Omphalophobia (fear of belly buttons): causes and symptoms

Have you ever heard of omphalophobia? It is about the irrational and disproportionate fear of touching or seeing navels. It is a very rare and uncommon specific phobia.

This fear can be extrapolated to one's own navel or to that of others. In this article we will learn about the symptoms of omphalophobia, its causes, and possible treatments.

• We recommend you read: "The 15 strangest phobias that exist"

Omphalophobia: phobia of belly buttons

Thus, omphalophobia is a specific phobia, which is diagnosed as such when there is a real deterioration in the patient's life (or significant discomfort). As we anticipated, there is always an intense fear of seeing or touching navels (one's own or that of others).

Specific phobias are anxiety disorders, considered as such in the different diagnostic manuals (DSM-5). So omphalophobia is an anxiety disorder.

the navels

Navel is a word that comes from the Latin “umbiculus” and the Greek “omphalos”. The navel consists of a scar that remains on our belly after the umbilical cord breaks when we are born. This scar implies a depression in the skin, like a kind of rounded "hole".

There are many types of navel, in terms of its shape, size, etc. The vast majority of people have a belly button.

Symptoms

The symptoms of omphalophobia are the symptoms of any other simple phobia. Remember that these are mainly the following.

1. Disproportionate and irrational fear

The main symptom of omphalophobia is an intense, disproportionate and irrational fear of belly buttons.. This extends to the possibility of touching them, seeing them, etc., either one's own navel or someone else's navel.

This fear is intense because it is high, disproportionate because its intensity is too high taking into account the stimulus that this fear elicits. response (navels, which are harmless and cannot cause any harm), and irrational because it does not respond to a logical reaction to this stimulus.

2. Avoidance

The second symptom of omphalophobia is avoidance; that is, the person with said phobia avoids seeing or touching navels at all costs. In the event that he must necessarily see or touch one, he resists such a situation with high anxiety.

So, these people may resist going to places where people go shirtless (for example beaches, swimming pools, etc.)

3. Interference

The third symptom of omphalophobia, and of any specific phobia, is interference in daily life. In other words, the above symptoms interfere with the patient's daily life, causing significant discomfort or impaired functioning.

This translates into: difficulties to go to places where people go without a shirt, or places where the individual must stay without it, etc. In other words, the functioning of the patient's life is altered.

4. Lasts at least 6 months

The symptoms of omphalophobia last at least 6 months. This criterion, like the previous ones, corresponds to the DSM-5 (Diagnostic Manual of Mental Disorders).

Causes

The causes of specific phobias can be of different types. In the specific case of omphalophobia, we can find causes such as the following.

1. traumatic situations

The fact of having experienced a traumatic situation related to a belly button It can cause the appearance of omphalophobia. An example of it may be having suffered a navel infection (omphalitis), having suffered intense navel pain for some other reason, having injured the navel, etc.

2. vicarious conditioning

He vicarious conditioning It is another possible cause of specific phobias; It refers to a type of learning where the person observes what consequences a specific behavior has for another person (these consequences are generally negative).

In the case of omphalophobia, It may happen that the person who suffers from it has observed how other people suffered from a condition related to the navel. For example an infection, an injury, navel pain. Also included is the fact of having seen damaged or deformed navels, etc.

Vicarious conditioning can occur “live” (by watching other people) or in a “symbolic” way (through movies, for example).

3. predisposition to anxiety

Another possible cause of omphalophobia is predisposition or vulnerability (genetic and biological) to suffering from anxiety disorders. This vulnerability has been observed in some people, and has been verified in different studies.

4. family pattern

We can also talk about family patterns in the case of omphalophobia; It is a reality that the risk of suffering from a specific phobia increases if there are members of our family who also suffer from it.

That is, in a certain way Phobias can also be "inherited," either through genetics or from having heard negative ideas about belly buttonsby family members.

Treatment

There are different treatments for specific phobias, as well as for omphalophobia in particular. The main ones are the following.

1. exposure therapy

In the exposure therapy it is about gradually exposing the patient to the situation of seeing and touching navels. This is done through a hierarchy, that is, the first items on the list will be stimuli that cause less intensity of anxiety, and as the list progresses the items will cause more anxiety.

The patient will be exposed to these items, which will be situations related to seeing or touching a navel. For example, the first item on the list may be spending “X” minutes watching shirtless people from afar. The second, to see those same people a little more closely. The third, getting close to a navel, etc., and at the end of the list, situations that involve touching a navel.

2. cognitive therapy

The cognitive therapy It is a type of psychological therapy that includes cognitive restructuring as its main technique. This will be based, in the case of omphalophobia, on teaching the patient to identify his dysfunctional and irrational thoughts related to his phobia (that is, with navels).

After identification of these thoughts (also called cognitive distortions), the patient will be taught to look for alternative thoughts to them, these being more realistic and adjusted to reality and the "non-dangerousness" of the navels.

The goal is for these navel-related thoughts to disappear and be replaced by more positive, realistic, and adaptive thoughts.

3. Pharmacology

The drugs have also been used in cases of specific phobias (mainly anxiolytics and antidepressants), although it is true that drug treatment It should always be punctual and/or temporary, and as an adjuvant or complementary to a treatment psychological.

In other words, psychotropic drugs can be used to "calm" the patient's anxiety and so that they can begin to work with him through psychotherapy.

The reality is that if the underlying problem is not treated (irrational thoughts associated with the phobia, intense fear to exposure, etc.), the drugs will have a very limited action in this disorder (or in any other phobia specific).

Bibliographic references:

• American Psychiatric Association –APA- (2014). DSM-5. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Madrid: Pan American.

• Belloch, A., Sandin, B. and Ramos, F. (2010). Manual of Psychopathology. Volume I and II. Madrid: McGraw-Hill.

• Pérez, M., Fernández, J.R., Fernándes, C. and Friend, I. (2010). Guide to effective psychological treatments I and II:. Madrid: Pyramid.

• International Anatomical Terminology. "Belly button". (2001). P. 4. Panamerican Medical Editorial.