Miley Cyrus may not be afraid to perform her music on a stage in front of countless people, but she does have one fear that happens to be pretty rare. The star has a phobia related to paper. To be exact, she has papyrophobia.
Revealing the fact during an interview on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on Thursday, December 4, the singer revealed that her repulsion to paper is so bad that even seeing it makes her feel ill.
“I hate paper. Looking at it makes me want to vomit,” she said while noting the difficulty this presents when wrapping holiday gifts. She also revealed that she can’t read a newspaper and has her fiancé, Maxx Morando, open Amazon packages for her so she doesn’t have to touch the cardboard, which is “the worst of it all.”
She added, “The real problem for me is when people have dry hands, and then they touch paper.”
Beyond that, she explained, “When someone sends me a lovely letter, I just don’t even open it. I love text messages. No paper. Email. No paper. Phone call. No paper.”
Noting that she’s had the issue since she was a child, she said, “It’s a phobia, and I need help. It’s getting worse, so there does need to be some sort of intervention. I am going to look into some sort of EMDR [psychotherapy], being hypnotized about it because it is impacting my everyday life.”
Some Fans Can Relate to Miley’s Rare Paper Phobia
When Cyrus’s interview was shared on YouTube, plenty of people commented to say that they were surprised by the singer’s unusual phobia. At the same time, there were others who related to her paper-related issue.
One person wrote, “My son had the same aversion to paper. He had a terrible time doing homework, especially after taking a shower in the evening. I’ve never heard of anyone else feeling like this.”
“The way she feels about paper, is how i feel about plastic tupperware,” another person added.
Someone else left a comment, saying, “I love how she’s gags through half of this interview! Lmfao!! My best friend and I have misophonia which is the same thing with noises like eating chewing or even typing or clicking any noise that drives you NUTS!! I didn’t know people had a PAPER-PHOBIA!!!”
Experts Don’t Know How Rare Papyrophobia Actually Is
CanvaIf you know someone who suffers from papyrophobia, then you can let them know that what they have is quite unusual and can be addressed.
“It’s hard knowing exactly how many people have a specific phobia, like papyrophobia, but it’s rare,” according to the Cleveland Clinic. They also note that “[f]emales are more likely than males to experience a phobia disorder.”
The Cleveland Clinic also brought up hypnotherapy, which Cyrus mentioned her interest in, noting, “This therapy induces a hypnotic, trance-like state to help you uncover the root cause of the phobia. Most healthcare providers combine hypnotherapy with psychotherapy to help you address and overcome the fear.”
I have that with pancakes. I can’t be with ear shot or nose shot of them. I gag and can’t stop. If someone wants to go to restaurant for breakfast I have to tell can’t have pancakes. Can’t got to IHOP or Dennys I get ill!