to ask what trypopphobia is?

[ilikeyourface]

Too scared to google

I think the majority of people in real life have no idea of the name of this phobia, whereas loads of MNers have been exposed to quite extreme images and now realise why they feel a bit icky when they see swarms of insets or clusters of holes etc. that most people would just shrug off. Until MN I was quite happy looking at holey pasta, those insect houses made of tubes of bamboo - now they make me shudder.

either that or folk genuinely do not discuss their phobias because they don't want to trigger the unwelcome feelings or they are afraid of being mocked - my friend has a really serious button phobia, I had never heard of it but its genuine and quite debilitating - she could not have buttons on any of her dc clothes. she cant explain why, its not rational.

and I repeat - do not ever under any circumstances google pictures of Surinam toads. just don't. you have been warned!

ONLY READ IF BRAVE.........

the Surinam toad has a strange way of hatching its young, the fertilised eggs stick to and embed in the mothers back and the tadpoles grow inside these bulgy blisters then they burst gradually and little baby toads crawl out of these gross holes all over her back.

It's possibly to do with decay. For me, the worst aspect is the idea of holes with things in them ( feeling shivery just typing that) and it kind of relates to the idea of things rotting, particularly flesh and vegetable matter. I've read things that suggest this is the root. I'm certainly a very squeamish person generally so it makes sense to me that my 'disgust' triggers are more extreme than some people.

I've had this reaction since I was a child by the way, but it has got worse as I've grown older, which is common with most phobic reactions.

Interesting! My dd has this, though I had no idea it had a name and was quite a well- established thing. (I thought it was an excuse not to stop faffing on snapchat when asked to chop up a red pepper)

looking back to my childhood, I was always disgusted by the patterns of tiny scabs you get with a graze, or piles of wriggling ants/maggots, and I also hated the pattern you get on sand when its raining lightly - all those dimples - bleurgh! But I did not know till MN that this was a phobia and had a name.

I have wondered if it is an innate fear of parasitic infection that is at root of it. Does't explain why some people feel fascinated, though. I guess it triggers a visceral response in almost everyone, but how that visceral response is consciously interpreted (fascination, fear, revulsion, even sexual arousal according to some trypophilia websites) depends on our personal experiences.

Oh my god, I'm so pleased that this has a name.

I've had this for the past few years and have a massive aversions to certain patterns, to the point where they make me feel really ill to look at them.

I'm off to inform DH that it actually has a name because he's been thinking I'm strange...

Abbie I can almost understand a fear of holes, because you can never tell what might be in them. There might be spiders, my own personal nightmare.
On the other hand, I'm afraid of fish and their creepy fish faces. There's no particular reason or explanation for that.

I've been wondering about something for a while - are trypophobes scared of artex? You know, when you stare at it for ages and you get an optical illusion where the bumps turn into holes?

I have it, had it for years but never knew it had a name.

I once had a dog who had little holey patterns in his nose and it made me anxious every time I looked at it.

I have anxiety over a lot of patterns, not just holes which I always assumed was related to my OCD somehow. Sometimes the sun shines through my attic bedroom window and leaves a pattern on my wall and it freaks me out, so for me, it is a phobia of some patterns and holes.

I actually love patterns like this (weirdo)

I can deal ok with man made holes if they have a regular pattern. I can't bear irregular patterns though and anything organic makes me feel disgusting. Lotus seed pods are a good example, you see them in supermarkets pot pourri arrangements, why would you want that in your house?

Oh I hate that feeling, I've had it since I was a kid but I didn't realise it had a name either. It's the oddest feeling and I don't know whether it's unpleasant or pleasantly unpleasant. I have the urge to google but I know it will make me feel sick. Weird!

I suppose Crunchies are out then.

I'm the same as Ehric and only get funny over irregular patterns and organic things. Anything with a defined, uniform pattern doesn't bother me. Honeycomb also doesn't bother me but I Googled some pictures and my skin crawled at some of the Photoshopped ones.

I think it's the fear of parasites for me, loads of small holes in something living suggest infestation or disease. I am another one who can cope with synthetic stuff, bubbles and pasta don't bother me but a holey pattern in a plant or living creature freaks me out.

I don't know whether it's unpleasant or pleasantly unpleasant.

That's exactly it for me, PansOnFire. It's so hard to interpret the feelings in produces.

Crunchies are fine too. Natural honey comb like with bees I can't look at, but crunchies are fine.

whitepudding I think thay may be why so many of us have it!