Emetophobia :(

[AmyFairy]

I know this is a very common phobia, and it really feels like the worst one out there! Emetophobia is the fear of puking or seeing someone puke, and along with that (not sure if its all from emetophobia) I get anxiety/panic attacks. I have a hard time leaving the house to go out in public because of this. It is getting so bad, that I am doing online school.
The only place I feel okay, is in my home or outdoors around my home. I also have very weird eating habits. ( I lost 7 pounds)
Does anyone else have this phobia that can inform me on medications/coping skills to help?

[Ads]

I had this phobia my whole life (now 25) and last year I finally had enough and went to see a hypnotherapist and within 3 months I was 90% cured!!

It gave me so much back, no more looking at people on the train or bus to see if they look ill, no more throwing away meals in case the food is off and the ability to sit in cinemas without having to have the aisle seat!

I would highly recommend it, I went to see one of the best in the country and was happy to pay whatever he charged and was definitely worth it

I hope that's of use to you!! :)

[disco]

Hi AmyFairy

I had this phobia really bad for a long time!, its horrible and stopped me doing so much!. Mine started when I was sick on my first day of high school over the maths teacher, she then shouted at me and since then I had panic attacks throughout school. This lasted until maybe 3 years ago(I've just turned 28). I had a virus and was sick with it!. I got myself so worked up I had a panic attack before. When I was sick I realized that being sick is NOTHING compared to the hell and panic that I've had all these years! It really is nothing to get so worked up about!. A few months ago I was on a sailing boat and was sea sick. Being sick wasn't nice but the nausea was so much worse, I was PRAYING to be sick. I hope you get the better of the phobia because its not nice!.
David

[AmyFairy]

Thank you guys.. :) what do they do in hypotherapy for phobias?
This was a lot of help and Im so happy that you both are way better from the phobia! I really wish I wasn't so afraid of it! I dont even like writing the word.
And David, youre right the phoba is not nice at all! I get seasick too by the way its horrible, and your teacher sounds like a maniac!

[Ads]

When I went to the hypnotherapist we went through events in my past that caused my emet and then re wrote them so to speak, surprisingly it was nothing that I thought it was that caused it.

Thankfully I now don't worry too much about emet but now have anxiety about health

[Dizzy_Dave]

Puke stinks, and looks gross, but it won't kill you.

[rocklover]

I have emetophobia and have had it since I was a child, not entirely sure of the reason.

It is definitely worse when I have anxiety as my number one symptom is constant nausea, which causes all sorts of problems for me, including major panic attacks.

I find it very difficult to take medication because of this and SSRIs are currently a no no for me as the side effects make me 100 times worse.

[FelicityMarie]

I have emetophobia too, ever since my mum sent me into school when i'd been ill in the morning, and then was sick in school and the teacher went mad at me.

I had mumps in Christmas 2009 and I was absolutely irate. It was the first time i'd been sick for 11 years. My mum said she'd never heard me cry or scream so much than that one time I was ill that night, she thought I was dying!

This really is a horrible phobia, some people just laugh and say 'Oh it's funny, it's only sick!', when they seriously don't understand how bad it is!

Also, does anyone ever get the sensation that they can't swallow their food or drink from time to time? I find that it gets stuck half way down my throat and I have to spit it out again because I feel like it's going to make me sick? Anyone? :weep:

[daisy123]

I have emetophobia too but I have only been suffering the past 2 years (I'm 28) since my nan died. I've never liked it, who does, but it never used to come with the panic and constant worrying about sick. I've had CBT therapy for my phobia which helped me get over other people being sick around me but I still worry when I feel sick. I also suffer from general anxiety and panic attacks unrelated to the phobia and now it is starting to play up again. I have just started seeing a pyschoanalyst (private as the nhs has been pretty much useless for me) and that is already helping me a lot. I have bad days and good days but since seeing the therapist the good days are happening more. I have also been put on medication for anxiety which I guess is helping too!
Hope you feel better soon...

[Jimmyboy]

This is a real phobia? Christ thats another one to add to my list then! :(

[cuppycake]

I have this fear too. I've had it since very young, when I get ill and feel sick I start having a panic attack because I think I'll be sick.If I actually am sick I start to cry and shake. If someone says they feel sick I just run away I can't handle it. I can't even watch a tv show in if they are sick I just cry.

[honeyp1e]

am also emetophobic & have been since i was about 11yrs old now 29 i HATE every minute of it am ok with otheres bein sick i can look after my kids clean it up etc but i still freak out in my mind about all the what ifs but i just try and keep busy and ignore it, i also sufer with bad acid :-( and when it kicks off i get bad nausea & IBS also causes my nausea to kick off i cant win, i just no that i would love a normal life i have seen so many people doctors/ counsellors etc and am still the same xx

[sheepster]

thankyou folks for making see i am not alone with this horrid feeling and as the norovirus starts doing the rounds down here im feeling absolutely at wits end , i spent 12 yrs on a RNLI Lifeboat and helped clean and look after sea sick folks helping ill and deceased folk and touch wood was never sea sick but my sympathys goto those that are its awful , i then did a further 5yrs as a HM Coastguard cliff rescue climber and helped ill and deceased folks then all of a sudden yes no one likes it but it has started to control my life since being diagnosed with Dystonia and OCD its gone into overdrive , i just wanna hide away for a month , lock myself away avoid everyone , it effects my relationship with my kids as when they come home from school im looking for signs of anything and tbh i sooo angry with myself and feel stupid but just cant cope , hypnotherapy is something im going to look into , is this a well known term for this phobia that medical professions and docs will know what it is ?

Happy new yr folks may the sun shine on us all