Therapy???

[csjones]

I having been thinking about therapy lately. I would really like to get help for this problem at some point in time but I don't know if we could afford therapy or if it would actually benefit me at all?

I have suffered from emet since age 5 or 6. I am 17 now and looking forward to moving out and going to college at some point in time, but I worry that emet will interfere and I will have to come running home. I have a history of this. When my emet was just starting out during 1st grade I was so scared that I quit public school and have been homeschooled (though that wasn't ALL because of emet- don't worry, most was for actual educational reasons and because I had a compromised immune system) I have quit jobs and other things I liked due to this crap. It always happens that I start having anxiety attacks, work myself into becoming very physically sick in various ways, and then quit and retreat. This cannot continue.

I am not at all afraid of others v*ing, unless it could infect me, so the only thing that exposure therapy would do would be to make me a little grossed out. I think non-emets would feel that way too though.

I know decent therapists would never make me actually v* and I just don't know what treatment would work for me.

Emet effects me very little normally now, I only have occasional issues with it. I really, really, REALLY do not want to go on any type of medication for anxiety issues. I hate the idea of putting chemicals into my body of any sort. I guess I hold the misconception that a therapist would just shove some drugs at me and tell me to cope. It's a stupid and prejudiced thought, I know, and I apologize for any offense.

I really just wish I could be taught somehow to deal with this. Emet for me is so weird- I have had a totally charmed life except for this. My parents and home life are great, I am never left wanting anything, but I just have this bizarre disease. I want to get over it. I don't want to be plagued by this problem anymore.

I want to be able to fly somewhere, and go out to dinner (fear of suddenly getting sick in public after eating a meal), and not freak out at the dentist's for fear of gagging.

So I guess my big question for Sage or someone else experienced would be, could seeing a psychologist actually do anything for me?

My second issue is that my parents probably couldn't afford to pay for my treatment and both of them sort of scoff at the idea of my getting help for this. I believe I inherited an anxiety disorder from my father, who suffers from some agoraphobia and depression. He chose to never get help for his issues and isn't big on the idea of sending me to a psychologist. So I would also need to convice them of its worth.


Edited by: csjones

[sage]

Hi CS,


I think if you go to the Treatments section of this forum and read all the sticky/important posts at the top you'll get the answer to your question (rather than me repeating it here at length).


Read what I wrote about INFO for your family, dr., etc. and HOW TO FIND A PROFESSIONAL....


As a general statement for others in response to "the only thing exposure would do is make me a little grossed out": this isn't necessarily true if your therapist knows what s/he's doing. Exposing yourself while you're thinking in your mind "oh well, it's just a picture - I can't catch it or anything" is one thing...and you're right - that wouldn't help. But with a therapist guiding you, you can be looking at the pictures, etc. and deeply imagining (to the point of an emotional/anxiety response) that it is you in the picture or whatever. The body response will be subtle, and you won't notice it on your own...but a skilled professional can work with it and train you to counteract this anxiety response (at low levels) so that you eventually don't get anxious anymore when you think about vomiting. (Which is totally the goal, right?)


This is what I do with emetophobic clients and it works quite well.

[csjones]

Ok, yes, in those terms it definitely sounds worth pursuing. Thanks for your time Sage[img]smileys/smilies_04.gif[/img].