As far as the rarest and least documented phobias are concerned, Omphalophobia – the fear of belly buttons, perhaps tops the list. The word is derived from Greek Omphalo meaning navel and phobos meaning deep dread or fear.
People suffering from Omphalophobia are terrified of belly buttons- their own or, in some cases, those of the others. They do not like touching their navel (or even other people touching it). Sometimes the mere sight of the belly button is enough to make them feel disgusted or terrified.
The fear of belly buttons phobia affects men and women equally. Singer Jenny Frost is one of the famous celebrities with this phobia. She always warns people to “never touch her belly button”. She claims that her fear of belly buttons is persistent and “no joking matter”. Another famous individual with Omphalophobia is Khloe Kardashian who reports feeling “disgusted just touching her belly because of the presence of belly button”.
Causes of Omphalophobia
As with other specific phobias, Omphalophobia also begins in one’s childhood, particularly stemming from a negative or traumatic experience associated with this body part.
- Most phobics recount, as a child, being fascinated with their belly button. They then poke around it which ends up hurting them. Many claim to see something “dark or dirty” in their navel which they try removing using sharp objects. This “dirt” makes them feel unhygienic and causes them to become nauseated each time they see or think of the belly button.
- A baby is connected via the umbilical cord to the mother’s womb. This knowledge sometimes makes a phobic presume that the “doctors accidentally left a part of the cord behind in their navel”. For nervous and ‘high strung’ patients already suffering from other anxiety disorders, this knowledge is enough to trigger fear/ disgust response each time they have a thought about belly buttons.
- Some children might have been inappropriately poked or touched/sexually abused at the navel as a child. Their brain then triggers a phobic response as a defense/protective mechanism.
- Some phobics recall fearing that their “guts will spill out” if someone pulls at or probes around their navel.
Symptoms of fear of belly buttons phobia
Omphalophobia is a specific phobia which gives rise to a variety of physical and mental symptoms particularly when the phobic (or someone else) accidentally touches his/her belly button, or even by watching someone else touch their own belly. These symptoms include:
- Trembling, shaking
- Crying, curling up in a ball, running away and hiding
- Having thoughts of death or dying
- Feeling nauseated, vomiting
- Having an accelerated heart beat or shallow rapid breathing
Naturally, this persistent fear of belly buttons can be quite debilitating and can negatively affect one’s daily life.
Overcoming the fear of belly buttons
Omphalophobia can be quite a serious phobia, since constant thoughts about belly buttons can make one cry or feel anxious or nauseated all the time. Unfortunately, many people refuse to seek help for it, though; it is a highly treatable phobia.
Several therapies including Hypnotherapy, psychotherapy and Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) can help get to the bottom of the phobia. Naturally, these must be done only under the guidance of a trained and experienced therapist. Sometimes, anti-anxiety medications may also be prescribed, particularly in case the phobic response is very severe or is affecting the day-to-day life of the sufferer. However, such drugs should not be taken for long term as they tend to have side effects and only provide symptomatic relief and not cure the phobia.
Apart from these therapies, few self help techniques may also be implemented at home with the love and support of friends and family. These include meditation, positive visualization, and gradual desensitization to overcome the fear of belly buttons. The latter includes gradually exposing the phobic to his object of fear. Thus, one can start by looking at a photo of belly button, touching it or letting a family member touch it. Deep breathing when performing these steps can greatly aid the phobic in overcoming Omphalophobia.
George says
When I was really young, around three or so, a family member watched a video on the computer with stuff coming out of a belly button, and I think that’s what shaped this phobia for me. I feel sick being aware of its existence in any way, and I can’t look at other peoples’ belly buttons without feeling awful. It isn’t usually too much of a problem until I hurt or itch down there, but when that does happen, I start to panic and obsessively wash until the feeling disappears and I can stop thinking about it. It comforts me that there are others out there with this phobia (considering all the websites and such covering it say how rare it is), but I kind of had to stop reading them because they were triggering to me, haha. I remember when I first started high school, there was an activity where the students all wrote down a factoid about themselves, and the class would have to guess who the factoid belonged to. I brought up my omphalophobia, thinking they would find it funny. Thankfully, nothing really came out of that, but it made me realize how severe this can be. My dad shares a similar disgust with me, apparently, but I wouldn’t know what triggered that for him. One of my friends seems to suffer from this as well.
Morgan says
I think I may have this phobia. It didn’t develop until a year ago when I began having the same reoccurring dream that my belly button opens and my organs pile out. I had this dream nights in a row for almost two weeks. When I told my boyfriend at the time about it, he would try to shove his finger in mine, or shove his finger in his own naval and move it around roughly. Instantly making me uncomfortable and cringe. Now a year later I can’t even touch my own belly button because it somehow hurts me. My friends know of my phobia and try to poke me all the time, causing me to hyperventilate and tremble for a few minutes. I’m trying to get over this by exposure therapy with the help of my current boyfriend. He’ll lightly touch it or kiss it, but even allowing him to do that takes an hour of me crying and squirming. I trust him, but I’m terrified.
