Hi, im new here

[karl636]

A friend of mine linked me to this place and before then I didn't even know there was other people like me, other people with the same phobia. Or rather I did but didn't know that there was a place where we could discuss emetophobia without being judged or considered weird.

I have had a fear of people vomiting for as long as I can remember. It has always put me on edge and I have always done my best to avoid it, I think this can go back to when I was a young child. I woke up once in the middle of the night to hear my dad being violently ill in the toilet, I remember feeling pure fear as I heard that and clamped my hands over my ears and shut my eyes so tightly. It took me ages to fall back asleep again.

Since then my fear of people vomiting has become more and more severe and in the last 5 years it has reached the current stage where if someone mentions they feel sick, I will be instantly on edge, if someone gags, heaves or retches I will physically leave the room. I am not able to stay in the same room as someone who will be ill. At all.

I didn't used to have a fear of vomiting until this summer. During the summer I stopped eating and began losing a lot of weight, a friend of mine came to visit and forced me to eat something (she was trying to help) but it resulted in me almost throwing up in a restaurant. Ever since I have had a fear of being sick and won't eat in public at all. The thought of eating in public frightens me and I can't physically do it.

I have been on anti-sickness tablets for many months now just so that I am able to eat without being sick afterwards. They help to an extent but I do get indigestion still and will sometimes feel sick after eating which throws me into a panic.

Living with emetophobia as I am sure you will understand is ruling my life. I can't go anywhere without planning around the chance of encountering vomiting or myself being ill.

I tried to talk to someone in college today about it, to see if they could find me help but I couldn't bring myself to say it. This is something I keep a secret because im embarrassed to be this way. So I came here in the hope that with other sufferers and people who have recovered that I can get some help.

[olschesky]

welcome........i've kept my phobia secret for most of my life.....of course for several years i didn't know it was a phobia. finding this site a year ago has helped me immensley. gave me the tools and courage to tell my husband and my mother and sisters about my phobia.......and i am 59 years old.....so it's been a secret for a long time.

i've found lots of help and comfort here which has lowered my anxiety level alot. i hope you have lots of luck here also.......

no judging here

[SerenaB]

Hi, I am also new on here and found this site through searching online for Emet help. I've had this phobia since I was around 9 but only recently faced upto it and realised I have to try and do something about as I have two young children which are now getting to the age of getting every bug and I don't want them to witness my phobia and pass it on, as my mum did to me. I am not sure if hypnotherapy works but may try that out although i am a complete control freak so not sure i would relax enough for that. It is nice to be able to hear other people's experiences and know you are not alone which is how i have felt for some time now and tried to hide it. I also didn't eat anything much for a few months a few years back when I was around people at work who had a bad virus, I lost loads of weight and it took me alot of strength to get back to eating normally again but I did. Now as my children have started to get bugs I have seen myself stop eating for a bit and get panicy again and I know I can't do that now having them to look after. It is such a horrid thing to overcome but i know that when I do it i am going to feel so good about myself so I have that to help me I hope I am just looking for a starting point now...