I had no idea this was an actual phobia until today. I just thought it was a weird little quirk of mine, which I guess it is, but others apparently have it too, so at least I’m not the only one.
For me, the issue is that the multiple holes look like insect nests. One hole (like pbbth’s last link) doesn’t freak me out at all.
Most of the time my phobia is pretty under control, but after reading so many posts about it today, I’m completely on edge. So much so that even the phrase “clustered holes” is freaking me out. I’m going to go do some nice calming laundry.
clairobscur: I didn’t mean to imply it’s why others may be bothered by them but I think it’s the ultimate source of my own anxiety.
My issue with deformities is more of a uneasy pity, and is nowhere near as strong as my aversion to the other things I’ve mentioned in this thread so I hide it. I’ve also been exposed to it my entire life due to my younger sister having severe cerebral palsy and a host of associated birth defects, many of which were obvious to the naked eye before corrective surgery, so it’s something I’ve come to terms with, to a degree.
That said, I never become blind to it; only innured.
Yes, but this phobia is so peculiar that I would assume its origin would probably be the same for all, or at least most, of us. That’s why I’m doubtful. My guess would be that you happen to have two unrelated anxieties and assume a relation between them that don’t exist (my guess unless a majority of “Trypophobics” share the same death/decaying things anxiety…and even then, this anxiety is so common that I probably still would be doubtful)
I have no particular issue with dead/decaying things, unless they somehow have a cluster pattern associated with them. Deformed people/animals also do not particularly bother me.
I am usually okay with bubble wrap, although after reading through this thread and spending a lot of time focusing on this topic today, I’m kind of sensitized to it and even bubble wrap is slightly pinging my skeeve-o-meter.
I disliked the turkey picture and even reacted negatively to the mention of hard drive partitions in another thread. If we keep on discussing the issue, everything will end up looking like a hole pattern.
I could be wrong about the link between the two issues and that the death/decay/deformity thing doesn’t bother me to anywhere near the same extent does lend some credence to that. I suppose I should I leave the psychoanalyzation to the professionals or at least those that actually know anything at all about it, which I don’t.
I like that cereal, too, but I can’t stand to look at it. Real honeycomb, forget it. Even the pattern of holes in the drain fixtures of certain sinks makes me feel all oogy.
Thanks for starting this thread, Aesiron. I wanted to talk about this but didn’t want to hijack that Pit thread any further. In my post there I linked to a site where people gave examples and variations of clusters and holes that squick them out. Apparently a search on Flickr will give you lots of visual examples too (though I wouldn’t recommend it for the faint of heart).
I think I have a little of it, but I go weak at very specific types of clustered holes. I don’t freak out when I look at honeycombs, barnacles or lotus roots (although that lotus boob pic had me scratching at my own breasts for a while).
Bubbles on the edge of pancakes do it for me. I have a very visceral reaction to the soft, spongy surface and the texture patterns formed by the clusters of tiny holes. It makes my hair stand on end.
Personally, as squicky as it is, I also find it fascinating and I’ve been trying to figure out why one and not the other.
OK, total trypophobe here as well. I still have the shivers from the pics. I don’t have any images to share, but one thing that always gave me the creeps was Nerf, close up. All the holes in the foam really disturbed me, but I never knew why until now!
I’m pretty sure I have this - the lotus boob, the surinam toad, larvae in hives, fruit with holes eaten in it…even the sight of my own shredded fingertips after I’ve been in hot water too long, or those little grates in an public bathroom floor when some of the holes have crap or dust collecting in them - those all squick me out terribly. Itchy, creepy, uncomfortable - definitely. However, I tend to seek out these experiences nonetheless, and actually kind of like the freaked-out feeling.
I’m not sure if this is exactly what I have, but it is a very close cousin, anyway. I haven’t clicked on any of those pictures because I know that you can’t unsee things at this point.
We got a wasp nest out from under our shed a couple of years ago, and it had wasp eggs/larva in the bunch of cells - I did not like looking at that. And yes, the response is “Oh, I really don’t like that, and I don’t know why” and “must destroy.”
So, how do all y’all do with those nose pore cleaning strips, when they have their little forest of blackhead contents on them? Eeeee.
I also just looked at the lotus pod breast. I was afraid it would totally freak me out, but (to me) it looked so fake that it didn’t bother me. I actually wanted to squeeze it until those things just oozed out and then everything would be fine. Ok, now I have officially disgusted myself.
I thought your “fear” was a little weird but decided to step back on it… I have a “fear” (well, not fear, more like they make me kinda nauseous and shuddery… Like I want to vomit but can’t) of cotton balls. Well, not “cotton balls” per se, but rather things of that… well… don’t know how to word it. Things like wool sweaters, hats, blankets… Cotton balls themselves seem to trigger it readily and I’m around them often enough at work where they get to me. Just thinking of it has made my skin kinda crawl. Ugh.
Anyway. There are things that are just as strange or stranger things to fear.
Hey, nice to know it’s not just me and it has a name. While the lotus pod doesn’t bother me that much, some of the items described in this thread are making my skin crawl and my gorge rise. (And while I usually can’t resist clicking “don’t click this” links, I’m staying awaaaaaay from the lotus boob. Even the verbal references are making me practically retch here.)
Some horrible, horrible memories from my childhood:
The outer walls of the grocery store we went to were finished with pebbles set in cement. It freaked me out to walk by them - I always thought they looked like some giant bug’s egg sac or something.
Speaking of that, I believe it was 3-2-1 Contact that showed an extreme closeup of a mother insect with a mass of eggs on her back - I swear, I’m about to vomit just thinking of it.
Barnacles. Yeeech. OK I have to stop talking about this stuff before I hurl.
Oh one more - a science textbook that had lung cells or something on the cover. I lived in fear of that thing.
