Hello everyone! My name's Paula and I've been reading the forum for the past few months. I've tried to register but have been having problems with my internet- now I'm finally able to post.


I have suffered from emetophobia for the past 8 years or so- I'm 17 right now and in grade 12. A few months ago my phobia got much much worse to the point where I couldn't handle it anymore and I was hanging on the edge of having to leave school at the most crucial time, right before university.


I've been working extremely hard to get over this phobia and even though I still have ups and downs, things are looking pretty good. I just wanted to post to let everyone know that although this is one of the most unfortunate and limiting phobias to have, you CAN get over it. It's an uphill battle but imagine what we all can do if we aren't limited anymore! I mean, soon I'll be able to travel and go to University. It's amazing!


I have tons of respect for everyone on the website because it's hard times for all of us, and the feeling of dread when we're around people who are sick or when we feel sick is really really hard to deal with.


Hope to talk to you all!


Paula


P.S. A book that I found very helpful was "Freedom from Fear" by Dr. Liebgold. It has lots of techniques for dealing with anxiety and goes into detail about why we have phobias and how to make it easier to deal with them.