Has anyone overcome emetophobia??

[Loulou21]

I've started cbt and I have been attending for several weeks now and doesn't seem to have any effect? Would be great to here some stories from anyone it has helped?

[Grace47]

Oh yes. Sage one of the psychologists who runs the site was an emet. You may not find them here, because they have moved on. We had a lady leave recently because she was no longer afraid. Plenty of people get better. Go to the triumphs section and read the posts. Many are doing better. it just takes time.

[Loulou21]

Thank you Grace will have a look

[HEH18]

I truly believe another factor in getting well from this phobia is having the mindset that you WILL get better, and will do whatever it takes to not let it rule your life. I have been working partly with my therapist, but a lot on my own, just pushing my limits and doing things that make my emet side all twitchy, and I have seen massive improvement in the past year. I sometimes feel like this will never go away, but generally I don't just hope it will, I TELL myself, I WILL get past emet, and I WILL overcome it. Obviously there is FAR more than just this- but with me, my emet was caused not by any bad experience, but by my dad being an emet.. Well I figure since it's my mind that learned and started this phobia, it's my mind that can overcome it. So yeah.. That's why I think mindset is sooo important.

Examples of how I've pushed myself- still visiting people who may have been ill the week before (taking normal emet precautions not to touch face). This was a huge challenge because before I'd avoid them for at least 3 weeks. Another example is I was becoming obsessive about disinfecting my vehicle when I got in it while out. I started pushing myself by delaying the amount of time I waited before disinfecting. Got to the point that I maybe spray it with lysol or wipe it down once a week? I've been able to not freak out if I don't wash hands before eating or touching face- this one is my most recent and difficult challenge. In the moment I'm fine, but it's a few hours later when my emet goes hey-- you may have been exposed. BUT I have yet to have become ill, and each time I do it I'm a little less inclined to do my 72 hr countdown. This last time I only counted down to 24 before feeling totally normal. And at that 24 hr mark I decided to go out for the day (that was SUPER hard, cuz I was a bit nervous that I'd get sick while out).. And sure enough my anxiety went away after I did that.

Anyways. These are just a few examples of things that have helped me personally. Everyone is different, but I tend to think that if we DON'T feed the fear and anxiety, it begins to shrink and go away.

[mr.B]

I am sure people have! Do not get disouraged, most of the time if people get better, they move on from boards like this... Not always but I would say the majority of times that will happen, so you will not hear about those things as often.

[turbokinetic]

Yes! There are many who have overcome emetophobia. As it was said, many of them have left the forum and moved on to bigger and better things. Self-esteem and DESIRE to get better are two key points that all the recovered emets have. Wether you get past it yourself, or with a therapist, all those who get on with life, past this mess have those things in common. You got to WANT to get past it, and consider yourself WORTH THE EFFORT to get past it.

These above are all good stories. I'll add mine here too.

I was emetophobic for many years. Mine was completely centered around myself getting sick. Every action I took was preceded by the "could this possibly make me throw up" questions. I had only maybe one or 2 times (as a little kid) ever vomited. Therefore it was a fear of the unknown and a fear of what unknown causes could lead to my getting sick.

I got over emetophobia by changing many of the ways in which I think. The first one was, learning as much as possible about biology and my body's internal workings. I learned what was actually happening inside me when I had certain feelings. It was an awakening because I learned what normal, healthy processes could make the sounds and feelings that I detect. Instead of detecting "something wrong" now I can assign that sensation to a good thing going on in there. Then I became more curious than anxious when things felt different in there.

Also, my logical side helped me a little. I thought about how silly this was. I am letting something that has happened 2 times in my 30 years life (at that time) rule my mind every day. That's pitiful. This happened 2 times in 30 years - the chances of it happening at any given time are INCREDIBLY SMALL. I thought, hey - I must be pretty well made to have this low of a chance of malfunction.

