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Environmental Phobias

Fear of Bumps

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Fear of Bumps – Scary for Some

Are you disgusted at the sight of holes, bumps, or clusters of holes like those in a honeycomb or sponge? Do you find yourself hyperventilating or nauseous when you come across images of bubble wrap or fruit seeds? Does the sight of Swiss cheese make you feel like running away?

If your answer is yes, you may be suffering from the fear of bumps and lumps clustered together.

Fearing bumps is more prevalent than previously thought, with a huge population suffering from it today. Some studies have shown that around 20 percent of people (including both children and adults) suffer from some degree of fear of bumps, although experts agree that a much larger population tends to have a repulsed reaction to such images.

So, of all the different kinds of phobias, it’s safe to say there’s a lot of awareness of the fear of bumps. This awareness makes it easier for someone suffering from bump fear to get help.

 

What Is a Fear of Bumps?

This relatively new phobia first came to light in 2005, leaving experts with a dilemma. Many are unsure if the fear of bumps is even a true phobia. Because of this, it’s not officially classified as a mental disorder.

Is the Fear of Bumps a Phobia of Fear or Disgust?

True phobias are defined as a state of constant fear, worry, or anxiety resulting from the trigger. The fear escalates so much that the affected person is not able to go on about his/her daily life. And as per the American Psychiatric Association (APA), the fear of bumps fails to meet these standards. That’s why it’s not currently categorized as a phobia in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).

But tell that to those who have been struggling with a fear of bumps in their daily lives.

The mere thought of seeing their phobia triggers can cause extreme anxiety or even panic attacks. And for others, the sight of such holes or bumps can trigger disgust, which makes them look away from such a sight. This repeated response can then become the root of the fear developing into a full-blown phobia.

So, what are the things that trigger a phobic reaction in people with a fear of bumps?

The triggers are:

  • Honeycomb
  • Cheese with holes
  • Bubble wrap
  • Skin of reptiles
  • Fruits with a cluster of numerous small seeds, like raspberries, strawberries, papaya, and kiwi
  • Head of a lotus flower
  • Sponges
  • Coral
  • Condensation on surfaces
  • Holes or pebbles on concrete

While anything with patterns of small holes can cause anxiety to someone with a fear of bumps, images of human body parts with holes or other patterns are the biggest trigger. It causes an irrational fear of picking up a disease or having a biological condition that may cause the body to rot.

 

Causes for Fear of Bumps

The exact cause of any phobia, including this bump phobia, cannot be determined. However, it is usually a combination of environmental and genetic factors that contribute to a person developing the fear.

Environmental factors could be a learned response from early life, childhood trauma, fear resulting from an epidemic or pandemic of infectious diseases like smallpox or measles, or battling with mental issues like long-term anxiety or depression, etc.

Genetic factors include a predisposition to mental issues, especially anxiety disorders.

Photos of bumps could be a triggering factor as well, initiating the onset of the phobia. Scientists believe that the contrasting imagery created by patterned designs elicits an unpleasant reaction. It could also be that the patterns initiate an adaptive response to “dangerous” patterns.

For example, a person who associates such patterns with deadly diseases has an adaptive response that makes them fear the pattern.

Clustered patterns may also remind someone of maggots or other small insects that live in groups and crawl over one another.

This fear may also be a part of social anxiety where the holes depict human eyes or faces searching through you, criticizing you, and finding faults. Such thoughts could initiate a fear-induced anxious reaction.

 

Fear of Bumps Symptoms

Fear of bumps initiates both physical and mental/emotional symptoms like those seen in most anxiety disorders. Here are some of the most common signs to watch for.

Physical Symptoms

  • Nausea
  • Sweating
  • Trembling
  • Fainting
  • Shortness of breath
  • Rapid heartbeat
  • Dry mouth
  • Goosebumps
  • Crawling-like sensations on the skin
  • Headache

Mental/Emotional Symptoms

  • Anxiety
  • Panic attack
  • Feeling of dying
  • Intense feelings of disgust or fear
  • Helplessness
  • Uneasiness

The fear of bumps is closely related to the fear of holes.

 

Treatment for Fear of Bumps

Like all other specific phobias, there is no one defined treatment for this fear. However, acknowledging your fear, talking about it, and reaching out for help can make a huge difference.

Here are some simple, effective steps you can take for a healthier you.

