phobia of vomiting?

Question

I have suffered emetophobia since the age of 6 (now 42) - does anyone else suffer with this, and if so how bad?

Answer 1

Yes!!
Im 23 now and the first time i remember being afraid was when i was about 7. I was in the back of car with my baby brother and he was sick everywhere. I was crying, holding my eyes and nose and closing my eyes to block it all out. I remember that when we got home my mum let he come out to play with me and i was really mad as i felt like he shouldnt be allowed to play with me.
Gradually my fear got worse and effected my everyday life. Little things that seemed so normal to me and i didnt really think twice about were weird to others for example when i was out i would always use the furthest away toilet as i figured a person who felt ill would go to the nearest toilet to the door, and id always sit at the front of the bus or the aisle seet in the cinema and be constantly aware of my exits so i could always escape a situation. I rarely drink as when i was growing up i always associated it with being sick and altho now i realise it doenst mean that i still dont really drink. When i was 18 i went to see a psycotherapist (have u ever been to see one??) after being on a waiting list for prob about a year. This really helped me as at the time i was really really bad and it really did influence my life so much. We talked through why i felt so scared, what i did when i was in a situation and gradually used exposure therapy where i was slowly exposed to images etc. It did help me but as it was such an unusual fear it was hard to cure and eventually she told me there was nothing more she could do to help.
What i find when i tell people about my fear( although most ppl are really good about it) they say that 'well no1 likes sick'.....and i have to explain that there is a differance between a dislike and a fear.
It makes me feel so bad that i cant be there for my friends and family when they are ill....i feel like im a bad person...:(
In the last 9 years i have only been sick once. At the time (and apparently this is v common with this type of phobia), i thought ' oh...that wasnt as scary as i had been worried about' but then straight away again i was back to being fearful. What many phobics find is that as they generally do anything to prevent themselves from being ill it is a rarety and so the longer it goes on for the more scared they are of this unknown thing.
For me im just waiting for the day now.....as im sure it is due...:(
Hope this gives you an insight to my fear and helps you in some way...xx

Answer 2

You suffer from the fear you will vomit or someone else will? My daughter has a major fear of her father vomiting - she is 25 and if she thinks he might get ill, she will literally run out of the house.

She is extremely uncomfortable with other people vomiting around her but can usually hold her ground, but not with her dad. She's in the medical field and is one of the bravest, together women I know - but this phobia is so severe, she doesn't even want to try and overcome it - she can barely talk about it.

She knows the source of the phobia - she and her dad were camping when she was just 5, he suddenly got a migraine and
was basically incapacitated, vomiting, holding his head, moaning. She was frightened because there was no one to turn to and here her big strong dad was throwing up and holding his head. They were only a couple of miles from the house so he was able to drive home and she and I went back and took down the camp, but that fear has stuck with her from that time.

I wish you luck. I have my own share of phobias and until someone has experienced stark terror over what others consider no big deal - they can't understand why we can't just overcome it.

Answer 3

I had a milder version of your problem for years. Eventually I just determined that I had to get over it because I always suffered much more if I wasn't sick. Plus it was beginning to control my life too.
Tips that helped me:
* Being sick is really natural. You won't die! If an animal eats something dodgy, they just go and throw up somewhere.
* Try not to be freaked out by a friend who is maybe vomiting after drinking too much. Try and get close to it a bit and offer help.
* Conquer the fear of being sick with knowledge and rational thinking
* Don't make yourself sick for no reason, but if you feel like you need to, then don't fear just try to do it.

IF YOU NEED TO BE SICK:
1* Don't worry, just take your time.
2* Think about how much better you will feel after.
3* I prefer to do it kneeling over and into the bath with the shower hand spray running
4* Get comfortable with something to kneel on and maybe play some music
5* Have a bottle of chilled mineral water ready to drink or gargle with after.
6* Also have some nice mouth wash ready
7* Have your bathroom cleaning products ready - cleaning the tub after is therapeutic!
8* DON'T THINK ABOUT IT - JUST DO IT
9* Lean over and make "the bird" with a middle finger
10* Touch the back of your throat - you will start to feel the gag reflex - just go with it
11* You will wretch maybe once or twice with each poke
12* Hold the shower spray with your other hand ready to spray it all straight away
13* You can even keep your eyes shut and breathe through your mouth so that you don't see or smell any of it
14* It may take a few times to empty all your stomach but you can just take your time
15* After you will feel so much better and stronger for facing your fear!

Very best wishes and good luck.

Answer 4

Eating in the presence of others. Since social phobics believe that they are being scrutinized, even a simple meal can become a nightmarish ordeal. They worry that their hands will shake, that they will spill their food or miss their mouths, or even that they will get sick. These fears can become self-fulfilling prophecies. The book Dying of Embarrassment notes: "The more you worry about the possibility of doing something embarrassing, the more anxious you become. The more anxious you become, the more likely you are to actually begin trembling or make abrupt, clumsy movements. This problem can build to the point where it becomes difficult to get food or a beverage to your mouth without dropping or spilling it."

When All Eyes Seem to Be Upon You - Jehovah's Witnesses Official Web Site www.watchtower.org search for social phobia for some useful advice. Hope this helps

Answer 5

I had a friend who never vomited and never wanted to. We were out one night and I convinced him to after feeling sick from drinking too much. Now, years later, he still remembers that one time and how he got over it just through that. It is scary when you think about it but not really bad once you put yourself through with it... kind of like public speaking. My suggestion is to do it, no matter what limit you have to push yourself to. My suggestion would be with liquids since they won't be as harsh on your body as food would be. Also, it may sound weird, but see if you can get someone to do it with you if you are that afraid of it. Best of luck!

Answer 6

i'm terrified of being ill I cry and pee myself. If I see somebody else being ill I run because it makes me initiate heaving a good number of cases as quickly as I certainly have felt nausea I certainly have taken a valid asleep pill and went asleep until eventually the sensation is going away I by no potential concept-approximately it as a phobia whether it ought to be.

Answer 7

No, I don't, sorry.

"Fully two thirds of phobics say they don't vomit until they decide to let it happen. Only 13 percent of non-phobics say this, 59 percent of them saying they fight nausea but vomiting happens anyway. 28 percent of non-phobics don't fight nausea at all, something only 5 percent of phobics claim. Non-phobics on average let themselves vomit after feeling nauseated for only 21 minutes. No emetophobic was willing to "give in" in less than two hours, and some claimed being willing to endure nausea for five days!"

Great website about emetophobia here--> http://faq.emetophobia.net/emetophobia.html

Hope I helped at least a little!

Good Luck!

:)

Answer 8

I suffered with this phobia for several years, in fact I got it into my head that If I didne eat then I couldnt be sick, so I became anorexic, I felt so stupid admitting to a doctor that the reason I didnt want to eat because I didnt want to be sick, but it helps to talk to people about this. I sympathis with you completly.

Answer 9

hey ginger chewing gum is availlible now a days which r veyr effective for this, an abt phobia so i cudnt get either u r saying it genearly or u get with travelling or so, thts motion sickness
once possibilty is that of weak eye sight keep tht possibility in mind too, n yes psycological cause cant be excluded, ....

Answer 10

No, but, I saw a thing on MTV about that...the girl's therapist made her watch videos of people throwing up and it seemed to help