A fear of feet (aka podophobia) may stem from trauma, genetics, or contamination OCD, but it can be treated with exposure and response prevention therapy.
Many people have a strong dislike of feet. They might not like the way feet look, how they can get dirty or smelly, or foot-related issues such as fungus, ingrown toenails, or bunions. Disliking feet, or finding them kind of gross, generally won’t impact your day-to-day life. However, some people find feet to be threatening or harmful, causing them intense anxiety. If this has been your experience, you could be dealing with a specific phobia or a subtype of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) known as contamination OCD.
Keep reading to learn more about the fear of feet, including its symptoms, causes, relationship to OCD, and how to get help.
What is the fear of feet called?
A fear of feet is called podophobia. Podophobia is a specific phobia, which is an anxiety disorder that causes an intense, irrational fear of something that poses little to no threat to you.
People with a phobia of feet may fear bare feet and/or feet covered in socks or shoes—it could involve their own feet, or feet belonging to others. People with podophobia may experience the following symptoms:
- Avoiding situations where bare feet may be prevalent, such as swimming pools, beaches, nail salons, shoe stores, etc.
- Having feelings of repulsion, disgust, or aversion towards feet.
- Refusing to remove shoes or socks in situations where it’s required.
- Constantly keeping feet covered so bare feet can’t be seen.
With podophobia being a type of anxiety disorder, you may experience physical symptoms resembling an anxiety or panic attack when seeing, thinking, or touching feet, such as:
- Increased heart rate
- Sweating
- Chills
- Dizziness
- Trembling
- Numbness or tingling in hands
- Chest pain
- Stomach pain
- Nausea
What causes a fear of feet?
The exact cause of foot phobia is unknown, but it’s possible that your anxiety about feet developed from the following factors:
- Trauma. Experiencing a severe foot injury, getting surgery on your feet, or being assaulted by another person’s feet could make you associate feet with pain and violence, leading to severe anxiety.
- Genetics. Research shows that if you have family members with phobias, you’re more likely to develop one yourself.
- Related phobias. If you have a fear of germs or contamination (mysophobia) or foul odors (olfactophobia), they could lead to the development of podophobia.
How a fear of feet could be a sign of OCD
OCD is a mental health disorder characterized by obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are intrusive thoughts, images, feelings, urges, and/or sensations that cause intense fear and anxiety. Compulsions are physical or mental actions performed to relieve the distress caused by obsessions and/or to prevent something bad from happening.
According to Tracie Ibrahim, LMFT, CST, NOCD’s Chief Compliance Officer, a fear of feet could be linked to contamination OCD. Contamination OCD is a subtype of OCD that causes intrusive thoughts about becoming contaminated or contaminating others. Obsessions and compulsions may revolve around germs, dirt, and uncleanliness.
Some examples of obsessions related to a fear of feet include the following:
- Fearing that your or others’ feet are dirty or riddled with germs.
- Obsessive thoughts about getting a disease or infection from touching surfaces where feet have been.
- Fearing that walking barefoot or in socks will cause you to pick up germs or bacteria.
- Having anxiety about feet contaminating presumed “clean” spaces, such as beds, couches, or carpets.
To relieve distress from a fear of feet, people with contamination OCD may perform the following compulsions:
- Excessively wash feet or hands after contact with feet or foot-related items (i.e., shoes, socks, etc.)
- Avoid touching feet or anything that comes into contact with feet.
- Throw away shoes or socks that “dirty” surfaces have contaminated.
- Repeatedly check or seek reassurance that feet or related items are clean.
Ibrahim shares a personal story of how her grandmother’s contamination OCD (which she also has) presented in relation to a fear of feet:
“My grandmother had an imaginary line on her bed, and if you were going to put your feet on her bed, it had to be at the very bottom part of the bed,” she says. “You couldn’t cross the line any higher because then you’ve contaminated her bed.”
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How do I get over my fear of feet?
If foot anxiety is causing significant distress in your life, we recommend seeking help from a mental health professional. They can work with you to find the root cause of your fears, identify if it’s podophobia or OCD, and develop a personalized treatment plan to help you get your symptoms under control.
If you’re diagnosed with a phobia or contamination OCD–or any subtype for that matter—the best way to manage your symptoms is exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy. ERP is a specialized therapy supported by decades of research, with 80% of people with OCD and 80-90% of people with phobias seeing a significant reduction in their symptoms.
You’ll work with a therapist specializing in ERP that’ll guide you through two components of this therapy: exposures and response prevention techniques. “ERP [for fear of feet] might involve looking at pictures or videos of feet or imagining somebody’s feet are touching your feet,” explains Ibrahim. “Or, maybe you would touch your own feet and not wash your hands.”
She shares how ERP helped a member address her disgust of feet: “I had one of my members who hated feet give her daughter a pedicure because it was something she wanted to do, but felt grossed out. I had her do it as an exposure, and in the middle of the exposure, she ended up kissing her feet. She was like, ‘Look at me!’”
As you can see, ERP can be very helpful in addressing your intrusive thoughts and compulsions but don’t expect a significant change overnight. It’ll take some patience, being consistent with your therapy sessions, and doing your homework to see an improvement in your symptoms.
I had one of my members who hated feet give her daughter a pedicure because it was something she wanted to do, but felt grossed out. I had her do it as an exposure, and in the middle of the exposure, she ended up kissing her feet. She was like, ‘Look at me!’
Tracie Ibrahim, LMFT, CST
Find the right OCD therapist for you
All our therapists are licensed and trained in exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP), the gold standard treatment for OCD.
Bottom line
Many people don’t like feet for reasons relating to the physical appearance, smell, and perceptions of dirt and bacteria. What makes a fairly common dislike for feet become concerning is if there’s a persistent fear and anxiety that’s causing distress in your day-to-day life. If you believe you’re experiencing symptoms of podophobia or OCD, please seek help from a therapist. They can diagnose your condition and start you on a treatment to reduce your symptoms.
Key takeaways:
- Podophobia is an intense, irrational fear of feet that may cause you to avoid situations where feet are present and/or experience feelings of disgust or aversion when you see them.
- A fear of feet could also be linked to contamination OCD, where intrusive thoughts about feet being dirty or harmful lead to compulsive cleaning or avoidance behaviors.
- The most effective treatment for podophobia and contamination OCD is exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy, which can help you confront and reduce your fear.