I tried self-inducing vomiting. I thought it could help with the fear-of-unknown thing. It didn't help that because drinking and puking a large amount of water is not the same thing as being sick. I learned that embarassement and loss of control was a big part of my phobia. Doing something under my control in private had nothing in common with feeling nauseous and fearing I could get sick in a bad place. The only positive outcome was, I learned how difficult it is to make ones self puke. It took lots of effort to make it come back up. Not something that will happen "by accident" (although it has happened once by accident from getting choked on some SUPER SOUR candy - but that's a whole other story!). Also it gave me another level of appreciation for my body. An engineer will understand this. It takes a whole lot of power to make cold water VERY WARM in only a couple minutes.

Distraction and increased self-esteem helped me a lot, too. I got a very good job, doing my favorite thing (working on machinery) and traveling around the USA. This job took much of my time and I could not spend time worrying. I would still have anxiety from time to time; however I didn't have time to constantly think about possible scenarios that would lead me to the next anxiety episode. The anxiety got less and less.

Finally I found an opportunity to move to a different type of machinery repair. With this was the opportunity to fulfill a dream of getting to see other countries and travel the world. With it also came the requirement of riding boats at sea and possibly enduring motion sickness. But I made the change, and have been rewarded with some incredible experiences. I've spent time in multiple countries and had opportunities to interact with different cultures, see different environments, and do things none of my peers have ever done.

Every now and then I still think about vomiting; usually when someone else talks about being sick or I think about rough seas or other legitimate reason that someone could be sick. But at this point, it is a MEMORY of my past anxiety, and a new level of peace. Having endured the storm, now I have that much more appreciation for the calm.

As an encouragement, below is a picture of one of my overseas job assignments. I'm onboard a ship, sitting in the electrical switchgear room, with the Korean shipyard commissioning guys. We're eating pizza (Domino's) and some Korean traditional box lunches. Good combination, pizza and kimchi! The asian cultures are each a little different but equally amazing.



Also, the shipyard guys really like to have their picture taken with Westerners. So I got this picture, and it's pretty easy to see the feeling there. Pure happiness!



Sincerely,
David

[cycle]

in a lot of ways, i think i have 'overcome' my emetophobia. when i say overcome, i mean i can live a life that isnt filled with anxiety and fear. i still have bad days and i still am an anxious person, because that's the way i am and i think it's the way ill always be. ive accepted that. i dont think that there is a 'cure' for emetophobia. i think ill always be emetephobic because...well ill never like to vomit. but i think ive come a really long way from where i was before. theres a difference between being afraid of puking and like, so afraid of it you are paralyzed. im no longer paralyzed so i think ive overcome it. am i making sense? i might be rambling idk. haha

[cycle]

also, <3 kimchi. totally have a whole bunch in my fridge and im damn excited.

[turbokinetic]

also, <3 kimchi. totally have a whole bunch in my fridge and im damn excited.

LOL that's great. It's good for you, probiotic and all veggies. Here it's a staple food breakfast lunch and dinner!

Good for you overcoming emet, that's one more positive story!

David

[LittleFlo]

I may not be too popular for saying this but exposure therapy has been the only thing to actually make me put my phobia into perspective. It's not for everyone (I think a lot of depends on the root cause of your phobia and the biggest reason you dread it - specifically, rather than just the general 'feeling of it'). It hasn't cured me - but it has made me view v* slightly differently. Mostly I learnt that I feared the anticipation more than the act itself, and the act itself was a relief, physically at the least - and actually it's almost impossibly to panic during the act, as it's so quick.

I think also I was able to look at it in comparison to some of things that could happen that are far more dreadful - I mean, there ARE things are out that are worse than v* - losing a loved one, being genuinely seriously ill, losing your job and struggling to put food on the table... This line of though might not help everyone, but when I'm having a rough day and obsessing about say, Noro, I force myself to think, well actually here's me worrying about a 48 hour harmless bug, but actually I should be focussing on the good things that I have that would be taken away at any minute, irreversibly perhaps, unlike the nature of a tummy bug that I will recover from.

