Hi i am new to this site and an emetaphobe!

[maeanna]

Hi everyone!
I have had emetaphobia for 15 years and for the past 2 years have tried to overcome it and get some help. I tried hypnotherapy which failed and yesterday approached the dr for the 1st time to ask for CBT only to be told apparantly im not "bad" enough to get CBT on the NHS even tho i have some weird habits, panic attacks and slight OCD!!!
I asked the dr how many people he knew who got off the bus when someone coughs in case theyre sick?!!!! Hmm i guess i'll have to save up and go private!!!
Has anyone else had problems with people not understanding their phobia or that like me cant travel on public transport incase someones ill?
Its great to find a site with other people who are going through this too. Its taken me so long to find a website like this as i hadnt even thought of goin online and found it easier to suffer alone!
:)

Anna :o)

[vernon]

Hi Anna and welcome to the site, you will get lots of help and support here. Can you not go see another Doctor? how can any doctor say or know how bad anyone feels? I have had CBT, hypnosis and so many other treatments over the years, but at the end of the day its us who need to change our thinking habits. I have found reading self help books before falling asleep at night has helped me, ther are some pretty good books about and its worth reading a rubbish book now and again then you get the benefit when you read a good one. Anyway I dont have emetaphobia so cant be any help on that one, but lots here do and you will get lots of support. take care. Vernon

[maeanna]

Thanks for that:) i am going to get a book when i get paid! any recommendations? its just been sooo long now that im hoping something will work!

Anna :o)

[vernon]

I would say just look in the library, you dont pay anything then. but I am sure you will get more support from someone with the same problem as you. take care

[scoobygirl2005]

Hi.

Sorry to hear that. Yes I find some people just don't understand, its quite annoying isn't it? What I did when I first went to the doctors is I told him a few of my symptoms and he told me to come back in a month and write a diary of each symptoms each day, which helped him to understand and then he referred me to a councellor. Perhaps you should write a diary and go back to your doctor and say it is important and let him read the diary and say you want to see someone about it. Hope this helps.

Scooby2005
x x

[Karen]

Hi Anna

Welcome to the forum.

These posts may be helpful to you:

Emetophobia
EXPOSURE THERAPY... (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2712)
To Emetophobia sufferers (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2253)
1st day CBT exposure for emetaphobia = scary (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=4930)
A visit to the Doctors (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=5503)
CBT for emetophobia my experiences... (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=5998)
Emetaphobia 101 (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=7053)

You will find a lot of help and support here.

Karen



Happiness is not a state to arrive at but a manner of travelling.

You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough ~ Christine Cagney, Cagney & Lacey

[joanne87]

Hello,

Id just like to say i have been suffereing with that phobia for about 3-4 years now and i havent been on a bus, train or coach for about 2 years because of it and also incase im sick aswell, it used to take up a big part of my life but now with my new probs its not too bad, but still there. i wont sit in the back of a car, ill panic if im in a car with someone i dont know and i hate big public events and always check for the nearest exit if i know im going to be there for a while. but as i said , it has calmed down abit now, before that i was 10x worse.

hope this is some help

Jo x

[joanne87]

sorry might be a completely stupid question and prob not even answerable by writing but how do you pronounce it?

i never went to the doctors with it i just learnt to cope and told everyone it was travel sickness or i just didnt feel well

[maeanna]

emetaphobia is pronnounced em-et-a-aphobia!.

I have just received details about going private for cbt so am really hoping its gonna help plus my friend is lending me a book on cbt so fingers crossed!:)

I just wanna go on holiday and be able to lead a normal life!!!

Anna :o)

[tammyg]

Hi Anna,

I have this too and a lot of what you put in your first post I was nodding at because I used to do it all! I avoided everything that could be a possibility, eating out, enclosed spaces (so that's all public transport out as well) and anywhere with alcohol. Oh and as for doctors or hospitals.. big no no. I also had some habits as well (verging on OCD I suppose but I prefer habits!) particuarly with handwashing before and even after eating.

I don't really know what changed but I am loads better. Of course I joined here and got support, learnt a lot more and just tried things and saw I was still ok after. I have a few self help books as well, most off the reading pages on here. I think once you stop avoiding things and survive each step you begin to see how much time you have wasted. I am still scared of being sick or others being sick but at least I'm not scared of everything midly connected with it and it has made a huge difference to my life.

There are still certain things I won't do but there is more that I will do than won't (if tat makes sense!) whereas this time last year it was definately the other way around.

It is horrible to feel like you can't do things that everyone else takes for granted but you can get there. For example this time last year I had reached the point that my friends wouldn't even ask me out anymore, I always said no to pubs. Last week I went in a pub with a good friend, drank, had a meal (without washing my hands first agh!) and stayed all night. What a difference!

You could try the doctors again, it's a shame you are going to have to pay.

Good luck and I look forward to reading how you get on with it.

Tammy x

[maeanna]

Thanks tammyg! Hope ur ok,im still finding it weird that there are others with the same phobia and habits as me!!!
I only knew 1 other person while i was at school with this phobia and really bad OCD and he was admitted to a hospital and i havent seen him since 1995 so I was always really worried this would happen to me!

Im phoning the clinic about cbt tomorrow so keep your fingers xd!!!! post me if u wanna chat and i'll give u my email address.

Anna [8D]

Anna :o)