Everyone knows someone who is afraid of spiders, heights or flying. However, some people develop more unusual phobias, such as a fear of balloons or bananas. A banana may sound harmless to someone without a fear of them, but phobias are serious business.
A phobia is more than just being fearful, according to John Hopkins Medicine. People with phobias go to great lengths to avoid the source of their uncontrollable and overwhelming fear. And they may experience panic attacks when they are forced to encounter the object of their terror.
Here are ten lesser known phobias that really do exist.
Trypophobia: Fear of Repetitive Patterns of Holes
Trypophobia is a fear or repulsion of repetitive patterns of holes, according to a 2018 case report published in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry (opens in new tab). People with this condition may feel intense and disproportionate fears at the sight of objects like bubble wrap, honeycomb and seed pods.
“Writer Fuel” is a series of cool real-world stories that might inspire your little writer heart. Check out our Writer Fuel page on the LimFic blog for more inspiration.
