Think of it like the (much more common) disgust reaction to the smell of rotten organic matter. Most people have not actually had the experience of eating something putrid and getting sick from it, but something deep within your sensory system just knows, and tells you it's not ok. It's not debilitating. You can still pick up your dog's poop, or even hold a job in the sanitation industry. It's just really unpleasant.
FWIW I had my first really strong trypophobia reaction to the shattered glass on my family minivan's windshield after hitting a deer, age 7 or so, long before Reddit. (No injuries, other than the deer, just inconvenience). I felt weird. I kept thinking about it afterward. I wanted to bash it in. Discovered more than 10 years later that there's a name for it and and it's a thing other people experience.
FWIW I had my first really strong trypophobia reaction to the shattered glass on my family minivan's windshield after hitting a deer, age 7 or so, long before Reddit. (No injuries, other than the deer, just inconvenience). I felt weird. I kept thinking about it afterward. I wanted to bash it in. Discovered more than 10 years later that there's a name for it and and it's a thing other people experience.