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Body Phobias

Fear of Pores

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Disgust or the Fear of Pores

Are you disgusted at the sight of sponges or honeycombs? Do you turn away from clusters of small holes? Do you avoid looking at images or videos of holes, bumps, or pores that are grouped together?

If yes, you may be suffering from fear of pores, a branch of trypophobia, or the fear of holes, bumps, clusters of small holes, sponges, or honeycombs.

This is a triggering fear that is also very common. However, it can still be difficult to explain the stark terror that grips you at the mere thought of pores. Thankfully, given how common this phobia is, there’s plenty of information available about how to treat it.

If you’ve realized that you are suffering from a fear of pores, you’ve already made the first step to recovery. With a little help from yourself and perhaps a professional, you can slowly learn to address this fear, overcome it, and live a healthy, fulfilling life.

 

What Is the Fear of Pores?

The fear of pores falls under the umbrella of trypophobia. The term “trypophobia” comes from the Greek words trypa meaning “punching or drilling holes” and phobos meaning “fear.”

In trypophobia, the person may be afraid of many holey things, such as bread, bagels, coral, strawberries, sponges, bubbles, coral, cantaloupe, pomegranates, pebbled or graveled roads, a cluster of eyes, aluminum metal foam, and more.

However, a person suffering from the fear of pores is only afraid of pores and objects with pores. The fear of pores can be easily found in a list of most common phobias since almost everyone experiences some degree of unease when they witness pore-like formations.

But people suffering from a fear of pores experience this fear to a higher degree. They not only feel disgusted at the sight of pores but are also always worried about encountering such sights. They might find themselves constantly looking out for pores around them, and if they spot something like that, they won’t return to that place again.

Is the Excessive Fear of Pores Fear or Disgust?

It has also been found that this fear is more powerful when the pores are displayed on the skin than on non-living objects like stones or walls. The fear is highest when the pores are superimposed on faces.

Also, while some phobias are of disgust and others of fear, the fear of pores seemingly involves both disgust and fear. The person suffering from the phobia is disgusted at the sight and is also afraid that they may get contaminated and develop whatever illness the person is suffering from.

Symptoms of Fear of Pores

The symptoms of fear of pores are very similar to those of trypophobia. Some of the most common physical and mental/emotional symptoms are as follows.

Physical Symptoms

  • Chills
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • High blood pressure
  • Racing heartbeat
  • Palpitations
  • Sweating
  • Dry mouth
  • Itching
  • A feeling of something crawling on the skin
  • Dizziness

Mental/Emotional Symptoms

  • Anxiety
  • Panic attack
  • Fear of getting sick
  • Irritability
  • Mood swings
  • Uneasiness
  • Helplessness
  • Feeling of dying

 

Causes of Fear of Pores

The exact cause of any phobia including the phobia of pores is largely unknown. Several factors can lead to someone’s mental distress, so two people suffering from the fear of pores may have completely different causes.

Here are some common factors that may trigger a phobia of pores.

Related Phobia – Fear of Hair

 

Environmental Factors

Environmental factors such as trauma at an early age, learned response, or a fear of infectious skin diseases like measles and smallpox can all lead to a person developing the fear of pores. Having a pre-existing mental health condition like depression or anxiety can increase the risk.

Interpretation by Brain

According to a theory, the brain requires more energy and oxygen to process pore patterns. Hence, the image triggers a feeling of distress. It could also be that pores initiate an adaptive response that’s similar to “dangerous” patterns.

The brain may associate the pore pattern with a venomous snake or the eyes of a tarantula, initiating a panic response. Our brains can also associate pores with dangerous skin diseases or rashes, which triggers anxiety.

Genetic Factors

Genetics also play a major role in determining one’s predisposition to mental health issues. A person who has a genetic history of mental disorders, especially anxiety disorders, is more prone to developing a phobia.

 

Treatment for Fear of Pores

There is no one cure for the fear of pores. However, there are several treatment options that are known to show results. The most common treatment plan for phobias are self-help and professional treatment.

Self-Help

Self-help is one of the most effective ways to deal with the symptoms of a phobia, because it allows you to work at your own pace. Once you recognize that phobias are irrational, you can begin to train your brain to stop reacting to your triggers — in this case, pores — with anxiety or panic.

Some ways in which you can help calm the anxiety that results from the fear of pores are:

  • Exercise
  • Yoga
  • Meditation
  • Journaling
  • Relaxation techniques
  • Deep breathing
  • Counting numbers

These techniques will help you to soothe the extreme anxiety or panic that you experience when encountering the object of your phobia — pores. Eventually, you will be able to withstand pores without experiencing the symptoms listed above.

Professional Help

Mental health professionals are experts in the field and have the knowledge and experience required to help one with a fear of pores. They will diagnose the phobia and design a treatment plan that is personalized to help with your phobia.

Often, a therapist will use one or more of the following techniques:

  • Exposure therapy
  • Cognitive behavioral therapy
  • Emotional freedom techniques

In rare cases, when the patient is having repeated panic attacks or is not responding to therapy, medication may be prescribed. These are commonly anti-anxiety or antidepressant medications that are meant to control the symptoms of anxiety, but are not a cure for the phobia. They are only prescribed temporarily.

 

Learning to Cope with the Fear of Pores

The fear of pores, although quite common, can affect one’s personal, social, and professional life. It’s important to address it quickly to prevent it from growing worse.

If you recognize that you’re suffering from an irrational fear, you can overcome the irrational thought patterns in time. Reach out to family and friends so they know what you’re going through. You can also join online or in-person support groups. These groups can help people battling with conditions similar to yours and will help you find support and community.

Also, practice self-help techniques and give yourself some time. But if you feel your symptoms are only worsening, seek professional help and keep a positive mindset in your journey toward recovery.

 

Conclusion

Dealing with phobias is easier said than done. What looks practical on paper can become much more difficult to practice. However, a strong determination and the will to overcome your fear of pores will go a long way in helping you live a joyous life free of phobia.

 

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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