So I guess my successes have come from being tough with myself. Well - I would put it as being tough with the PHOBIA, not myself as that sounds harsh. Sometimes it's really empowering to be like, almost talking to your phobia, standing up to it and being like actually I'm not going to let you run my life. I'm not going to think about you 24/7. I'm not going to miss out on things because of you... I think we forget this phobia is like having an abusive partner - we let it control us and make us miserable, we fall into victim mode (I don't mean that in a critical way) - yet in a strange way the phobia is often all we've ever known as so, sub-consciously we cling to it like a comfort blanket, afraid to leave it in case there's a void there we can't fill.

Without sounding really negative, I accept that I will probably never be free of the fear. It will get better, I will make sure of it, but I think it's ok to go through life with a fear, as long as it's being addressed and is under control. I just want to get to a point where it lies dormant in me - as in it's there, and can be triggered - but I will be at the point whereby I'm not mulling it over my brain all day everyday. I know it's possible as I've had periods of respite before (months and months of it hardly crossing my mind). I'm sure there are people who do totally rid of it. But I don't want to put myself under the pressure of having to achieve that. If I do totally rid of it, great. If I don't, I am still going to fight for a better quality of life emotionally.

[julybabe]

I've started cbt and I have been attending for several weeks now and doesn't seem to have any effect? Would be great to here some stories from anyone it has helped?

Hi Loulou21 I have a success story to tell, I posted on the triumph board a few weeks ago and am happy to say things are still going well for me, try to stay positive an believe that one day you will overcome your fear. To summarise I am 42 yrs of age now and had this fear since I was about 7yrs of age. CBT in itself didn't work for me, although that is not to say the same will be true of you, however it was worthwhile having done it, for me I needed medication in conjunction with CBT and I would honestly say that in combination this has been the right thing for me. Personally the key for me is realising that emet is just anxiety and learning not to let that rule my life, and refusing to be a slave to my fear. Having the courage to take control of my anxiety. I no longer fear myself or others v* in the way that I once did, in fact last night my husband was s* due to migraine, and I did not even wake up normally I would have been wide awake and shaking with my fingers in my ears. I think the fact that I did not wake up is because I am no longer hyper alert. In fact the other night I had indigestion, and rather than panicking I was going to get s* I thought I don't want to be ill, its not nice being ill for any reason, I had no more fear over the thought of v* than if I thought I was coming down with a cold and I thought I don't want to be ill now I am on holiday for one week. V* just doesn't scare me anymore, I just find it unpleasant in fact how I feel now is how I can remember feeling prior to having emet when I was around 5yrs of age. I hope my story gives a little inspiration. I wish you luck.

[julybabe]

Turbokinetic your story is really inspirational, well done, I think you summed it up really well when you stated that you changed the way you think,that is really key to taking control of this fear. It certainly worked for me.

[julybabe]

in a lot of ways, i think i have 'overcome' my emetophobia. when i say overcome, i mean i can live a life that isnt filled with anxiety and fear. i still have bad days and i still am an anxious person, because that's the way i am and i think it's the way ill always be. ive accepted that. i dont think that there is a 'cure' for emetophobia. i think ill always be emetephobic because...well ill never like to vomit. but i think ive come a really long way from where i was before. theres a difference between being afraid of puking and like, so afraid of it you are paralyzed. im no longer paralyzed so i think ive overcome it. am i making sense? i might be rambling idk. haha

I think you are definately taking steps in the right direction. Well done.

[RudiL94]

I have heard of success stories and such... But I've never heard of anyone completely getting rid of the phobia entirely... Just sort of getting a bit better with it. Which worries me because I really don't know how I'll cope if I get a sv or something :/.

[kataimiko]

I have heard of success stories and such... But I've never heard of anyone completely getting rid of the phobia entirely... Just sort of getting a bit better with it. Which worries me because I really don't know how I'll cope if I get a sv or something :/.

