How did it start?

[pretty polly]

Just wondered if there were any budding phychiatrists out there?
I've been thinking back to how my emetophobia started and I cannot
pinpoint any one incident. On reflection I do remember my parents
telling me that not long after I was born, I had some digestive
disorder so if I had just eaten and someone picked me up I would
projectile v* every single time! (It was some valve or something that
food wasn't get thru properly) anyway eventually I had dry weetabix
(which can't have been easy giving to a tiny baby) and the problem
sorted itself out.
I was just wondering if mentally there is a connection between that
and emetophobia. Obviously I don;t remember this happening, but
does anyone think its possible that a fear trigger was installed that
early on??? Interesting to hear peoples thoughts.

Regards

[tiina]

Hi "pretty polly"!


I think that this fear could stem from something that early on because when I went to get help for my "mental illness" in general I told them about how I've always been afraid of vomiting and they asked me if I used to vomit a lot as a baby or something like that. I was surprised that they were obviously thinking it could stem from something that early on.


I hope you can make sense out of what I was trying to say. I'm just saying that when I told the psychiatrist I had "always" had this fear she tried to find out the cause for it and was asking about when I was a BABY. Anyway I hope this helps.


Tiina

[pretty polly]

Thanks Tiina - thats really interesting. I don't know very much about
the human brain but I do know that its very complex. I guess I'm
just fishing for answers to the age old question - why me??
Anyway did your therapy help, and did you ever get to the bottom of
it?

[soulcr]

My problem is that I don't know when it started or how. I was never sick as a child, once or twice with the flu only. I wasn't a v*er when I was an infant and I haven't v* for about 27 years, I'm 35.


Someone once crassly suggested that I should be making myself v* often so I can get used to it so as not to be afraid anymore.


I don't really even know why I'm afraid of it and I'm sure others feel the same.

[hollyjean]

i have had this phobia for as long as i can remember also, im 19 now and i can only actually remember two times that i have vomited. I know i did another time when i had an anasetic (they dont make everyone sick, i had complications which i can explain if you want, dont want anyone to get scared!) but i have no memory of it what so ever.


I was actually going to do a psychology degree, i wanted to be a clinical psychologist. I have completed a level psychology but gave up on that idea because if i cant get other my own problem, how could i help anyone else ? I changed my mind and now and doing a biomedical science degree.

[angel13]

I think its hard for alot of us to pinpoint when it started. For me its not, as I can remember a specific incident when I was 7 which got the ball rolling, and I think I've recalled it at least every once a week since it happened, sometimes every day. Thats trauma for you, I guess - reliving things that happened in your past, and worrying they'll happen again, exactly the same...thats what I always fear, anyway, as it was the worst and most frightened I've ever felt in my life. I was rarely ill as a child, and I'm like you, Holly, I can only remember about...4 separate incidents where I've v*d...I'm surprised its that many, actually. Eww...


Psychology fascinates me...I would have liked to have gone down that path ^_^ Maybe I will, one day.