Forcing myself to watch a video& overcome!

[Ashley HD]

So I think for the most part my Emetophobia is a lot more tamed than it was when I was a kid. I can watch cartoons V* and i can write the word (but am consider of others here so i won't), I eat whatever, whenever, wherever and I only really freak out and have anxiety and panic attacks when I myself don't feel well or if I hear someone around me had or has a SV or if someone around me is getting sick. I can't deal.

However, I have a hard time going on youtube or attaching Tosh.0 when there are video clips of people V*ing. Sometimes it doesn't even bother me, other times it does. And i feel like I need to start getting over this phobia completely. I don't know is "exposure therapy" works for this kind of phobia. I know CBT is often recommended but I want to see how much I can help myself before turning to someone else.

So far, I've come along way since I was a kid. I used to be way worse. And for some reason tonight, I decided to suck it up, n just force myself to watch a stupid youtube vid. But i can't press play I wanna just stop being so fearful and just do it. But I don't press play. And it gets me thinking, why am I so afraid? Why are any of us? We all have different reasons and experiences that explains where it stems from but I just don't get it.

Why is it not only am I afraid to get sick, but I'm afraid to see others sick too? Even on a computer screen. What about it makes me so worried and scared?

I think i should just shut up n do it but ugh it so hard to just say screw it, *play*

[stopthissong]

I wouldn't say seeing others *v is the root of my phobia but I am like you, I won't watch Tosh.0 or anything like that because of that risk. It's weird because we know that through a television we are quite safe. I think it just floods back memories or feelings and we find it hard to bounce back from watching it while everyone else watches thinking it's funny.

[ThatGuyWhoLikesSandow]

I used to love the Inbetweeners,but thanks to the v* scenes that is out of the window now. (I made quite a bit of money selling the DVD's though)

[surfer777]

I saw a therapist a while back who suggested rational emotive therapy...pretty close to what you're doing. Watch the video of someone throwing up (or start with a picture of v*, something not as drastic) and let the anxiety just happen. But then, you actively try to change the anxiety feeling into something else...my therapist suggested amusement. Try and make it something funny. It sounds crazy, but it helped me a bit. I don't know if this is right for you, but it may be worth a try. I did it a couple of times a day until the anxiety response slowly started easing. (Of course, now I'm kind of back where I started, so we might be doing the same thing here soon!)

Then what he suggested was to watch the video, and then after you can make it amusing and laugh at it, imagine you being the person throwing up in the video. Then go through the process alone...let the anxiety happen, but then make it amusing. I think the ultimate goal is to become OK with yourself throwing up. I never got to that point, of course, but it at least helped me a bit.