Self-Help

Self-help is one of the best ways to heal at your own pace. It equips you with effective methods to overcome your fear. Most self-help methods tend to use one or more of the following techniques:

  • Journaling
  • Relaxation techniques
  • Yoga
  • Meditation
  • Deep breathing
  • Exercise
  • Exposure therapy

These techniques, when practiced regularly, help calm the mind and ground you. They help you rationalize your thoughts and alleviate symptoms, reducing anxiety.

Professional Help

Professionals are experts who encounter patients with phobias on a regular basis. They have the skills and expertise to help you overcome your fear of bumps.

After diagnosing your phobia and determining its severity, your doctor will use one or a combination of the following therapies to help you learn to better manage your fear:

  • Exposure therapy
  • Cognitive behavioral therapy
  • Talk therapy
  • Emotional freedom techniques (EFT)

Medication

In rare cases, when therapies have not yet taken effect and the person is having repeated panic attacks, medication may be prescribed to help with symptoms.

The most common medications used are:

  • Antidepressants like benzodiazepines or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
  • Beta blockers

These medications are only prescribed for a brief period, and will be tapered off once symptoms begin to calm down.

 

Learning to Cope with a Fear of Bumps

Whether fear of bumps is recognized or not, it is still difficult for some to deal with their anxiety related to bumps. Without treatment, it can affect one’s daily and professional life.

First, consider that you are suffering from an irrational phobia and there are ways to cope with it. Talk about your fear with loved ones. More importantly, seek advice from a professional who can help you understand and overcome this irrational fear.

Additionally, there are many self-help techniques like journaling, meditation, and exercise that go a long way.

 

Conclusion

While suffering from any phobia is not easy, a determination to get healthier will set you on the path to wellness. The fear of bumps can seem impossible to deal with, but there are solutions available to overcome this phobia. Talk with family and friends and reach out to professionals for a better tomorrow!

FearAZ.com is looking for personal stories of any 'fear of' or phobia. If you have an interesting story you'd like to share, we welcome your submission. If the story fits with our content and guidelines, we'll add it to our site.
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Your Fear Goes Up and Down

Are you someone who would rather climb the stairs than take the elevator? You call it squeezing in a workout after being sedentary the whole morning. Or perhaps you claim it's a faster route. These are both typical, normal, and acceptable reasons. But what if you need to be in the conference room on the eleventh floor in five minutes, and you're wearing your business suit and wingtips? Would you still prefer to take the stairs? If your answer is yes, then maybe it's time to take a closer look at your reasons for avoiding elevators. Elevators stir all sorts of emotions in passengers. From the discomfort of closeness to strangers to the sensations in our gut, elevators can be a source of the heebie-jeebies for many, but for some, they can also be a source of terror. Let's dig a little deeper into the latter, and see what this terror is all about and what can be done to manage it. To begin with, does being inside an elevator give you chills or the sweats? Or does it trigger an unpleasant memory? Perhaps you remember movies you've watched where something terrible happens inside an elevator. From Silence of the Lambs, The Shining, Final Destination 2, or the king of all elevator horror films, 2010’s Devil, the elevator becomes witness to something sinister and horrible. And you want nothing to do with any of it. You know that you're not claustrophobic. You can deal with heights just fine, too. And you know that you're not going to be trapped inside. All of these contribute to a fear of elevators—but they don't apply to you. Yet being inside one does something to you. It's hard to explain.

What is the Fear of Elevators Called?

What you have is a fear of elevators, which is called elevatophobia. It is most commonly triggered by an experience of getting stuck inside either due to a power outage or technical maintenance. Hearing about other people's experiences or watching a movie about similar circumstances can prompt a fear of elevators getting stuck with you inside. Usually, claustrophobics and agoraphobics may also develop elevatophobia because the triggers and objects of these fears are related. Claustrophobia is the fear of closed and cramped spaces, while agoraphobia is the fear of being trapped without any means of escape. Put the two together, and the elevator becomes the perfect combination of both phobias. The space is limited and closed, with only one means of entry and exit. You can add another point of access if you consider climbing the cables like they do in the movies, but that certainly isn't ideal.

Symptoms of Elevatophobia

If for some reason an elevator stops due to an outage or some technical difficulty, passengers with elevatophobia may go into full panic mode. Even if the maintenance team advises that it will just be a matter of minutes, by then, the person's mind has become irrational with the fear of the elevator falling, being stuck for hours, or other unpleasant thoughts. You would expect a person to exhibit the following physical symptoms: Additionally, you would be filled with that overwhelming anxiety where you feel that you have zero control over the situation. You start fearing the unknown and are filled with negative thoughts about death and imminent doom. You become irrational and unresponsive.

