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  1. #1
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    Jun 2011
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    Sydney, Australia.
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    677

    Smile Have you ever cured yourself?

    Hello there,
    I am knew in this forum. I am 17 years old and have had emetophobia for about 6 years. For the last 8 months I have had a plan, on and off, to try and deal with my emetophobia and finally cure myself of this horrid fear. It was basically a CBT plan. I found it so dificult to do the things I'd avoided in the past but I did do them successfully. With school and exams I haven't been able to focus on overcoming my fear and have let my little plan slip away slowly. Doing the plan didn't make me become normal again, but it certaintly did decrease my emetophobia. I am ready to fully overcome this fear and I believe that one can do it on their own. The human body is capable of so many things, and overcoming a fear is one of them. Has anybody got any advice or ideas from their own experience in trying to cure themselves? Just wondering if anyone else has a plan of action. Thank you! Have a great day and God Bless.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    United Kingdom
    Posts
    5,885

    Default Re: Have you ever cured yourself?

    I haven't got a plan, but that is very inspiring. You're very resourceful and insightful to come up with such a plan! Avoidance strengthens fear, and by facing the things you were avoiding, you've overpowered the phobia quite a lot, by the sounds of it. Don't worry about letting it slip - times of stress like exams etc are not easy for anyone. I am sure you'll be able to resume it after the exams!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    Sydney, Australia.
    Posts
    677

    Default Re: Have you ever cured yourself?

    Thanks so much! You just gave me lots of reasurance that I can start from where I left off. You set off a light bulb when you said "Avoidance strengthens fear". Even though this is a basic and common thing to say in the phobia world, it just really clicked! All the best.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    United States
    Posts
    3,455

    Default Re: Have you ever cured yourself?

    I decided to "cure myself" after getting fed up with this phobia. I made pretty good progression on my own, but did end up with 3 hypnotherapy appointments. They are what really pushed me to where I consider myself mostly recovered, but I can definitely give you the tips I lived by to overcome the fear. All the info below is copied from threads where I posted them before.

    1. Calm Breathing! Learning how to calm myself down out of a panic attack took time, and many steps, but it's the best thing I've learned how to do. All you need to do is find your own relaxing breathing pattern, and do it a lot. I mean a TON, when you aren't nervous. It gets you all relaxed and calm and peaceful. Soon, when you decide to start, you calm down almost automatically. This is SUCH an awesome tool to have under your belt. It can take anywhere from days to months to achieve fully, but I swear that this alone helped me the most. I can calm myself out of the worst of panic attacks within 5 minutes, even without help. It's SO worth learning.

    2. Convincing Myself it's OK! I know we all know this. That V isn't going to kill us, and it's a necessary function of the human body. It doesn't make it less scary! This may not work for everyone, but I found that when I thought about it rationally (NOT when I was nervous at all, or had emet sneaking up on me, just when I was calm) I understood that it isn't so scary. We need to do it sometimes to get nasties out of our system. Cyanide is so lethal to rats because they can't V! We're damn lucky we can It still isn't pleasant though!

    3. Remembering The Effects! I know this won't apply to some, but every time I've V-d, I felt so much better after. Sometimes I was nervous, shaking, or crying, but my stomach didn't hurt anymore, at least for an hour or so. It helped ease the pain. Also, the actual act of V didn't scare me as it happened, it hurt sometimes and wasn't pleasant, but it was usually over so fast it wasn't bad. Remembering this has helped me realize that it's mostly the N we dislike, which brings me to the next thought.

    4. Breaking the Anxiety Cycle! Face it, we all have generally the same chain of events. We get N, usually from anxiety. The N makes us nervous, sometimes even panic. This raises our anxiety which raises our pulse, and can make us feel more N. If we panic, adrenaline starts going crazy and we get Super-Spidey-Senses. Every change of temperature, the pallor of our face, we're super sensitive to it, we LOOK for things that may be making us feel this way, when it's almost always just our own anxiety! Finding a way to break that cycle helps SO much. For me, it's the Calm Breathing. For some, it's a familiar calming scent. My doctor suggested carrying around a baggie of a smell that calms me in my pocket. This way if I was nervous, I could close my eyes and smell it. I think it may help some, but depending on the smell (aka if it's food related) it may not do much.

