phobia of vomiting?

Question

I'm emetophobic (fear of vomiting) and just wondered if anyone has been cured of this using hypnotherapy? I've tried it in the past but it didn't work. Are there any other cures? I'm due to start work in a hospital next week and i'm freaking out!

Answer 1

Try not to panic, cos that will only make it worse. I am emetophobic and worked as a nurse for 6 years. I managed to get around it by ensuring that I didn't actually watch anyone vomiting. If they said they felt sick, I gave them a bowl and closed the curtains. If they had vomited on themselves, I gave them a clean top and asked them to get themselves changed. If I had to clean up vomit, I would hold my breath so I couldn't smell it and try to think about something else so I didn't focus on the fact I was cleaning up sick. It worked to some extent, but luckily I didn't come across it too often. I also tried to work in areas where vomiting wasn't that common, such as respiratory medicine. If you work in oncology, everyone vomits all the time, so you can't avoid it. I have never heard of anyone using hypnotherapy to cure it, but if you do I wish you every success with it.

Answer 2

Wow, hope you can overcome this so you can work in a hospital.
I've also got a phobia of vomiting, and I think it's very common, because it serves an evolutionary purpose. Back in our hunter gatherer days, if someone else in the tribe is sick, this is a warning to the others that the meat from the last hunt is bad and the tribe may be in danger from poisoning. So everyone else develops sympathetic nausea, just in case. The fear has a very real purpose in that context. However, in a modern context, especailly working in a hospital, this would not be the case. So hypnosis could probalby help you reframe this fear so that you could deal with it. Desenstitization also helps with some phobias, although it is not exactly hypnosis. The practical suggestions that Emma has given would also probably help.

Sometimes it helps, when treating phobias, to address the root meaning of the phobia. I often see people vomit in dreams, and once I was lucid enough in a dream to ask someone, what does this mean, to see vomiting in a dream? I asked this because I'd looked it up in various dream books and the usual explanations didn't seem to fit. The other person in the dream explained, it means you are afraid that you have done something wrong, and people will suffer for it or you will be caught. This made sense, to my lucid dream consciousness, and it still makes sense now that I am awake. In the context of our hunter gatherer days, doing something wrong could mean letting the meat go bad, or gathering poisonous plants, and the people would certainly suffer. In a modern context, careless cooking habits could lead to food poisoning affecting the family, and would also be doing something wrong and getting caught and the people suffering for it. In the context of your work in the hospital, if this has the same meaning for you, you could work on that angle of the fear, and assure your subconscious that you are innocent and safe.
It is important when assuring the subconscious, to phrase the assurance in a positive way. That is, rather than "It's not my fault that people are sick," or "Just because other people are sick doesn't mean I have to be sick also". (because the subconscous will hear words like 'fault" and "sick" louder than the overall meaning of the sentence), use phrases such as "I am innocent" and "I am safe". Most therapists treating anxiety disorders such as phobias are aware of this, but some are not. If your therapist is not aware of this, educate him or her, or find a different therapist.

Answer 3

It is possible to cure phobias in small steps, I don't think a week will be enough to effect a complete cure, but you could lessen the influence it exerts on you by logical thinking. Try writing down what it is about vomit and vomiting that upsets you. Try then to write down some logical reasons why you should not be bothered by this. It is normal to be disgusted by vomit and hate the idea of vomiting, it is a normal thing and is protective, helping guard us from disease, so don't expect to get so you like the idea of vomit and vomiting, that would be abnormal and bizarre. You can however get so that you are not more disgusted and upset by it than anybody else. When you get to work let your boss know about this problem, it won't help you or anybody else if a patient is a bit sick and you a paralyzed with fear due to your phobia. Good luck.

Answer 4

I tried hypnotherapy for this, and I'd like to say it worked, but it didn't! Problem is, it's not something you are ordinarily exposed to on a frequent basis, so no way of really knowing until it happens whether it's worked or not.

I spent several months in hospital year before last and was sick fairly regularly due to the nature of my condition. I must admit that although I never got to the stage where it didn't bother me at all, over a period of time, I think I definitely 'panicked' less with the more it happened. I also had to listen to a fair few people being sick as is to be expected in hospital, I guess, and the same applied, I was never exactly comfortable around it, but I think I did get a little used to it (still had to look away or hide under the sheets though!). There was one girl who I made particular friends with, as she was a similar age to me and we were bed neighbours for 2 weeks. The painkillers she was being given were making her feel yukky and one day she looked (and felt) particularly dreadful. She said she felt so very very sick and eventually she did actually throw up, although I physically couldn't get out of bed to help her, if I had been able to move, I'm sure I would have leapt over to grab a bowl or something for her, as every instinct wanted me to. Afterwards, when she was feeling better, I did think "ugggh" again, but at the time, I was just so concerned for her and felt sorry that she was feeling so obviously crap, that my instincts just took over and I wanted to help her!

I reckon that you might just get used to it - and I really really hope you do so that you can enjoy your job. Do let us know how you get on!

Answer 5

i'm disturbing of being ill I cry and pee myself. If I see somebody else being ill I run because it makes me start up heaving a brilliant kind of cases once I even have felt nausea I even have taken a snoozing pill and went asleep until eventually the sensation is going away I under no circumstances concept-approximately it as a phobia whether it may be.

Answer 6

I have a friend with that, she doesnt even drink or eat meat in case she feels sick, its really serious. she sees a therapist and says it helps, as its a phycological problem, i believe it takes strong will and a hard head to overcome stuff like that but it will work.

Not sure about the hypnotist thing but i have another friend that gave up smoking after being hypnotised and in many respects that is harder.

Good luck

PS it cost them about £100 for the hypnotist

Answer 7

OMG...I never knew It had a scientific name, but I have a fear of Vomiting too! Please e-mail me if you find any cures!! Thanks