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  1. #1
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    Default How To Lower Emetophobia Anxiety

    Some of us have had discussions about having to get rid of the FEAR to recover, instead of trying to find ways to AVOID vomiting should it happen. So what are some ways to help lower the anticipatory anxiety? Any suggestions?

    I thought it would be good to start a thread encouraging recovery in a practical way.

    One way I lower my anxiety is by telling myself that based on my own history, chances are extremely rare I'll actually vomit, regardless how nauseous I feel. That helps a lot.

    Another way is, I remind myself that when I HAVE vomited, it wasn't anywhere near as bad as my emetophia tells me it will be. So the reality is much different than the catastrophized version the fear plays out in my head if I let it.

  2. #2
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    Default Re: How To Lower Emetophobia Anxiety

    Yes I agree! Here are some points I'll add.

    I've always known this, but Sage said it best. Phobias are not a "disease" but are a faulty logic pathway where the mind that has connected the wrong signals. There is nothing wrong with me. It is all in my head. I can change my way of thinking with just support of others and my own perseverance.

    Just like you, it has been a long time since I V'd and therefore it is very unlikely to happen soon.

    I used to fear my body for its unpredictability. I educated myself on it and learned enough to lay to rest this fear. Now I get alot of great feelings about myself. On days when I feel less than perfect - I focus on my strength and energy and have faith in my body to overcome and recover.

    The times I was N* enough to puke - it was from a headache. Nothing else has ever made me N* enough to puke. I was a kid then. Now; I know what medicine to take for headaches - and it has always worked.

    The few times I have "accidentally" spewed (in other words, without any nausea beforehand, such as from caughing, pressure on stomach, etc) it was just mildly annoying. In fact - within mere minutes I was thinking how "silly" and "funny" it was that I just made such a highly colorful hot mess.

    And finally - when I'm feeling any anxiety, I NEVER stop and dwell on it. I ALWAYS forge ahead and make sure to keep my mind occupied.

    Hope these are encouraging words for you! Some of them are personal and apply to my specific situation. Some should apply to all of us! I want to hear more positive coping methods from y'all!

    Sincerely,
    David

  3. #3
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    Default Re: How To Lower Emetophobia Anxiety

    Those are terrific, thank you so much for sharing, David!

  4. #4
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    Default Re: How To Lower Emetophobia Anxiety

    Great thread, Butterflies! I like your attitude, David. I do kind of cringe at the expression "it's all in your head" though. Mainly because people who don't understand phobias normally say that to phobics as a criticism - as though a problem in your brain has less validity than a problem in your toe or your liver. Brain cancer is also "all in your head." But I know how you meant it...

    I used to have a few things to say to myself and yes they were pretty personal. The one I liked most, and still use on occasion is - after a slow, deep in-breath I say on the slow exhale "you're not in any danger."
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  5. #5
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    Default Re: How To Lower Emetophobia Anxiety

    I try the direct approach. Like today when I ate some wheat bread my mom got out of the freezer and was past its exp date. I used to, and still do to an extent, swear by exp dates. If food is past the Exp date I usually throw it out no matter what. A wasteful habit...

    I acknowledge all of the fears and feelings I feel about the bread and what could happen to me if it is in fact bad. Then I inspect the bread to see if it really is okay (though I limit how long and how obsessive about it I am. Or sometimes I dont allow myself to inspect it at all, especially if I know the product is fine and Im just feeding the fear.). Then I had 4 individual slices of the bread, telling myself as I ate [and afterwards] "Im gonna be fine. It smelled fine, looked fine, and tasted fine so there's nothing to be scared of." And not just thinking the words but remembering what it feels like to be in a relaxed state. I simply repeat this process as I face the fear.

    Its hard to explain, but a lot of the time when I feel a panic attack coming on for any reason I usually do the same sort of thing. I close my eyes and feel the sensations to their fullest to acknowledge what's happening to me, and then I emotionally tell myself that everything is okay. Its a personal belief, but I feel that you cannot properly deal with feelings you do not allow yourself to feel. Sometimes I wonder if that's why I'm emet. When I last got S* maybe I blocked the pain out so much my body never learned how to deal with it properly, and thus still doesnt know how when I get n*? I dont know. Just a thought. Anyways, bottom line is my way of dealing with this is facing it head on, since my natural inclination to avoid pain probably makes things worse.

  6. #6
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    Default Re: How To Lower Emetophobia Anxiety

    I say a lot of the same things to myself and if im getting out of control (like today in the supermarket) i just kept saying to myself "piss off ive felt this before and im not letting you win shithead" PMSL i did have someone stare at me so figured i might have said it a bit loud lol

    I find once i get angry and say that it does seem to settle lol maybe im just an idiot LOL

  7. #7
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    Default Re: How To Lower Emetophobia Anxiety

    Those are all great suggestions, everybody! I especially like the "I'm not in any danger" - this one is HUGE when it comes to battling any anxiety disorder, I think - because our fear always tells us we're in some kind of danger - something awful is going to happen if we don't control it - whatever "it" happens to be.