Anna says
Any time someone touches or tries to touch my belly button, I instantly get defensive and nauseous. I can’t help it. Makes me squeamish just thinking and talking about it. Fiancé, children, essentially everyone around me who knows about my fear thinks it’s hilarious and tries to poke me. I literally have to cover my BB with my hands to feel any relief from the anxiety. Nausea stays for a good bit.
Morgan says
My friends always try to poke me, I HATE it.
Ben says
Hey Anna. I feel your pain. My girlfriend tries to poke my BB when I’m watching a movie or am preoccupied with something else. She thinks it’s hilarious. You are not alone.
Kind regards Ben
Is there a support group or FB group you can recommend for me to vent?
Anon says
I suffer from this phobia. Have done since I can remember, though I do not recall any such ‘trigger’ trauma. The reason for this phobia is beyond me, but my sister feels exactly the same as I do. I am 31. A few years ago, I had my gallbladder removed. The most horrifying part was waking up to hear the surgeon proudly explaining to me that he’d gone through my belly button (one of the keyholes) to extract it and it was honestly one of the most traumatizing experiences of my life. I can’t even think about it without feeling utterly squeamish. I hate all things belly button and it freaks me out when anyone goes near mine. Or their own. I don’t think some people understand quite how mortifying it is for me when they jokingly play around with their belly button in front of me, or try and touch mine for a laugh. It’s a pretty serious phobia. Though I am not entirely sure it’s debilitating for me.
Anonymous female says
My omphalophobia stems from a series of sexual assaults I experienced when I was 13. My abuser seemed to have a fetish or some other preoccupation with navels, and they would pin me down and have their way with me. Since then, whenever I see an exposed navel I remember the feeling of being vulnerable and physically restrained and feel a debilitating anxiety that if someone touches my navel, I’ll lose agency over what happens to my body. This has given me some intimacy issues over the years. I feel embarrassed to tell new partners about this vulnerability and worry they’ll just end up thinking I’m weird. I also can’t lie flat on my back without feeling restless because it feels like I could be easily violated from this position.
A 6th grader says
I had to do an essay on this phobia. I laughed with my friends, we all thought it was a joke but reading all this stuff makes me realize how serious this is. This article was really helpful. I just hope other people realize this. My dad has Omphalophobia and he doesn’t like looking at or touching belly buttons. I don’t know why but he is so disgusted with his or other’s belly button.
Foc says
I have this fear and it’s quite bad. I cringe from it and I crawl up into a ball and I feel nauseated but I don’t vomit.
Belly Horror Show says
I developed this phobia after my father poked me once in my belly, jokingly, when I was a child. It hurt me for days. It became all red and infected from that stupid poke. I can still recall the pain from poking, it really is a very strange kind of pain (not only physical but kind of psychological as well, as it instantly makes you cringe). I don’t mind other peoples belly buttons but I feel all weak thinking about mine. The pain from poking instantly comes to my mind. I was only a child when that happened and I’m 32 now.
soroush says
Sometimes even when I sleep flat wise, I’m thinking maybe someone downstairs is trying to put a drill to the roof and it might come straight in my belly button! Or maybe someone will come to me when I sleep and put a finger in it.
Grace says
Honestly I’ve probably had my fear of belly buttons since a few years back. I can’t stand looking at them. When my friends or sister wears crop tops I feel very uncomfortable and start rubbing my stomach which usually helps calm me down. Especially outies are my weakness. If I see a girl wearing a crop top with an outie or anyone in general that shows their outie I just feel like it’s going to pop and I can’t focus on anything else. I was once at a college visit, and the tour guide had what I thought was a outie that was so big you could see it popping out from under her shirt. Turns out that it was only her jeans button, but still. For that forty five minutes I felt like I was having a panic attack. Reading some of these comments made me really uncomfortable but at the same time comforted because I know that not only do I have this fear, but also many others do.
meghan says
Maybe try sharing this page to everyone who makes fun of it.
Rin says
When i was younger I was told my parents could see into my belly button, which resulted in having to go in and having it glued. I was too young to remember, but the thought haunts me. My belly button constantly has infections come and go, along with a huge queasy feeling if its touched. My father had an umbilical hernia which also makes me queasy
Lisa says
Literally reading this article I was gagging and kind of freaking out getting like the heebie jeebies (idk how else to describe it). I am someone who isn’t afraid of anything really but if anything even my pants touch my belly button I gag. It’s just the weirdest thing. The only ppl who even know are my two adult daughters cuz they are pretty much my closest confidants. Honestly I don’t think I have even told my husband of 25 + years. Every night I struggle to sleep because my pajamas or sweat pants graze my belly button and makes me sick. To top that off I have a congenital connective tissue disease so sleeping is already horrifically painful. Anyhow it’s nice to know I’m not the only person with this strange condition. Thank you for this article and thank you to all the ppl posting.
