attacks, problems when it comes to coping, touching or thinking in repetitive figures or geometric shapes … are some of them. In addition, the person who suffers from this fear will also suffer from tremors, nausea, tachycardia, strong sweats, breathing problems, vomiting … among others. In those cases where the phobia affects more abruptly, fever, allergies, skin problems, goose bumps, redness and irritation will occur.

It is recommended to avoid giving rise to these types of attacks. The most beneficial thing is to seek to react calmly to this situation. Therefore, the person should focus on abandoning stress, fleeing from the place, avoiding looking and escaping from that phobia looking for a distraction. Although the anguish is not removed immediately, it will only be by following these previous tips that the situation can be alleviated and that it does not worsen, returning to normality as soon as possible.

Evolution of trypophobia

As has been found, this type of phobias would come from something that the ancestors left behind and it was the instinctive rejection of figures or repeated geometric shapes, as for example occurs with poisonous species such as snakes, spiders … Even so, today Today, trypophobia has spread due to another reason which is the arrival of social networks . Users found that by sharing images of repetitive and deep holes, their body produced a feeling of rejection and revulsion.

Is there treatment?

At present, as previously mentioned, this phobia is not recognized by science. For this reason, there is no specific treatment to fight it. It is therefore advisable to ask for psychological help in order to be able to deal with the subject with an expert in a natural and open way, seeking that these fears diminish over time and that finally, a point is reached where the person has total control when such situations occur.

Even so, there are different types of treatments for this fear, which involve psychological therapies and the taking of certain medications. One of the most used techniques for the cure of this problem is gradual exposure, which is started with the help of experts. In this way, the person is gradually exposed to these stimuli that cause so much rejection. At first, it is carried out through images in which these types of geometric figures are presented and it is little by little that we try to reduce that anxiety.

Another method or treatment used to cure trypophobia is the search for a change in people’s mentality or what is the same, the vision they have of their fears. Making the patient reflect, speak freely about the subject or naturalize the behavior are the best steps to reach a cure for this phobia with which, unfortunately, many people live today.