Koutoumouphobia. Does anyone else have it?

I have a phobia of belly buttons if that counts! I cringe and curl up at the thought of them. Mine is super sensitive, I once slapped someone as a reflex when they tried to touch it. Urghh. I can't even touch my own, the thought is bad enough.

My sibling has it too and we didn't realise the other did until adulthood!

I'd heard of a phobia of those things but I didn't know that was the name for it.

I had a friend once who was repulsed by ball bearings. He would just say they were horribly unbearably smooth.

Given that it's an emotional response rather than a logical one, hypnotherapy should work.

I'm a koutamouphile then. I love them. I made my own bag once covered in them. I inherited all my Nana's vintage ones from her sewing chest too. Sorry OP that must be a tough phobia to have given they are everywhere. I understand the gut wrenching fear of a phobia though as a recovered arachnophobe. Still don't love them but i can tolerate their presence now. I would recommend hypnotherapy if you want to get rid of the fear. Good luck!

To offer an alternative viewpoint on this. I have Trypophilia. I love them.

"Tripophilia (from Latin trypē — "hole" and philia — "love") is a psychological state or inclination in which a person experiences positive emotions, pleasure, or even appetite when viewing objects with repetitive patterns of holes or pores"

I hate to break it to you but I think the shuddering, goosebumps and weird feeling of absolute urgh IS trypophobia.

Thinking about it, I don’t like round badges either.

I knew a boy that had to have velcro on his school shirt and mo buttovs because of this. Was unusual at the time

The other thing I really HATE touching is those rulers with moving pictures.even the thought of touching them is making me wince.🤢 Unfortubately the dial on my washing machine has the same texture (why?!). I tried to return it for that reason but they would have charged me about half the price. I've had to stick paper over it. The paper is peeling off right now but I can't bring myself to pull it off completely to replace it.😵‍💫

@LillyPJ That's interesting, not just the shape but the missing bits (not wanting to use the word). So an element of trypophobia (don't Google it) too. It must be so difficult to avoid such an everyday item.

I'm fine with chocolate ones - perhaps because of the lack of holes? (Eurgghhh - the very thought!) But I'd like them more if they had a different name.

No, the chocolate kind is ok (for me, anyway). But the fact that a good number of us have the same revulsion at loose coins would suggest it's just to do with their shape. I'm not sure it is, though, although I can't quite explain why.

It’s an ugly word too.

I don’t like anything that come under the heading of twee / sweet / cutesy & buttons fall into that category I think, overdone decorative ones anyway. I’ve never understood in Baby Names why people say a name is ‘sweet’ or ‘cute’ & view that as a good thing.

Not wanting to sound flippant, but what about the chocolate kind?

My phobia is answering the phone and letter opening. I know where it came from, I just don't know how to overcome it.

DD has this- she was fussy about some clothes as a toddler but I didn’t know why, but I think it was button related. Once she was about 3 she wa able to verbalise that she didn’t like them and they made her feel sick. In preschool she didn’t like children wearing buttons to touch her. She’s still in primary school so for a long time she wore zip up polo necks but then she felt self-conscious about looking different, so now we’ve ended up with polo shirts that still fasten with Velcro and I’ve cut the (useless) buttons off. She still always wears a jumper though and also will try to sneak in with a white pe shirt on non-pe days. Luckily her school is fairly lax but I don’t know what’s going to happen with secondary school. She did say at least a tie will cover the buttons. She is also really funny with sock seams and tags, but there’s no SEN or any signs of neurodiversity (and I’m well versed on things like underdiagnosis of girls and masking).

She also hates the Wendy’s (fast food in the US) logo because of the freckles. Also once when she was about 3 or 4 she told me that sometimes when she’s eating a crumpet, she thinks worms will come out of the holes (but she said it in a very matter of fact way- and she still likes to eat crumpets!)

My mother in law had this.

She was fine doing up buttons on her clothes. It was loose buttons that she hated. Women of her age (she’d be 99 if she was still alive) generally had a button box with lots of spare buttons and I think she had one, but couldn’t use it! She used to get her sister to sew buttons onto anything that needed them.

Yes I have it! No ND. Like others I feel physically sick at the sight and feel. Just thinking about it now is making me gag!

I have had this all my life. My mum remembers me wriggling out of buttoned babygros as a tiny baby!
I have to be careful in clothing shops as, if I suddenly am faced with one unexpectedly, then it can make me physically recoil. It is more disgust than fear.

My late mum had this!!!!

broke out in a sweat 🤣

Yes one loose in a drawer!

Its not unusual as many have already said

But the human brain being what it is, doesnt need a reason. I see loads of people, page one so far, have asked what the trigger is, did something happen when young etc etc

You dont need that to have happened, you dont need any trigger. Phobias by their definition are illogical and irrational, they're just something that sometimes happens. Mine is slippers, dont ask me why. I feel sick just saying that.

Yes buttons and belly buttons!

Not in my friend's case, no.

Not in my friend's case, no.