Possible Complications of Elevatophobia

When the panic sets in, the possibility of emergencies related to pre-existing conditions may make themselves known. This might include serious health crises like heart attacks or asthma attacks. When this happens, fear becomes a medical emergency. Elevator rides do not last long; it's just a matter of minutes or even less. But the fact that a person can escalate from panic to a near fatal medical situation classifies the fear of elevators as a 'hard phobia.'

Trying Some Self-Help Methods

Your fear of elevators can likely interfere with your social and work life and relationships. Not everyone understands that elevatophobia, like most phobias, can be crippling. But don't be disheartened. Depending on the level of your fear and level of control, you can gradually face and manage your phobia. Here are some recommendations you can try:
  1. Make a List of Everything that Entails Riding in an Elevator This is a systematic approach to getting over your anxiety. By following a step-by-step process, you can identify where the fear kicks in at its strongest. You can write a list of steps like pressing the topmost button and waiting to arrive on that floor, watching as the door closes and opens, being alone inside the elevator, or having delays with the doors opening. Now try doing the opposite. For example, face away from the door or occupy yourself with your phone so that you are distracted.
  2. Create Your Fear Ladder Although the name says fear of elevators, it is not the whole process that scares you. There are just phases and parts of the elevator riding experience that cause you to panic. So go back to the list you initially created and label the fear level you feel. You can do it numerically, too, like ten being 'really scary,' six, 'manageable scary,' and one, 'not scary at all.' You can put the corresponding fear levels so you can focus more time and effort into activities that are more scary to you.
  3. Face Your Fear By now, you have identified what scares you the most. You can try repetitive action to minimize your fear and increase your sense of ‘normalcy’. Remember that the longer you expose yourself to your fear, the better you get at handling your emotions. If you are feeling overwhelmed, stop. Pushing yourself too fast and too soon can backfire. Modify your pace and go slower instead.
  4. Talk About Your Fear People by nature, unfortunately, are not quick to offer understanding and support. You need to tell them what's wrong before they can empathize. Talk to someone who you trust and ask for their support, especially in the initial phase of overcoming your fear. If you are too afraid to ride the elevator alone, you can ask them to go with you, and before you realize it, you are on your floor, and there was no indication of panic.
  5. Learn To Be Patient Be patient with yourself and your predicament. This is, after all, your fight against fear. It might take hundreds of elevator ride practices before the fear gets under control. Even then, there might be some hesitations and episodes of nervousness. These are acceptable and expected, so cut yourself some slack and congratulate yourself for every progress.

Seeking Professional Help

Along with self-help, you can always enlist a medical professional's aid to support you with your elevatophobia. Talking to someone who has experience with similar cases can be comforting, because you know that you are not alone, and this situation can get better. Talk to your doctor about the severity of your fears and the symptoms that you experience. Explain how you deal with it in an attempt to control it. An exam and a health history are made to ensure that there are no unrelated or underlying problems that your symptoms might mask. Usually, phobias like this are approached with a combination of psychotherapy and medication. Your doctor will talk about these options with you, and it's entirely up to you, with your doctor's recommendation, what you want to pursue. For psychotherapy, the most common type is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which aims to help you find different ways of behaving, thinking, and reacting when about to step inside an elevator or when already inside it. With medications, there are beta blockers and benzodiazepines, but note that these can have side effects. Whatever these side effects are, you should promptly share it with your doctor.

Simple Tips to Overcome Elevatophobia

Elevators are not perfect, but their likelihood to malfunction, fall, or get stuck is very low. If you are not fully confident with this information, you can help overcome your elevatophobia by learning common elevator safety tips and basic elevator operations. These should help curb your mild fear until you become more self-assured. In addition to that, here are some of the things that you can do to gradually overcome your fear of elevators—both in getting on and riding one.

Conclusion

Yes, elevatophobia can be a challenge in today's world, but don't allow the elevator to win. Don't let it stop you from taking a job on the top floor or attending a social gathering on the rooftop. Sure, you can take the stairs if you insist and arrive winded and sweaty, with the party about to wrap up. But is this the quality of life you seek? Elevators are designed to make life easier. There are guaranteed ways to help you overcome elevatophobia. Take the first step and seek help. Soon, you’ll see yourself breezing through the floors with those arduous stair climbs little more than a memory.
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