    Another thing I do is remind myself that I can feel the fear and do it anyway. I used to wait until everything was "perfect" and I felt fine before even attempting to do... whatever. But I've learned that that's putting the cart before the horse. I'm not going to feel any better if I don't allow myself to feel the fear as I do whatever needs to be done. So I no longer say, as often, "I'll do ______ when my anxiety goes away." Now I say "My anxiety will go away the more I do _______".

  8. #8

    Default Re: How To Lower Emetophobia Anxiety

    Well I know this will sound silly, but if we really reflect, a lot of what we do is silly.

    There is a scene in the movie version of Return of the King, when Minas Tirith is under attack, and Gandalf gives the soldiers of Gondor a little "pep talk." It happens when the Grond (a battering ram) is about to breach the gate, and he reminds them...

    "You are soldiers of Gondor. Whatever comes through that gate, you will stand your ground."

    I am a sentimental person and find this sort of "against all odds" stance very moving. I have, on occasion, thought more of the "feeling" behind this sequence (though it is fictional) to remind myself that, no matter what, I will stand my ground. Even if it is v*.

    As silly as that may be, it is occasionally helpful to me to remind myself that there are men and women who have faced much more real danger in life, and something like n* or v* is, well, much less worse than armored cave trolls bursting into your castle!

    Again, it's more the "idea", rather than the actual sequence, which appeals to a certain person inside of me.

  9. #9
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    Default Re: How To Lower Emetophobia Anxiety

    I think that analogy is terrific, skelenton! Not silly at all.

    You're right, there are far worse things that can happen to us than vomiting. We get so caught up in the cycle of fear that we often forget this.

    Another thing I do is tell myself that fear is such a useless emotion. Nobody's ever accomplished, or avoided, anything with worry and fear. Let's face it, if, for example, we have a bad case of norovirus, we're going to vomit. There isn't much we can do to stop it. Worrying about it, being terrified, isn't going to stop it from happening. All it's going to do is make us feel much worse than the virus already makes us feel. So I'm finally starting to "get it" that I can't worry my way out of being sick IF it's going to happen.

  10. #10
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    Default Re: How To Lower Emetophobia Anxiety

    I moved out of my parents' home with my cat in 2004 and gradually I have gotten better at facing "cat sick" than I used to be. I guess it's because if I don't clean it up, no one else will. It's helped my phobia a bit but I still don't want to go near "people sick". I try to tell myself that it won't harm me but it doesn't work. Cat sick is much smaller than people sick. If I really can't face cleaning up after my cat I cover it up with a napkin and deal with it later.

  11. #11
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    Default Re: How To Lower Emetophobia Anxiety

    That's a step in the right direction. Cat sick today = people sick tomorrow.

  12. #12
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    Default Re: How To Lower Emetophobia Anxiety

    Quote Originally Posted by ButterfliesInHerEyes View Post
    Some of us have had discussions about having to get rid of the FEAR to recover, instead of trying to find ways to AVOID vomiting should it happen. So what are some ways to help lower the anticipatory anxiety? Any suggestions?

    I thought it would be good to start a thread encouraging recovery in a practical way.

    One way I lower my anxiety is by telling myself that based on my own history, chances are extremely rare I'll actually vomit, regardless how nauseous I feel. That helps a lot.

    Another way is, I remind myself that when I HAVE vomited, it wasn't anywhere near as bad as my emetophia tells me it will be. So the reality is much different than the catastrophized version the fear plays out in my head if I let it.
    how did you get to the point where you keep reminding yourself of that without actually having an illness. I know this is true of me too but I still am fearful when others are sick.

  13. #13
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    Default Re: How To Lower Emetophobia Anxiety

    Quote Originally Posted by lsauer View Post
    how did you get to the point where you keep reminding yourself of that without actually having an illness. I know this is true of me too but I still am fearful when others are sick.
    Well, because based on my own personal history, I have never once vomited no matter how bad a panic attack I've had or how SURE I was that "this time" would be it. All the illnesses that were sure to lead to violent projectile vomiting are all in my head as a result of 1) misinterpreting every little body symptom, or 2) making the mistake that thinking every little stomach upset is norovirus, and finally 3) making the mistake of believing that flu season or having casual contact with a sick person means automatic vomiting for me.

    So every time I'm "sure" I'm going to vomit now, I remind myself of my past... not once has it happened. So what are the chances it'll happen now? And if it does, well, I'll hate it, I'll be scared, just like I was the times I really did vomit, but it'll end and I'll be fine... just like the couple times it did happen.

    So I just really make an effort to be realistic in my thinking and stay in the moment instead of catastrophizing and imagining, in great detail, the worst possible case scenario.

    Doesn't always work - especially at the dentist - but it's getting better, a lot better.

    I hope that answers your question and makes sense?

 

 

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