I agree with this.


I feel like there is no magic pill or button that will just magically make the phobia disappear forever. Instead, I feel as if people just learn to re-evaluate and handle situations and change their overall mindset on the subject. There will always be a small piece of your subconscious mind that completely and utterly hates the idea of being sick, but it will not be worth panicking over.

[Amanda.S]

thank you for sharing your story david!

[Amanda.S]

i would like to contribute to this thread. i am not 100% cured of my emet but i am well on my way. two years ago i got the stomach flu. i was laying in bed and couldnt move from the stomach pain and nausea. i fought it off for 12 hours. until there it was. my stomach forced it out of me. i v* three times in a row. never in my life has it been that large of a quantity (that i can remember). i was so scared. i cried, i was shaking, i was hyperventilating. i couldnt believe what just happened. but it did happen. and it took about 15 seconds, tops. i ran to the bathroom, brushed my teeth, threw cold water on my face and calmed down. once i finally realized the worst was over, i felt euphoric. i was so proud of myself. and i FELT so much better. i was able to sleep, drink water, move around. i felt like a new person. thats when it really sank into my mind that sometimes your body is trying to protect you by getting rid of something it doesnt want. i continued to have the stomach flu for the rest of that week, but i did not v* again, and whats crazy is...i wasnt afraid to again.

here i am two years later. same month that i got hit with the flu two years ago. of course my mind has anxiety about that fact, but i take myself back to my bedroom where it all happened and i remember. it was fast, i felt great after, and i didnt die. this seems to comfort me.

one of the keys to my recovery is challenging myself. i am no longer afraid of others having to v* around me. this took me a long time. but i kept pushing myself to be around it. my best friend (like a sister to me) has no gal bladder. so when we used to go out drinking she would get very sick the next day. years ago i would have had to leave the apartment. then it turned into staying but turning the music on. then i started not covering my ears and turning the music off and listening to her. then i started speaking to her while she was through the door. this helped tremendously. she would always comfort me when she was done by telling me see im ok i feel better im fine im not dying. eventually (present day), i am able to be in the bathroom with her doing my own thing like shes not even there while she v*. i am now 28 years old. this took A LONG time. but if you really want to get better, you will, you just have to believe in yourself.

On Friday my twin nieces came down from north jersey to visit me and my parents. they were both sick with the norovirus several days prior. sunday my mom caught it, and began v*. i helped her get into bed, got her a bucket and a towel. then it hit my dad. then my brother. and then....yes, me. it was sunday night. now im not saying i ran to the toilet and willingly allowed anything to come out. but what i am saying to you is, i would have avoided my family get together had i allowed my fear to take over. so i got into bed, put the trashcan next to me. got some water. and just waited. every moment was awful for me. i hardly slept all night. i kept gagging and spitting. i finally allowed myself to dry h* several times (huge step). I am so proud of myself for how far i have come. any other time in the past i would have been FRANTIC, HYSTERICAL, out of control. i would have immediately dialed my mom to come over and woke her at 5am. this time i did not. i remained calm. i prepared myself. i got comfortable. i texted a few of my girlfriends who were awake and just told them to keep reminding me that it would all be okay even if i did v*. i was on the chat forum most of the night getting support from others on here as well. what im trying to say is, you CAN get through these moments, even though they seem to last forever, they really will go much faster and smoother if you remain calm.

i am proud of my recovery and i work hard at this every day. i do not plan on stopping. i will live my life and i refuse to do it in fear.

thanks for listening

Amanda

[asianeko]

I love this thread!! Everybody's stories are so awesome! I love the inspiration!

I consider myself about 99% over emetophobia. Sometimes I still get that quick anxious feeling for a split second, but I haven't had a panic attack in quite some time, and I've been able to do it, see it, and hear it without any problems. That being said, I still dissect things when it comes to being sick. I had food poisoning a few days ago and constantly tried to figure out what caused it, where it came from, and how long until I may be ill again. While this is normal emet behavior, I also learned that it's normal for non-emets as well. That's where my 1% not cured is, I don't know what is normal and what isn't!