Aman Jan says
I have belly button phobia as well. But I think mine is linked with stomach acidity. Whenever I feel acidity in stomach the intensity of the phobia increases. I even dislike talking about this strange button.
Brian says
I was intimate with a woman recently and she actually stuck her tongue in mine! It happened so fast or I would have stopped her. This was now 3 days ago and I am still so disgusted and upset about it. I am sorry we are all suffering from this, but I feel better knowing I’m not the only one.
Maryan says
I have been so terribly scared of my own belly button for as long as I can remember. Anybody commenting, mentioning, feeling around or even poking makes me feel uncomfortable and upset. I’m surprised other people don’t share this phobia too, and so for it being so significant to myself, I get made fun of whenever the situation comes up. I’ve tried several times to make myself more familiar but it’s just so sickening that I can’t. Studying for art anatomy also is a massive pain for me because of them, and I have to sit and draw for the sake of the complexity of the drawing. Absolutely awful. I’m glad to see others here share the same feelings too.
Tony Carter says
I have to say that I find this very strange, though I understand it must be a very real and horrible thing for some. But you see, I am the opposite, I happen to love belly buttons, even my own. You could say I have a fetish for them and actually find them very sexy. To see a young woman in a bikini with her belly button at the centre of her belly is attractive.
It is for this reason that I feel sorry for anyone who suffers from navel phobia.
Amos says
When I was young i used to have nightmares where my assailant would repeatedly jab me in the bellybutton and I would wake up so anxious and panicked and almost crying. I’m 29 now and I can’t stand my bellybutton touched or to look at others touching theirs. I appreciate bellybuttons where I cannot see the cartiledge area. They are the least mortifying to me. I want to have a baby, but am horrified at the thought that my bellybutton might become an ‘outy’. I honestly don’t know how I would exist. My girlfriend likes to touch my abdomen, but it makes me so nervous to even have touch near my stomach. She used to think it was a joke, but now understands it is not. Since trust has developed, I feel more comfortable with her coming close to the rim with her hand, but NEVER inside. It feels dibilitating mildly at times. I makes me feel like I should try exposure therapy, but I feel so sick thinking about it. Thanks for this post.
Anonymous 6th Grader says
This is very useful. I am doing an essay on this phobia, and so far this is the best website. I choose this phobia, thinking it would be funny to write about, but then I saw how serious it was. Thank you, sir, for making such a good website. I see this from a new angle now.
Ivan Petropoulus says
Hey guys, Ivan here! i would just like to let you guys know i have an extreme case of belly button scaredness as well. boy oh boy do those ole holes in my stomach always get to me. the problem is my friends dont take me seriously and always play with my belly button. that infuriates me to an unquenchable extent. I finally found out why I have this fear. It all started in my Montessori school. As a young fetus I loved to play round in the school yard with my friends. However, I have had bad shins for all my life, so I could never play tag with the other kids. I think this is another reason I stand out, and am so different than everyone else in my high school. One day I was being chased by this boy named casey. He was an uber speedy one, and quick in his reflexes he caught up to me, and my bad shins, in no time! He tagged me and then shoved me on the ground and put his pickle inside of my belly button. Ever since, I can never look at my belly button the same! If anyone has any other stories or just wants to talk, I love having conversations. I have learned that they help cure my phobia disease, so if anybody wants to talk about belly buttons, or just talk about your day (I always find this helpful as well) email me at Ivan_petropoulus @ caryacademy.org. ciao amigos !
Jen says
Geeze I didn’t even know this was a real thing. I’ve always hated touching my own belly button, and especially having other people even go near it. I always feel nervous and anxious, and feel like the contents of my stomach are going to come out. Ugh
Jharthy9 says
I never knew other people had it , the problem is that my mum thinks it’s a joke and that I’m the only one that has it I hate it being touched or poked on . It’s unhygienic so my mum saw it the other day and started making me clean it but I always tell her that I can’t because it hurts . How do I clean it without touching it ? ANY HELP??
AJM says
JHarty, my son has this phobia. I use a spray bottle with hydrogen peroxide and I spray his belly button in the shower. Because of it’s antiseptic effects it pulls out anything that’s in there and leaves it clean without having to touch it.
Louise says
Hi my 8 year old son has this I didn’t think it as a big deal he just doesn’t like anyone to go near his belly button didn’t realise it to be an actual phobia thanks for info on it I’m going to investigate further now i.e. Doctor psychologist cheers concerned mum!
