Forgive me if this has been discussed here before, but I can't find much about it online.

Emetophobia runs in my family. HARDCORE. Most people develop the fear after a bad experience in childhood/adolescence, but that's not the case for me. I was severely emetophobic as a toddler. No one in my household modeled the behavior to me, it was just always there. My mom claims that the first time she was sick in front of me is the first time I reacted, which was in 1985 (I was only 1 year old).

Here's a quick rundown of how it's affected various members of my family (all on the paternal side)--

Grandpa - Hasn't vomited "since 1973" (his words).

Dad - Has only vomited once in 30 years. Gets angry/uncomfortable when someone around him is sick. Claims to have been severely emetophobic as a child.

Aunt - Works as an EMT but will try to jump out of an ambulance if someone is sick. Rarely vomits herself and takes prescription Valium for the phobia.

Brother - Mildly emetophobic. Handles it better than me but the fear is still apparent.

Niece - I just learned that she shares this awful phobia via a facebook post by my sis. No idea how severe it is.


Can anyone relate to this strangeness? Any evolutionary/biological theories on what would cause it?