Hi Everyone. I need some help because I'm tired of living this way. I am an emetaphobia sufferer. I think this comes from my mother as she too has a fear of vomit. I've managed it fairly well all these years but this past year has been awful. My husband came home with a stomach bug last November and it tore my world up. Thankfully, I didn't catch it. But the anxiety I suffered from the fear was worse than how my poor husband was. Time passed and then winter led into spring, then summer and the further away I got from that situation, the lesser my fear became. But we're now back in November and everyone is coming down with stomach bugs. And my anxiety is right back up there. I know the rational side of tummy bugs, I know (hopefully) how best to avoid but this in its self has made me fearful of germs. But that aside, I feel confined by my fear. If I hear someone's child is sick or someone I know is, that's it, my anxiety is sky high. Today, for instance, I was at the office (I go in once a week) and my colleague tells us her partner is under the weather and started getting an upset stomach. My mind instantly thinks the partner probably has a bug. But not only that, today I touched my colleagues computer mouse. So my irrational thinking is telling me that Im now at risk because of this. Which is ridiculous. So, I'm hoping I might find other emetaphobia sufferers who live a better life than perhaps you once did and how did you get there? (without actually being sick yourself)
Thank you. 🙂
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Crystal89
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I wish I had an answer to give but I also live with emetaphobia which also takes over my life. I have tried CBT and hypnotherapy but it’s so difficult when the exposures can’t be done to fullest due to the nature of the phobia. Right now I’m trying the Nerva app since I now have somatic symptoms due to my anxiety. It has been helping little. Other than that I try to keep up with my counselling and meditation. It is such a hard phobia to live with. Definitely all ears if others have found solutions that have worked for them!
Hi Sounds, I'm really sorry to hear that you suffer from this phobia too. Has the counselling helped any at all? I'm currently under CBT for Ibs and I'm thinking of mentioning it. Ultimately, like any fear of phobia, the brain has taught it's self to have irrational thoughts. I understand that part of it but it literally cripples me. There's so much in my life that I don't do, because of fear that someone will be sick near me or ill catch a bug. I'm meant to be going to London next Saturday to see a band and the idea of going on the underground is making me not want to go.
Following with interest we have a family member with this condition (I didn't know the formal name) I also have a good friend who has it. Wishing you peace and health and freedom from your phobia.
Hi Jameshuh, you're more than welcome to follow. Sorry to hear you have people in your life who suffer with emetaphobia. For you, as someone who sees their friend and family member with this, what kind of thoughts do you tend to have when they display anxiety? It would be interesting to hear from someone too who doesn't suffer with the phobia but has seen it and had to handle it in others.
It is very difficult to see because you don't feel you know what to do, especially when they are sick and feeling anxious. I try and calm them by saying vomiting is natural when you are sick, it isn't dangerous that sort of thing. But I'm at a bit of a loss on how to help in any other way, any tips would be much appreciated.
In all honesty I think just being understanding and helping the person to rationalise is the only thing you can do. Just from you saying that it is natural, that's made me feel a little better. As an emetaphobic, we forget that vomiting is as natural as pooping. I'm an ibs sufferer so I'm very used to that side of things. If stomach bugs were just diarrhoea, I wouldn't fear it, nor would a lot of people. But because vomiting isn't part of our normal day, for most people, it suddenly becomes something to fear. Especially when you hear people tell their stories of how bad bugs have been. It just put you in a fearful state that makes you feel you wouldn't be able to handle feeling like that and handle the act of it too.
I have this too. It's awful. I dread this time of year with the sickness bugs and the boozy parties. It's always the "what if's" My friend didn't understand it she has a spider fear so I said There is a box with a spider in it and someone says it may escape or it may not. She said she would keep watching it even for the slightest movement and get sweaty etc. I said that is how I feel when someone mentions feeling sick. Years ago a Doc even suggested as a joke working on a ferry. I have had CBT but as mentioned below exposure is hard. They show films, but as I said it's a film it's not real. I wish I could give you the answer that you want. But you are not alone and I feel your frustration.
The what ifs are the absolute worst. It's all what ifs for me. What if I touch a door handle that has the norovirus on. What if I'm in a confined space and someone is sick near me due to a bug. People being sick due to alcohol hadn't the same effect, don't get me wrong I still run a mile and I've never been the 'hold me friends hair back whilst they are sick' kind of friend. But I think because I've not been sick since I was 7 years old, and my mum clearly has an issues with it, as time has gone on, I've grown to fear being sick myself more and more. Like you say, showing of videos etc, will do absolutely nothing for me. I know the likely hood of actually being sick, will be way less awful than my brain has made me fear it to be. But it's the management of the anxiety. November is here and I already feel very closed it. Feels like norovirus would be on every surface I touch if I go out.
All of this sounds so familiar to me- especially the 'what ifs'. I am terrified that my body doesn't know how to be sick. It is such an awful phobia to have. I have kids (felt nauseous when I was pregnant) and I work in an elementary school so there are lots of "risks" and "exposures" in my life but I still seem to suffer so much. Have yet to find the answer but more than willing to hear any and all suggestions!
I can imagine how high your anxiety is towards this when you work in a school! Currently a friend of mine is handling two children who are suffering with Rotavirus. Her youngest, 4,came home with it on Monday and she's been battling with it in her house since. She's very much like me so whilst my anxiety in general at the moment towards this stuff is very high, helping her to keep calm has helped me. I think the only thing that has even remotely helped me has been to search out the facts. I know if I were to pick up a stomach bug, it's because I've ingested it from either being close enough to someone being sick or from having the virus on my hands and then touching my mouth and ingesting it. This has caused me to become somewhat fearful of germs though. So perhaps my way of coping is the best way. But I find knowledge is power. The more I know about how you fall sick, the more I can help prevent it. But again, maybe that's making me worse rather than heping to manage the fear.
This is a very deep-seated fear. My brother and sister and I all have it. My mother had it really bad. I actually had to give up my teaching career because of it. I taught fifth grade and it was vomit galore. I could not deal with it and ended up working in an office. I was on a bus once where a man projectile vomited all over the bus. I have not been on a bus since.
So you are definitely not alone in suffering from this. There is a book by Scott Stossel called My Age of Anxiety. He describes his personal experience with exposure therapy where he was exposed to vomiting and also given ipecac to make him vomit in order to overcome his fear. Needless to say the therapy failed.
I live with it by avoidance when possible. I know exactly how you feel. And run like hell if someone starts gagging! It’s nothing to be ashamed of, it’s just a disorder.
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