[jab788]

Anything that is learned can be unlearned. We were not born afraid of this. We were conditioned to be afraid of it. Somewhere along the way our brains decided to relate vomiting to extreme danger, something to be feared and avoided at all costs. Kind of like when you first touched a hot stove for the first time. Your brain took note of that and stored the message, "Never touch a hot stove ever again." Well, emetophobes have the message "Never vomit ever again" stored into our brains. We can undo this, it just takes time, effort and plenty of motivation.

I've always thought that I was just afraid of vomiting, plain and simple. But after talking with a therapist I've realized that it's so much more than that. I'm afraid of the loss of control, having no power over myself and feeling trapped. I realized this when I talked about other childhood fears that I eventually overcame -- lightening, asteroids, heart attacks, blood clots, going to hell, being buried alive, amusement park rides, vaccines, etc. All of those fears had to do with enduring something painful or unpleasant and not having the power to stop it or run away.

Lately I have been less focused on vomiting and more obsessed about the nausea beforehand. This shift was surprising but I am actually kind of happy about it. Nausea is something that I can actually experience regularly in exposure therapy (although it sucks!). I feel like it's a sign that I am making progress, and we are hitting the real issue, which is feeling trapped and powerless.

Something else I have learned is that many people have personality types that make them more prone to phobias and anxiety. I think phobics tend to be very reactive people. I think we feel things very deeply and take extra precautions because of it. More measures to prevent bad things from happening to us again. Other people just think "Well that sucked," and just forget about it. When I was young, I always took everything adults said very much to heart and never forgot anything bad that ever happened to myself or anyone else. That's why I was so afraid of going to hell, because the adults in my life warned me so much about it, it seemed like there were just too many things I could do wrong. I felt like I was doomed. I always cried at night and couldn't sleep because I was so worried about it (kind of sounds familiar). Then I started practicing OCD-like rituals because I felt like it would keep me from going to hell. This was all even before the age of 7. I think that's where it all started.

I still succumb to my fears and avoidance, but am working very hard to overcome it. I have made a lot of progress in the last few weeks with CBT, exposures, and hypnotherapy. Thought replacement, journaling, and regular visualization of an emet-free future have helped me the most, I think. It hasn't been easy because you have to make yourself do things you would normally avoid, and then you have to stop yourself from panicking after you do it. It's hard, but it's sooo worth it. I can't wait to be emet-free.

Some other things that are strongly encouraged by pros but I have yet to do: Regular aerobic exercise, daily meditation, herbs and supplements, finding my life purpose, trusting in a higher power, and giving up caffeine and sugar (and improving diet overall).

[arosenba]

Hi, I just came across this post. How exactly did you overcome it? I am considering changing my career of teaching because I can't handle it at all. I actually called into work today so I can try and figure out what to do.

in a lot of ways, i think i have 'overcome' my emetophobia. when i say overcome, i mean i can live a life that isnt filled with anxiety and fear. i still have bad days and i still am an anxious person, because that's the way i am and i think it's the way ill always be. ive accepted that. i dont think that there is a 'cure' for emetophobia. i think ill always be emetephobic because...well ill never like to vomit. but i think ive come a really long way from where i was before. theres a difference between being afraid of puking and like, so afraid of it you are paralyzed. im no longer paralyzed so i think ive overcome it. am i making sense? i might be rambling idk. haha

[bekahnz]

I have fully recovered in the past and relapsed now, due to the relationship I'm in. Th last time i was a fully blown emet and this time, not as bad.
I was in a controlling and abusive relationship way back when and I'm in one now. I think it's a feeling of loss of control of my life which brings on the phobia..... it can be done and i will do it again. I deserve my life back, as do we all x