Joseph D Tucker says
I have this nacker friend called BILLIE who thought it would be funny to give me belly button therapy. She inserted her finger in my belly button and it felt horrible. She doesn’t understand omphalophobia.
Leslie says
My lvl of phobia isn’t as bad as most of y’alls.. My sister and I cannot stand to touch or be touched on our belly button, it actually kind of hurts.. I have two kids, one was in the nicu so I didn’t have to deal with her umbilical cord.. It took everything in me to be able to clean my son’s belly button area though.. I don’t even clean mine,it doesn’t feel dirty. My husband thinks it’s funny when we are play wrestling to touch it.. Why do people think it’s okay to mess with something that bothers you??
aidan says
I’ve had this phobia for the longest time and people always think I’m kidding or something. I always feel like vomiting. Reading some of this made me start to gag. I thought I was alone, but now I know there’s more people.
Carie says
Same! Me twin used to play this “game” where they would at random times poke my belly button. I cringed and felt really nauseous. Now they make fun of me and tell me to get over it.
Katie says
I’m so relieved to find out I’m not the only one who suffers from this. I can’t stand anyone even myself touching my belly button. It makes me feel sick, almost like it hurts and sometimes I might even cry. I don’t think it effects my daily life however I was supposed to undergo surgery last year but once I was informed they would be going in thru my belly button…it was all over at that point. I really need this surgery but I can’t get myself to do it. Merely thinking about it makes me want to cry.
Leslie says
I don’t know if this will make you feel better. I just had my tubes tied and they went through mine. I didn’t clean it before surgery. They never talked about it. When the surgery was over I saw stitches but from that point I didn’t look. It didn’t hurt and I didn’t have to clean it or anything! Before the surgery I just about left because of my fear but my husband helped me through it.. it wasn’t near as bad as I had it built up in my head.
Rob says
Nauseated and panicked just from reading the article and comments…
Rehana Reid says
Let alone the glaring picture of a belly button.
Maria says
Even reading this made me feel quite ill and I was so relieved when I found out it was an actual phobia. I can’t touch my belly button or even think about it without getting an awful feeling like I’m going to vomit. People have made a joke about it and tried to touch my belly button but, honest to God, it’s awful.
Dan says
Hey I would like to talk to you about this. I feel that you are on my level. Can we please talk? My email is: Danielkirkhall @ gmail.com.
If not that’s cool.
Jiya Rizvi says
I’m not scared of any body parts, you shouldn’t be either because its just a scar which is also one of your many outer dermal body parts that is leftover from the umbilical cord which was connected to the placenta in the womb.
Grace says
That comment just made me feel nauseous
Heidi says
Isn’t it strange how some phobias are more “accepted” than others? I don’t have a belly button phobia, but I’m deathly afraid of spiders. I don’t even like typing the word. BUT, because my phobia is one of the MOST common, I’m not laughed at.. but you all are. As a psychology major in college and having a Master’s degree in sociology, I find phobias intriguing. The phobias and causes are so varied. Good luck to you all. I hope your friends/acquaintances/family can finally come to the realization that your phobia is just as real as other more “acceptable” ones.
HB (Colorado)
Olivia says
I have a strong fear of belly buttons and everyone thinks I’m only joking about it. My mum constantly tells me about how she’ll take me to the doctors to get my belly button cleaned as I absolutely no way in hell will touch it and every time my mum does that or I even think about it, I start to curl up into a ball and cry. Whenever I tell somebody about my fear they start showing me their belly’s and stick their fingers in their belly buttons. I tremble just writing about it.
Anna says
Even reading this made me feel quite ill and I was so relieved when I found out it was an actual phobia. I can’t touch my belly button or even think about it without getting an awful feeling like I’m going to vomit. People have made a joke about it and tried to touch my belly button but, honest to God, it’s awful.
BellyButton says
I have Omphalophobia but I’m only young so people don’t really care and take it as a joke. My sister pokes me in the belly button whenever she wants something so I end up curling into a ball and sometimes crying.
me says
I have this phobia, I have suffered my whole life from this. My friends try to mess with me about it and it’s HORRIBLE. I start crying and run away.
Tyler says
It really isn’t funny when people do it to me either. I tell them it really bothers me and makes me feel sick. I guess I’m like some kind of toy because apparently it’s SO funny to see my eyes water up and curl into a ball to hide from the terror of their belly buttons.
Rehana Reid says
I hate to look at people touching theirs. I have learned to bite my tongue when washing mine. I won’t ever touch it if i don’t have to. It makes feel nauseous just thinking about it!
Taylor says
I suffer from extreme Omphalophobia and my friend accidentally touched my belly button and I started to feel nauseated and got panicked and began to cry and my other friend started to laugh at me and make fun of me but it’s actually a serious problem.