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We’ve all got our personal deep-seated fears. It can be extremely embarrassing to admit them, so I’ll go first: I’m irrationally afraid of heights and needles. And even though I can conquer my fears for short stretches of time, they still sneak up on me from time to time, especially when I least expect it. So even though I don’t have trypophobia, I can fully understand what someone suffering from it feels.

Trypophobia is the fear or disgust of closely packed holes, bumps, or patterns. When people with trypophobia see clusters of holes, they might feel queasy and uncomfortable, and can even suffer from panic attacks. Something as seemingly innocent as a strawberry or the head of a lotus seed pod might trigger their phobia. There is an entire subreddit, r/trypophobia, dedicated to “the most common phobia you’ve never heard of,” and we’re showcasing some of their most popular photos.

Be warned, though, if you do have trypophobia, these pictures might unnerve you. So, just in case, here is the link to our adorable article about tiny animals perching on fingers in case you need a palate cleanser.

Bored Panda reached out to the founder of r/trypophobia and to the UK Addiction Team Group to better understand phobias, their origins, and how we can overcome them. Be sure to read on for both insightful interviews.

#1

"The Beekeeper Forgot To Put The Frame In His Hive, So The Bees Just Freestyled, Building A Structure That Would Best Handle Temperature And Ventilation"

"The Beekeeper Forgot To Put The Frame In His Hive, So The Bees Just Freestyled, Building A Structure That Would Best Handle Temperature And Ventilation"

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Nuno Albuquerque, the Head of Treatment at the UK Addiction Treatment Group, was kind enough to go in-depth about phobias with Bored Panda.

“Phobias are among the most common anxiety disorders and are often developed following a negative or traumatic experience or in some cases, from learned or copied behavior from parents or those close to them,” Nuno said in an email interview.

#2

This Woodpecker's Acorn Stash In A Granary Tree

This Woodpecker's Acorn Stash In A Granary Tree

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Richard Portman
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They do that. It is amazing. The whole place where they live is amazing. They are called Acorn Woodpeckers. They have a whole agenda that does not include humans. But they are pretty tough, muy bravos, and are still surviving.

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#3

Wild Beehive

Wild Beehive

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Caro Caro
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is absolutely beautiful. Imagine the taste of that honey! (gum trees?)

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“If parents or people of influence have anxiety about dogs, for example, then it is more than likely a child growing up with them will also develop the same irrational reaction around dogs,” Nuno noted that we can ‘inherit’ our social circles’ phobias as we’re growing up.

"Unfortunately genetics and learned behavior can trickle into the development of other behaviors and disorders, such as substance misuse, eating disorders, or unhealthy relationships with food, as well as gaming and gambling,” Nuno, from the UKAT Group said.

#4

Seashell Piece I Found On The Beach

Seashell Piece I Found On The Beach

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Overcoming phobias can be incredibly challenging. However, with the right approach, support, and help, everything is possible.

"Regardless of how a phobia originates, overcoming them can be difficult but is possible. It's important to recognize if more than one person is suffering and encourage all to participate. Gradual desensitization or self-exposure to the cause is encouraged,” Nuno detailed to Bored Panda.

#8

After A Walk Through The Snow

After A Walk Through The Snow

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#9

South Shore Vet Clinic: "This Tick Has Been Hanging Around For Us To Show People For A While. After Months In A Sealed Container With No Additional Feeding She Laid Eggs. This Gives You An Idea Of How Long A Tick Can Be Dormant And How Many Eggs One Female Can Lay."

South Shore Vet Clinic: "This Tick Has Been Hanging Around For Us To Show People For A While. After Months In A Sealed Container With No Additional Feeding She Laid Eggs. This Gives You An Idea Of How Long A Tick Can Be Dormant And How Many Eggs One Female Can Lay."

