Emetophobia down under (Repost)

[HarryJM]

Hello my name is Harry,

I am 19 years old and i live in Sydney, Australia

I have just become aware of this site and it shed much needed light on my perception of my phobia

My phobia started around 10 years ago when i had surgery on my ear. After the surgery i was severely disorientated, dizzy and nauseas... which then led to the inevitable. Since that operation i have lived in fear of getting; food poisoning, the flu, concussion (can lead to v**) and the list goes on.

At the age of 12 i suffered severely from emetophobia, i would compulsively wash my hands and sleep with a bucket next to my bed because i would convince myself every night that "The dinner my mum cooked will make me sick"... they were a tough few years, but as i grew older i became more efficient at dealing and managing my fears.

My phobia goes through different stages of intensity, some days its all i think about... other days it doesn't even cross my mind.

I have seen numerous psychologists and 2 of Australia's leading psychiatrists... both gave me the advice of assessing situations in accordance to their perceived risk.. i.e If i were to dine at a nice restaurant my trust in the food should be strong, however if i were to eat at a 'dodgy' or suspicious looking restaurant i should asses it with a high level of risk (which 'any normal person would do') with this i went out and tried testing myself... i couldn't even get takeaway Chinese from a recommended establishment. I then tried hypnosis... which i can safely say didn't work.

I am cautious of hygiene, however sometimes i am slack... it is those times in which i take it out on myself for not feeling more cautious

I felt i was left with no choice but to face the fear front on and initiate v**... and we all know that is like telling someone with claustrophobia to jump into a closet. It wont work. However, in the last 9 years there has been numerous times where i have come extremely close to v**... i have managed to refrain, most of the time the though of being sick has created anxiety which as ironically made me feel allot more ill. In holding it down i thought to myself, is it possible to train yourself to restrain from v** ? i researched it and there has been cases, however i cant help but think that if i get a bought of food poisoning then i will have little control over my natural defence mechanism.

My phobia has stopped me from travelling and has impeded on my relationships and study. I live at a university college and i am always cautious of 'stomach bugs' going around campus. I am getting to the point where i need to get on top of it before i miss out on many once in a lifetime and life changing experiences.

after little research tonight i found this website (i cant post it for some reason???) i t is reasonably expensive, however i would pay whatever it took if i knew there was a chance in getting rid of this huge cloud which hangs over me.

This is my first ever internet blog, so i hope i haven't ranted on for too long or given to much information on my personal problems. from the posts i have read i can tell there are some amazingly strong people out there and hopefully we can all defeat this and move on for a more bright and experience filled future

Cheers everyone

Harry

[danilouise]

Hi I'm Dani and I'm also 19 from QLD. I've never met anyone else from Australia with this phobia; I sort of felt alone and isolated in this whole thing so it's good to know I'm not alone. But I'm so sorry you have it. I completely get where you're coming from with the phobia holding you back at the most crucial stages of your life; I feel it too. I wanted to do musical theatre but this phobia has shaken me of all my former confidence and I'm nervous to even leave the house. I'm so frustrated with myself and I feel completely trapped in my own body.
I'm very interested to look at that website that you tried to post though.

[Skittles04]

yay more aussie emets :P there's two other active members from aus on the forum atm. finding this site's amazing, you think your the only one who's this scared, but its so comforting to know that other people know where your coming from.