Emetophobia - went forward 10 steps and backwards 100. :(

[bugglesbeth]

I am so cross with myself I have been having a course of CBT and really felt I was moving forward with this awful phobia. I have progessed from not even being able to think of s..k to looking at photos and even watching someone making themselves ill. i was soo proud of myself . But then last week it all went wrong when my neighbours had been out all night. I sleep with ears plugs so that was not a problem, but when I woke at 8am to start the day I could hear one of them being s..k, I tries soo desperately to do my exposure work I had learnt but it was too much. I paniked and had to phone my parents to come over. It was awful. I had to go to my furthest point which was my bathroom and I cleaned it from top to toe just to take my mind off things, till my parents arrived.

I suppose I am writing this just for reassurance that things can improve again, my anxiety is a lot higher again since this incident and I just want to be able to get on with my days without worrying .

Bethan x

[Button]

Sorry to hear you have had a relapse.

The thing with counselling is that it won't make everything stop right away and there will be things to challenge you along the way. Use this experience and learn from it. Next time it will be easier, and the time after that.

All the exposure you have had has been out of choice and in a controlled environment up to now. This is your first experience out of that setting so it will be hard.

Keep your head up and keep fighting it.

[bugglesbeth]

Ah thank-you button that is really comforting to know. I had not thought about it quite like that about it having been in a controlled environment. The problem is or rather what I am worried about is my psycologist is leaving and I only have one more session with her, she will not pass me onto anyone else and I feel I cannot do it without her. I have asked to conntinue but she thinks I am doing really well.

Bethan x

[Button]

I can see why that would be scary. I am a qualified psychologist and am working my way to doing something like this.

Consider that you have done it in therapy so there is no reason why you cannot do it alone. It is simple applying what you have learnt in therapy to real life. It will be difficult but you have come this far so wouldn't it be great to just... Continue the trend...!

[Cat80]

I think maybe you shouldn't be having to see pictures of vomit or watch people being sick in CBT.

I'm having CBT for emetophobia and anxiety and have been told they don't do that sort of thing anymore (I mentioned it last session as I was scared of it) as it can make people worse. Now they try and look at the brains reaction to the fear of being sick and turning the negative thoughts into positive.

I really hope my CBT therapist was telling me the truth otherwise we may as well stop the CBT now because I won't do exposure therapy at all.

So sorry you had a bad experience bugglesbeth. Our neighbours are lads in there 20's a few months back one of them was stood next to our house puking up loads of alcohol that he'd drunk, was there for about 5 minutes just being sick until his girlfriend went mad at him for being sick outside rather than in the toilet. I was sat there in bed with my fingers in my ears but I could still hear everything, it's disgusting when people do things like that. Can't avoid it though living here in Blackpool

[bugglesbeth]

Oh no Cat. That is my worst nightmare. I sleep with ear plugs in to avoid things like that I am just sooo scared of hearing someone bad. It is the sounds that gets to me most. I can kind of look now, videos anyway not real life, I run away. By the way I forgot to mention that all the videos I have watched have all been with the sound turned off!!!.

Bethan x