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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    Connecticut
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    40

    Question Exposure Therapy?

    I've been told about Exposure Therapy many times and brushed it off as "I would definately lose my mind if I was willingly exposed to v*"

    Can anyone tell me about this, if you've been through it or know about it because I'm considering it as a last resort.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    In Recovery
    Posts
    622

    Default Re: Exposure Therapy?

    I used to think the same thing, and then I gradually exposed myself by watching people on youtube. At first it made me anxious and scared, and at times I started feeling a bit nauseous. After couple of days, I started laughing at loud at some of those videos! Now I can watch others do it, no problem. Plus, I live downtown and on any given weekend there's bound to be a splatter of someone's leftover partying from the night before on the sidewalk. At first it freaked me out big time! But I've seen it so much since moving downtown that now I just step around it and I'm fine. So yes, exposure therapy definitely works. I don't think I could ever induce vomiting to expose myself to vomiting though... and even if I could, I know that wouldn't do anything to cure me because my fear of vomiting has nothing to do with actual vomiting. It's a control thing.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    Connecticut
    Posts
    40

    Default Re: Exposure Therapy?

    Unfortunately, mine's not a control thing, its the fear of actual v*. I'm thinking about looking into actual exposure programs, but I'm glad to know that any exposure is effective!

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

    Default Re: Exposure Therapy?

    Therapists mean different things when they say "exposure therapy." For instance, on the TV show "obsessed" they mean something called flooding. Which is to put the patient in the position of what they fear so their anxiety goes up to 10 out of 10 and make them stay there until it naturally subsides and goes away. This works on some people. Unfortunately, like yourself, it scares the living hell out of other people and they don't seek any kind of treatment at all.

    I and other therapists like me prefer to work with people where their anxiety never goes above 5 out of 10 and preferably no higher than 3 or 4. The brain is still re-learning a new way to react to the stimulus. We teach people how to bring their anxiety down and how to make it go up again, then bring it down on their own. This is not frightening treatment. We carefully construct a hierarchy of stimuli that will induce anxiety. Perhaps it is just the word "vomit" or just talking about the last time you vomited, or even a cartoon picture of someone vomiting. Whatever makes your anxiety rise just a little.

    Anyway, when you go for treatment never forget that YOU are in the driver's seat. Never agree to do anything you really don't want to do because it may not work for you long-term if you do.

    I hope this helps! Don't be afraid of getting treated! Just find the right person to treat you and be as courageous as you can be which will help move your treatment along more quickly.
    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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  5. #5
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    473

    Default Re: Exposure Therapy?

    I've gotten better in that I can see it on the ground our hear about noro going around and not freak out. But once I watched a clip on youtube of a guy drink some ipecac as a dare. He stood there for a minute saying he felt fine before the purging starting. I felt very nervous while waiting for him to throw up. And then just out of nowhere he says, "oh sh*t!" and starts spewing and I had to close my browser at that point. I couldn't watch further. Then I was disturbed for the next couple of days. It took a few days for that disturbed feeling to wear off. I really don't get this fear. I mean if I saw a tape of someone defacating, I'd think it was gross, but it wouldn't bother me much. And fecal matter is no less gross than V. In fact, I watched the 2 girls 1 cup thing and handled the fecal part just fine, but when they started with the v* I had to cut it off.

    I'm trying to figure out what's a good step by step plan for gradual exposure.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    473

    Default Re: Exposure Therapy?

    I just found a page that has a collection of videos of people V'ing after drinking syrup of ipecac just for pranks. I can't bring myself to click on the any of the links. Wow, I'm worse than I thought I was. I watched a cartoon version: Family Guy where they drink ipecac and even the cartoon was disturbing.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Uk
    Posts
    38

    Default Re: Exposure Therapy?

    I had to watch that family guy as part of my therapy!

    Now im on you tube clips of drunk guys. Nice! Not!

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    473

    Default Re: Exposure Therapy?

    Quote Originally Posted by BiggerPicture View Post
    I had to watch that family guy as part of my therapy!

    Now im on you tube clips of drunk guys. Nice! Not!
    I managed to watch one the other night of 5 british teens who were playing "Ipecac roulette". They made 5 drinks and put Ipecac in 2 of them but nobody knew which they were drinking. Two guys soon after hurled into a bucket. And then the camera showed the V in the bucket and it was SOOOOO disgusting! I barely made it through.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Vancouver, BC, Canada
    Posts
    4,577

    Default Re: Exposure Therapy?

    If a video raises your anxiety more than 5 out of 10 you shouldn't watch it without a therapist present. You risk re-traumatizing yourself and making your brain think that indeed it's better NOT to be exposed to such things.
    For more info about emetophobia and treatment:

    To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
    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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  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    Maryland
    Posts
    151

    Default Re: Exposure Therapy?

    It definitely can help, but too many people rush through it, not taking it seriously and cautiously

    You can check out http://www.emetophobia.bravehost.com/index.html , which one of the members here created, if you want a teaser of what it's like.

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  11. #11
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Vancouver, BC, Canada
    Posts
    4,577

    Default Re: Exposure Therapy?

    Ya that was my site - lol. I've shut it down and moved it now to www.emetophobiaresource.org
    For more info about emetophobia and treatment:

    To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
    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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  12. #12
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Posts
    118

    Default Re: Exposure Therapy?

    I believe that my emet has gotten better over the years because of gradual exposure. My life naturally changed over the years and when I was ready to face something, from the small stuff to the large, I got better and better at dealing with it. Some people need therapists and some don't. Some people do better with flooding, while others do not. I watched a show on vh1.com called the OCD project, and they used exposure therapy and flooding.

    The people on that show dealt with more extreme therapy in my opinion, but then again I'm not sure if dealing with a straight up phobia and a behavior disorder are exactly the same...It makes it a little more confusing to me since OCD can be a part of emet. I guess Im saying just take the info Im posting here for what it's worth.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    australia, NSW
    Posts
    2,355

    Default Re: Exposure Therapy?

    At the moment I have a therapist and she is helping me with exposure therapy. Im very nervous because I dont know how far I can get with watching something before it actually makes me sick because its so gross. Normally I have an Ok tolerance to gross things. I've had to deal with vomit before because I am a dental assistant and used to watching gross things. But then I do this thing where I am fine with the proecdure going on, then out of no where I realise my surroundings and where I am, (clinic) and theres a lot of blood and bone everywhere with, for instance an extraction, and then I start becoming anxious and nauseous. Same thing with the exposure therapy. My phsycologist pulled out a picture of a dog vomiting, and all I could think is.."what if I do it, what if i do it." Then I gagged after I saw it *-* and terrified to begin or go further. She gave me some more pictures and activities to do at home but Im afraid that if I watching something to graphic, its going to make me sick. Ugh..this exposure therapy is so hard. I thought I wouldnt have to actually throw up to become cured
    No passion so effectively robs the mind of all its powers of acting and reasoning as fear.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Rotorua New Zealand
    Posts
    85

    Default Re: Exposure Therapy?

    Quote Originally Posted by SteveR View Post
    It definitely can help, but too many people rush through it, not taking it seriously and cautiously

    You can check out http://www.emetophobia.bravehost.com/index.html , which one of the members here created, if you want a teaser of what it's like.
    Hi Steve, I was just wondering about this site, as it seems to have been shut down, or expired? Any ideas?

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    1,497

    Default Re: Exposure Therapy?

    That was sages site she moved it to
    http://www.emetophobiaresource.org/

 

 

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