Your phobia is "stupid"

[violaplayer1987]

My Mother just told this to me. I was telling her about this
website and how I am very phobic of vomit and how I
finally found people like me. And she said my phobia is
stupid and people who fear vomit need some serious help.

Thanks Mom. [img]smileys/smilies_16.gif[/img]


Now I really feel dumb.

[paulinek]

That wasn't very nice of her was it? Unfortunately alot of us get reactions like that which is why we don't always tell people. I know of someone on here who is married and have kids and no-on in there family knows a thing about their emet and others who are very open about it. I've only told my mum who is great about it and my fiance, who is ok now but when i first told him told me it was a "weakness" it caused a few rows and i was so hurt and devastated as he was the first person i'd told about it apart from my mum. I don't know why he's changed now ( i think he might have gone googling!) but now he's fine.

He'll never fully get it, in the same way i'll never fully get people who have a phobia of balloons or elastic bands or something but he now knows that v* and anything to do with it terrifies me and i know he'd do anything to protect me from it and he knows now that when i get n* i'm going to have a panic about it and he tries to talk me out of it etc rather than just saying well go and be s* then...

Have a look at Sages success story and follow the link to her website (i think its in her signature?) where there's some stuff to print off to help explain it to therpaists and family - maybe that would help your mum understand it's an actual phobia not just you being a bit squeamish about being s*. I don't think it helps that this is the 4th or 5th most common phobia yet no-ones ever heard of it, including alot of emets themselves!!

While it would have been great if you're mum could have been more sympathetic you won't be the only one in this position and you've always got us for support and understanding without judgement xx

[icicledreamz]

A lot of people who dont understand, or have never expierenced anything like this would agree that this phobia, and others are dumb. I'll agree its "dumb" lol because its an irrational fear, most of us already know that. Most people just v* and get it over with. Its no problem to them, they dont understand that most of us have had traumatizing expierences with v* and associate that fear to everyday. Most of the people who say things like that in my expierence are just closed-minded, like my dad for instance. They only know what they know, They dont try to understand.

When i think about it, if i weren't emetophobic, i'd think i was crazy too. Just like when i see people scared of cotton balls, or other things. I think how can anybody be scared of that...V* just seems natural to most people. They dont get it.

[jkl81]

I don't know. My phobia of v* makes me a little more considerate of others fears and phobias as well. Honestly its a lot more rational to be afraid of v* than many other things people happen to fear in my opinion. Take snakes for example, a lot of people are phobic of them, but many people can go their whole lives without being confronted by one. And even if you are, the thing will try to escape! No one makes fun of snake phobes though.

[metallikat87]

Sorry but your mom sounds like the one who needs serious help...try and find one of her fears and exploit it and then tell her that her fear is stupid and she needs help, then maybe she'll understand how it feels.

Sorry but people who act like that really get to me...I've become a lot more accepting of other people's fears but when someone comes right out and makes us feel stupid for fearing v*, I say we have every right to make them feel stupid for one of their fears. An eye for an eye, yes?

[sage]

That was quite uncaring of your mother. How sad.
It's not "stupid" - it just is what it is.
But yes, phobics do indeed need "serious help". (Although I'm sure your mom was just saying that as a hurled insult.)

[sarahlynn]

That reaction is exactly why hardly anyone knows of my phobia. Everyone that I ever had told about it...I know they don't really "get it"... I get sort of an "eye roll" response as in "yeah, no one LIKES V*" I try to explain that it's not that I just "don't like it" it's something far more serious and intense than that.

It's amazing to me that it's so common b/c you rarely find anyone you meet that has it (or at least that says they do!).

I'm sorry your mother is not more understanding. I hope you have someone in your life who IS understanding of this & can be your support to help you overcome it.

[teh folder]

My Mother just told this to me. I was telling her about this
website and how I am very phobic of vomit and how I
finally found people like me. And she said my phobia is
stupid and people who fear vomit need some serious help.

Thanks Mom. [img]smileys/smilies_16.gif[/img]


Now I really feel dumb.

Your mom seems to be confused by personality traits alien to her own. She just needs to grow up more. [img]smileys/smilies_02.gif[/img]