Since I was 6 years old I have suffered from Emetaphobia ( fear of vomit or vomiting ), before I go any futher can I please ask people to hold back on comments like "no body likes spewing" and "Oh yea I'm a sympathy spewer too" because this is not the case. I am 120% absoultly terrified of vomit, if someone says so much as they feel sick it sends me into a panic attack and if I see someone throw up I can't cop at all... I talking, rocking in a corner type scenario. My question is has anyone had a phobia and had some treatment to cure it? The couple of times I'd built up the courage to see someone about it I get the exact responses I have asked you all to hold off on.
I'm at a wits end, this phobia has stopped me from doing what I want to career wise, it has stopped me enjoying so much of my life, it has caused me massive anxiety, borderline eating disorders, OCD it's made me a germaphobe, it's caused me so much embarrassment when faced with it in public situations, it sometimes causes arguments with my partner even. The only person I can handle being sick is my daughter, for some reason it's different. I'm just so tired of living in a constant state of anxiety over it and I'm sick of missing out on things it's stops me doing and as much as I've tired to hide it I certainly do t want my daughter picking up on it and her ending up with the same fear.
How do I cure my irrational fear?
How do I cure my irrational fear?
Posted in:
Mental Health, Anxiety & Depression, Health & Wellbeing
4 Replies
Phobias are very real and incredibly traumatic. Seek professional care.
I have panic disorder. I saw a psych and was hospitalised. I was on anti depressant meds for 20 years because of my health anxiety phobias/ PTSD. Professional help was the only thing to help me but it took years . Congnitive behavioural therapy could help you too.
I struggle with this also, probably not to the extent you do but I can empathise nonetheless.
Mine kind of goes hand in hand with my anxiety and fear of getting sick (I have some health issues that mean a tummy bug that takes most people a few days to get over can take me weeks or longer, which obviously has pretty significant flow on effects, then my anxiety gets worse and it becomes this whole cycle).
Anyway, it's definitely time to get some professional help here, someone who specialises in the phobia branch of psychology perhaps?
Something I found kind of helpful (which sounds silly but hear me out), watching a lot of medical shows like Grey's Anatomy etc. When there was a vomiting scene, it sort of desensitized me to it a bit but without freaking me out because I knew it was acting, it wasn't a "real" situation.
CBT mentioned in the post above is exactly that exposure therapy that you just mentioned here. It does help as it desensitises the mind to acceptance with repeated exposure.
Hypnotherapy?
I have a phobia of moths and eggs that are in clumps like caviar. So weird! The egg one I rarely have to deal with but the moth one I deal with all the time. People think its funny and I even joke about it myself but I only need to see one and my heart starts racing and my breathing speeds up. I scream like a child if one lands on me and I get so shaken up I cry. I also love spiders and have several pet huntsmans at home. I never get rid of webs or get my house sprayed. I think I like them because they eat moths 😂