    5. Knowing how REAL N Feels! This is another thing that may not help everyone, but once I was ill, I remembered what real N is like. I remembered that there is NO doubt that it will happen, and that the second you know you've already run to the restroom. I know now that if I have time to wonder if I'll be S, I most likely won't be. When I am anxious, I feel anxiety lower than in my stomach. A good rule is if it's below the belly button you're safe. Keep in mind that doesn't mean above it is a death sentence Sometimes I get anxiety N higher too.

    6. Knowing When To Get Help! I decided I needed help when Kris (my bf) was too drunk one night. I spent the night trying to sleep in the car in 30ºF weather, shivering and crying and praying he was okay. When I knew my dad was awake I called just to talk to somebody. He suggested I talk to somebody who could help, and I realized that night that this was something I couldn't battle on my own. There are many routes to take with getting help, and I don't think that any certain way will work for everybody. You need to decide for yourself what you are willing to try. I did hypnotherapy, and it was amazing. In 3 sessions I had improved by leaps and bounds. Do I recommend hypnotherapy? If your mind is open to it working, then heck yes I do! But I also know that it may not work for everyone.

    7. Having A Friend Who Understands! I'm lucky enough to live with my boyfriend, who is SUPER understanding. I was able to confide my every fear in him, and he helped me in every way possible. Having somebody in person helps a lot, but I also know this isn't something everyone is lucky enough to have access too. I also found that certain people on IES helped me a ton. We're a community who understands one another! We're all here for everyone!

    From
    http://emetophobia.org/showthread.php?t=23887

    ---------------------------------------------------

    The Five Relaxation Breath Pattern Steps

    1.Comfortably sit or recline. In meditation or relaxation techniques there is no magic to any particular posture or position-the choice is yours as long as it satisfies the following three requirements: (a) it is comfortable, so that you are not distracted by physical sensations of pain or discomfort; (b) it is not sleep inducing (so comfortable that you consistently can't keep from falling asleep in that position); and (c)it is one that you can or do associate with relaxation or meditation.

    2. Once you are comfortable, become aware of your breathing. Notice the frequency and the depth of your breathing. Gradually increase the depth of your breaths while at the same time slowing down your rate of breathing.Do this at your own pace and to a point where you are breathing at what you feel is a relaxing and calming pattern for you-where to take even a fractionally deeper or slower breath would begin to feel uncomfortable. Stop there. This is your personal Relaxation Breath Pattern.
    Note: There is no required manner for breathing (for example through nose or mouth). Find the way that is most comfortable for you. Many people prefer to breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth. Also, you may keep your eyes open or closed.

    3.Once you are comfortably maintaining your Relaxation Breath Pattern begin to focus mentally on relaxing with each breath. With each inhalation focus on breathing with greater calmness and peace. Visualize and feel relaxation flowing into you each time you breathe in. With each exhalation feel yourself blowing out the pressures and stresses of the day, and know that tension is draining from your body. Breathe in a calmness and breathe out anything that stand in the way of maximum relaxation.

    4. Maintain this focused breathing for 5 to 10 more breaths. Mentally command your entire body to relax and unwind. Hold in mind a time when you were completely at peace. As you breath with your unique Relaxing Breath Pattern, feel that same peaceful calm flow through every fiber of your being.

    5. After several minutes note how you feel. Compare your inner sense of calmness with how you felt before you began.

    The more you use this simple technique the easier it will become to trigger Auto-Relaxation. Each time you follow the process described above it will be easier for you to recognize your Relaxation Breath Pattern. Gradually you will be able to lock into your mind the specific rate and depth of breathing that triggers Auto-Relaxation. Eventually you will need only a few seconds to find and slip into it. Moreover, each time you perform the technique your body will increasingly come to associate relaxation with that specific breath pattern. Before long just one or two minutes of breathing with your Relaxation Breath Pattern will lower your pulse, reduce your blood pressure, and release the negative effects of stress.

