Fear of being dirty (automysophobia)

Automysophobia is a fear of being dirty yourself, rather than a fear of dirt in the world around you. It might show up as frequent hand washing, changing clothes several times a day, or avoiding gardening, sport or anything messy.

About this phobia

The name joins the Greek auto, meaning self, with mysos, meaning uncleanness, the same root found in mysophobia. It is rarely used in clinical writing and turns up mostly on lists of phobias. It sits close to mysophobia, the fear of germs and contamination, and the two often overlap.

What it feels like

• A strong urge to wash or shower again soon after you already have
• Discomfort that lingers after touching anything sticky, dusty or muddy
• Avoiding activities like camping, cooking or sport because of the mess

Explore more unusual fears in the rare phobias A to Z, or browse the common phobias.

Common questions

Is a fear of being dirty the same as OCD?

Not necessarily. Many people simply feel uneasy when they are not clean, but when washing becomes repetitive, time consuming and hard to stop, it can be part of obsessive compulsive disorder. A GP can help work out which is which, and can also look at any skin made sore by washing.

How can you help?

I use hypnotherapy and NLP to change how your mind responds to the thing you fear, so the old alarm stops going off. Sessions are one to one over Zoom, and you get a recording of the hypnosis to listen to afterwards.

How many sessions will I need?

Many clients notice a real difference after one 90 minute session. If the fear goes back a long way, three sessions gives us room to make the change stick.

Ready to start?

Book a £49 consultation call and we’ll talk through your fear, or take the free suitability test first.

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