do other members have this fear

[hairyfairy]

Besides being a bit emetophobic, I also freak out If I see blood. I`m ok with movies like Dracula & frankenstein, as the gore doesn`t seem all that real, but if someone`s shot in a movie, I always go and make some tea or something if Iv`e seen it before & I know what`s coming, or fast forward & close my eyes if it`s a recording. I always look away when I`m having blood drawn, & if I see someone hurt, it`s all I can do not to pass out. My heart rate doubles, & I start shaking, I just have to get as far away from them as possible. I really can`t understand why people stand & stare at car crashes the way they do, how can they enjoy looking at stuff like that, it seems sick to enjoy the sight of other people injured & in pain.

[BriarRose]

Hi Hairyfairy - i think blood phobia is probably one of the most common - it's natural - in our ancient past, if we saw blood, it probably meant a predator was about, so it triggered the "fight/flight" response. Also, predators can usually smell blood, so it makes sense to get out of the vicinity of it asap - so your phobia isn't unusual - possibly just a little bit extreme - which i suppose is a definition of most phobias!

The organisation No Panic have useful resources to help with panic disorder/phobia - including emetophobia - which you might like to look at - go to:-

nopanic.org.uk/onlineorderf...

Hope this helps - and I NEVER watch horror films!!! I like CSI, but always look away when they're mucking around with body tissue/organs - even though i know they're not "real" lol!

Good luck

Rose

xxxx

[aug2012]

I think it's only men really who have a blood phobia, because they very rarely see it and so it's scary - whereas women see lots of blood every month and so seeing it otherwise is not so scary unless of course there's loads and loads of it, which is scary for everyone.