    Because this is such a quick and simple method for triggering Auto-Relaxation you can use it anywhere and anytime. Practice a few minutes of relaxation breathing before an important meeting or interview, and you will find you can deal with those situations calmly and be in control of them. Similarly, if you are suddenly faced with a stressful situation or feel tension building, try using your Relaxation Breath Pattern. You will feel tightness and anxiety melting away. Eventually you won't even need to close your eyes to do the exercise. As a result, you will be able to use your Relaxation Breath Pattern to relieve stress when you are driving and find yourself in a traffic jam; or you can use it right in front of people who are trying to pressure you.

    Learning your Relaxation Breath Pattern is a dynamic key for taking conscious control of stress reduction. Most important, once you learn it, the mere thought of that rate and style of breathing stimulates Auto-Relaxation. You do not have to do twice daily half-hour meditations, chant mantras, or seclude yourself to reach deep relaxation. You have learned a skill that is usable in all situations. You have learned how to achieve inner calm in a quick and practical way.

    From http://emetophobia.org/showthread.php?t=19603



    I hope these can be helpful to you! You can also follow my journey (from partway through, the first half was deleted when we moved the site a while back) in the thread in my sig


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  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    Sydney, Australia.
    Posts
    677

    Default Re: Have you ever cured yourself?

    I can't tell you how thankful I am for this information you have given me!! You've given really great advice and I am going to take it all on board and hopefully finally be free of this phobia. It is good to hear from people like you that have just about fixed the phobia, its really inspirational. I hope that your hard work will continue to pay off. Once again, thanks so much! Your a legend

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Nova Scotia, Canada
    Posts
    1,196

    Default Re: Have you ever cured yourself?

    I like to think I'm recovering, as of right now. And I've done it on my own. I've come a long way since a few years ago when my emet was so bad that I rarely left the house - and if I did, I was having a panic attack every few moments.

    I've tried to cut WAY back on my avoidance behaviours, I started slowly: not opening doors with my sleeve, not carrying around hand sanitizer everywhere I went, etc etc. I guess all the little emet habits that made me feel 'safe' I tried to break them. I also used to take Gravol every single night - because I was afraid of getting sick during the night, or I felt sick so often that I felt like I NEEDED them. I was going through two bottles a month, I gradually worked my way off of them. It helped A LOT. I know that Gravol is not addictive - but I truly believe that relying on it, is almost as bad as being addicted.

    Another thing was that I refused to let myself mop around and stay home when I wasn't feeling good. I knew my sick feelings were purely anxiety based and I didn't want this phobia to beat me anymore. I started going out, even if it was just for a walk. I stopped cancelling plans with people because I felt sick. I started going to restaurants, eating foods I considered 'unsafe'. I enrolled in school and sat through all my classes even if I wasn't feeling well

    Recovering is not easy, there's always pitfalls, but you have to look at them as learning experiences and move on. We can beat this phobia, it just takes perseverance
    "I'd rather cross the line and suffer the consequences, than stare at the line for the rest of my life." <3

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Vancouver, BC, Canada
    Posts
    4,577

    Default Re: Have you ever cured yourself?

    I have a "self-help" section on my website where all the resources are free for either therapists or sufferers of the phobia. The link is below! (Just click on "resources" and then you'll see "self-help" as one of the menu choices.
    Last edited by sage; 06-30-2011 at 09:25 PM.
    For more info about emetophobia and treatment:

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    DISCLAIMER ~ Any advice I give on this forum is well-intentioned and given as to a peer or friend or for educational purposes. It does not in any way constitute psychotherapeutic or medical advice. Please discuss anything you may learn from my posts with your doctor and psychotherapist prior to making any decisions or changes or taking any actions.



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  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    Sydney, Australia.
    Posts
    677

    Default Re: Have you ever cured yourself?

    Wow! Congratulations. Looks like you've done a really great job with trying to cure yourself. Thank you for the advice and I hope you continue to destroy the demon that is this phobia!

 

 

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