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 Yummy Pizza Dough

Image credits: BennyPalmetto843

Nuno Albuquerque, the Head of Treatment at the UK Addiction Treatment Group, was kind enough to go in-depth about phobias in general 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 Wild Beehive

Image credits: mcrabb23 2

#3 This Wrinkly Mold I Found Growing In A Bowl Outside

Image credits: Jeff_Haddock

“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

Image credits: durianwater

#5 This Bread That Was Served At Dinner

Image credits: FlanOfWar

#6 This Woodpecker's Acorn Stash In A Granary Tree

Image credits: houshie

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.

#7 Barnacle Croc Found On The Beach

Image credits: llamabeanbags

#8 This Pipe Full Of Barnacles

Image credits: Dabestheris

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

Image credits: pay_dirt

“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.

#10 "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"

Image credits: maxkmiller

#11 Bet You Can’t Guess What This Is. Hint: It’s In A Restaurant (Not A Mushroom)

Image credits: flagler15

#12 Beans Left In The Microwave For A While

Image credits: throneofdirt

“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.

#13 "Child, Why Do You Scream?"

Image credits: NovelTAcct

#14 A Burned Tree That Looks Like Spaghetti

Image credits: Seymour_Zamboni

#15 Extreme Close Up Of Pin Feathers On Pigeon

Image credits: Delicatelybruised

“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.

#16 Some Eggs I Found In The Garden

Image credits: primalshrew

#17 Lotus Root Inside A Lotus Root. Double Trypophobia

Image credits: chauhan_vandan

#18 Wanted A Cherry Pie For Myself So I Made This Pie For My Trypophobia Husband

Image credits: mmvalady

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.”