Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Omphalophobia: The Fear of Belly Buttons


Omphalophobia is the abnormal and persistent fear of belly buttons.

A phobia is a strong, persistent fear of situations, objects, activities or persons.  The main symptom is an excessive and unreasonable desire to avoid the feared subject. Other phobia symptoms include shortness of breath, irregular heartbeat, sweating, nausea, and an overall feeling of dread.  Phobias are the most common form of anxiety disorders.

Do you suffer from Omphalophobia?  Please share your story.  How was it triggered and how does it affect your life?

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Me! It's not that strong, in that I can look at them without experiencing symptoms, but the thought of someone digging around inside an 'inny' leaves me cold. Belly button peircings also. And the thought of touching my own, or worse someone else makes me wanna crawl into a small ball. *criiinnnggge* I can't wear trousers if the button rubs and find it incredibly hard to clean it, I usually lie on my back and fill it with alcohol gel for 5 mins before a shower! Weird I know. I have no recollection of a trigger, only a event that exasebated it.. Very young, I was at a party and people found out my dislike so chased me for ages to poke it, in utter desperation I found a ping pong racket and stuck the handle down my jeans with the round hard bit covering it! *shudder!* such a weird thing but the symptoms.. Nausea and agitation are so real!

Anonymous said...

i was molested when i was younger and forced to to lick someones anus and ever sence then ive been afraid to look/ touch/ or think about belly buttons and kleft chins its agonizing.

Anonymous said...

i am very, scared and careful of belly buttons. they make me giggle hysterically when touched and i find mine to be very crusty because i can't clean it. i call it my soft spot, maybe because the belly button is sensitive. i hate when pepole try to touch my belly bottun iam fearful

Anonymous said...

Watching "the roomate" caused me to be fearful of looking at, touching, talking about , or thinking about belly buttons.

Anonymous said...

I, too, suffer from this. I hate bellybuttons and have had this 'fear' since before I can remember. I CANNOT touch mine or anyone else's, I can't watch anyone touch their own... I even get sick looking at one. Just talking about it now is making me want to vomit. When I was a teen, my friends found out about it (by poking my BB and me hysterically freaking out) and they always thought it was fuuny so they tried to take any opportunity to put their finger in my BB (AAAHHHHGGGG).

Anonymous said...

When I was 6 I went through a surgery. The surgeons had to cut slits in my abdominal muscles. Ever since I have a fear of belly buttons! I can look at other peoples but I can't look at my own. Just thinking about it makes me upset. I though of someone toughing it makes me want to through up.

Anonymous said...

This is 100 % me, as well. I can stand to look at a belly button by itself, but if you try to touch mine I have a SEVERE panic attack. I can't even touch my own or watch anyone else touch theirs. It's absolutely repulsive to me and makes me sick to my stomach. When I was little and people found out, they thought I was joking so they'd try to poke it for fun. One day my uncle chased me around the house and pinned me down and poked it until i was sobbing uncontrolably. I don't know how to fix it. It seriously sucks.

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