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“A more complex and long-term phobia may need similar treatment given to someone with an anxiety disorder or mental health illness; counseling, cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy or psychotherapy are all good options to explore." For help and support with anxiety disorders, you can visit this link right here.

Meanwhile, the founder of the r/trypophobia subreddit and one of its moderators, redditor It_roll, went into detail with Bored Panda about the phobia. “It’s still not understood correctly,” they said.

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#11

"Child, Why Do You Scream?"

"Child, Why Do You Scream?"

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#12

I Opened A Beer Yesterday To Find The Bubbles All Neatly Lined Up

I Opened A Beer Yesterday To Find The Bubbles All Neatly Lined Up

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“Some scientists say it has an evolutionary basis to stay away from poisonous or dangerous animals, some even speculate that the patterns are very similar to infectious diseases like smallpox which resulted in developing fear to stay away from them,” they speculated about the possible causes of the phobia.

According to the founder, they created the subreddit as a way to unite those redditors who have the phobia, once they became aware of the scope of the fear.

#14

A Skull Being Enveloped By Limestone

A Skull Being Enveloped By Limestone

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Domenico
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Actually he is the "Altamura man", discovered in October 1993 by speleologists of CARS (Centro Altamurano Ricerche Speleologiche) in the cave of Lamalunga in Altamura, Apulia, Italy.

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#15

I Ate Too Many Sour Candies, And My Tongue Decided To Shed A Layer

I Ate Too Many Sour Candies, And My Tongue Decided To Shed A Layer

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“I always found the hole patterns associated with trypophobia very creepy. Earlier, I didn't even know this fear had a name but soon on Reddit, I found many other users sharing the same fear like I had and came to know it was very common. So, I decided to create a sub where all of us users with the same fear can talk about it,” they told me about the origins of their community.

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#17

Extreme Close Up Of Pin Feathers On Pigeon

Extreme Close Up Of Pin Feathers On Pigeon

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Samantha Lomb
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They grow out to look like normal feathers. No big deal. Only problem if you have chickens is to keep other chickens from pecking them and making them bleed. I had to make little coats for molting birds because of it

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#18

Wasps Building A Nest In Pyrex

Wasps Building A Nest In Pyrex

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Samantha Lomb
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That is really cool. Would be great for some natural math inspired art, or your own H. R Giger homage, though you would need to add more genitalia for that

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Redditor It_roll noted that they personally remain skeptical about some approaches like exposure therapy helping one conquer one’s trypophobia. “Though I have heard exposure therapy works on some phobias like some anxiety disorders, I have doubts if it can be helpful in trypophobia, considering thousands of users see trypophobic content every day in this sub, yet neither I nor anyone else has ever said that our trypophobia was gone.”

#20

Barnacle Croc Found On The Beach

Barnacle Croc Found On The Beach

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#21

Suriname Toads Give Birth Out Of Their Back

Suriname Toads Give Birth Out Of Their Back

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#22

"Beech Orange" Mushroom

"Beech Orange" Mushroom

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Ray_gunn
Community Member
2 years ago

Get that scr0te seen at a sexual health clinic ASAP!

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#25

My 4yo Daughter's Artwork. Those Red Circles Are "The Holes Where His Hair Comes Out."

My 4yo Daughter's Artwork. Those Red Circles Are "The Holes Where His Hair Comes Out."

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#26

Mushrooms

Mushrooms

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#27

Lotus Root Inside A Lotus Root. Double Trypophobia

Lotus Root Inside A Lotus Root. Double Trypophobia

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Ray_gunn
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I don't find them too bad without the seeds, when the seeds are inside the holes it resembles maggot heads.

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#28

Beans Left In The Microwave For A While

Beans Left In The Microwave For A While

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#29

Some Eggs I Found In The Garden

Some Eggs I Found In The Garden

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#30

This Wrinkly Mold I Found Growing In A Bowl Outside

This Wrinkly Mold I Found Growing In A Bowl Outside

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Note: this post originally had 108 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.

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