Kim and others, if you really want to see how vomiting happens, take a look at this radiograph (x-ray) of a dog vomiting. You see the matter move backward from the intestine into the stomach (retrograde giant contraction), and you see the pyloric sphincter close, the matter get shifted to the upper part of the stomach, and then you see it flow out after a series of retches. It is a truly fascinating video! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6y5SykbqJE

Things that helped me reduce my anxiety were seeing vomit up close and seeing people vomit. When I first started college, I was freaked out by the amount of puking going on in the dorms on the weekend. Then I saw some of it up close and realized it was just beer. I saw some people puking from a distance and it made me less worried about it. Something that proved I had come a long way was watching a girl vomit up close. She was severely drunk, and I was looking after her, and she suddenly announced she was going to throw up. I resisted the urge to leave in a panic and instead stayed with her. I kind of laugh when I think how I leaned against the wall 3 feet behind her because I wasn't sure if the vomit would spray. I felt quite strong being able to be in a closed room with someone puking. Of course, I knew she wasn't contagious.

Doug