I used to visit this site constantly many years ago. I suffered from Emetophobia for about 35 years. Like many if you, my fear ruled my life. I thought about it every hour of every day and it completely controlled me. It simply became a way of life for me. Like you, I suffered greatly and thought it would never end. Approximately 12 years ago, I reached a breaking point after having a huge panic attack on the way to a restaurant for breakfast. I was adamant about fixing myself and, after a lengthy phone call with my sister when I was crying, she suggested I start taking Zoloft. I was dismissive at first, but then said, “FINE! I’ll try anything at this point!”. Boy, am I glad I did! It took a few weeks to kick in (no real side effects, no n*, no v*). But when it did, I noticed my obsessive thoughts about v-ing began to subside. A few months on Zoloft, and the obsessive thoughts and anxiety were CONSIDERABLY lower. My panic attacks stopped completely and my anxiety was minimal. I started to enjoy life again and the relief was immeasurable. As time went on (I’m still taking it), I stopped thinking about v* all together. I went from thinking about it constantly to NEVER thinking about it! The only thing that still occurred was the momentary panic if I did suddenly get n*, but that was rare. In fact, I think most people, Emets and non-Emets, feel that in those moments, so it’s normal. I can honestly say I was 90% cured. What brought me to 100% cured was this... and caution: this is a little graphic...
Last year, in March, I started feeling n* in the car on the way home from work. It got progressively worse and about 10 minutes after arriving home, I started v-ing. I was shocked at first because it had been many, many years since I had last v*d. But I was ok. Approximately one hour later, my 11 year old started v-ing! I knew then that we had the Norovirus, which I had never had before in my life! In total, I must have v*d 15 times that night and she v*d 5 times. But, guess what? I was ok! I was actually able to laugh about it while cleaning up after us both! I was able to take care of her and myself. I was not panicking, I did not cry, I did not die. I was fine. And the next day, we both felt a lot better. It was a personal victory for me. I had confronted my biggest fear head on and I was victorious! Since then, I have had NO PROBLEM helping my daughter when she v*s (she has a sensitive stomach). It doesn’t phase me in the least. I can honestly say I have ZERO fear. So, the bottom line is this: I know Zoloft worked for me. A very low dose got rid of my obsessive thoughts and anticipatory anxiety. That was 90% of the battle for me. The norovirus, that just made me face my dragon one last time and the exposure solidified that I was finally cured. My life is sooo much better now! I dont even think about n* or v* anymore. It’s gone. I’m not trying to push any drug on anyone, Im just telling you what worked for me. I hope this helps someone. Please feel free to DM me or ask me anything. I want to help whoever I can with this debilitating phobia because I’ve been there and I beat it! Love you guys! ❤️