Fear of certain fabrics (textophobia)

Textophobia is a fear or strong aversion to certain fabrics. It might mean being unable to touch velvet, wool or felt, cutting labels out of clothes, or feeling a shiver at the sound of fabric rubbing together.

About this phobia

The name shares a root with textile, from the Latin for woven, and it appears mainly on phobia lists. Strong reactions to textures are often discussed in connection with sensory sensitivity, which can be part of autism or sensory processing differences. Fear of particular fabrics may also involve disgust rather than fear alone.

What it feels like

• A shiver, goosebumps or a feeling of disgust when touching a certain material
• Avoiding clothes, furniture or bedding made from the fabric
• Discomfort at the sound or sight of the material being handled

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

Common questions

Is it a phobia if I cannot stand the feel of velvet or wool?

Plenty of people dislike certain textures, and that alone is not a phobia. It may be worth looking at more closely if the reaction is very strong, causes panic, or limits what you can wear or where you can go. If it comes with wider sensory difficulties, a GP can talk through whether an assessment would help.

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.

See all session options and prices