What is Bambakomallophobia?

Answer 1

Most phobias respond to graded exposure & cognitive behaviour therapy - there's no reason to think that fear of cotton wool would be any different. I guess all you have to weigh up is whether the current impact on your quality of life is worth spending half-a-dozen sessions with a psychologist/other registered mental health professional. Neither graded exposure or CBT are rocket science, but if you think bambakomallophobia is worth tackling you'd be well advised to track down somebody who knows a fair bit about specific anxiety disorders. Good luck!

Answer 2

Bambakomallophobia is not necessarily a fear of cotton wool, but avoidance and anxiety related to cotton wool. Many sufferers are not afraid of cotton wool; the sensations that cotton wool elicits can be irritating and/or painful to some, so sufferers avoid cotton wool to prevent unnecessary anxiety. Some bambakomallophobics do legitimately fear cotton wool, but this is an exception to the rule and not mandatory to be diagnosed or considered bambakomallophobic.

Some bambakomallophobia stems from other disorders and conditions, both psychological and neurological. Hyper-sensitive tactile sensation due to a medical condition might cause cotton wool to be painful or irritating when applied or rubbed across the skin, resulting in avoidance and anxiety related to cotton wool. Similarly, individuals with highly sensitive or acute auditory sensation might be able to hear the movement, stretching, and/or tearing produced by cotton wool, and is often described as "nails on a chalkboard." Some individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder or similar psychological disorders may view cotton wool as highly infectious and/or unsanitary, causing avoidance and anxiety related to contamination.

If bambakomallophobia is due to hyper-sensitivity to touch or sound, the condition might extend into other textures, materials, and sound: velvet, felt, fleece, microfiber, wool, flannel, and other fuzzy fabrics. If it is related to sound, the sufferer might have similar responses to materials like Styrofoam, latex, corn starch, and other materials that produce high-pitched barely audible sounds. Some bambakomallophobics have even described the same pain and irritation while walking on tightly compact snow.

In conclusion, to define bambakomallophobia as "A fear of cotton wool" is overly simplistic and lacking the nuance warranted to covey the true lived experience and seriousness of the condition/disorder. A more precise definition would be "Anxiety and avoidance related to cotton wool."