Emetophobia/agoraphobia

[Bridgetx88]

I know there have been many threads on this subject including from myself but I just need to talk to people who understand. My emetophobia is so bad that my 3 year old dd lives with her Dad full time. The thing that is different for me is that I have only suffered with this for the past 2 years since dd and myself caught a nasty stomach bug. I basically see my dd and myself as ticking time bombs waiting to be sick. The emetophobia had increased my general anxiety so much that I am pretty much housebound. I do force myself to go out to see my daughter and had a friends wedding this week which was difficult but I'm afraid that I might be becoming slightly agoraphobic. I just need some advice on how to concur my fears around sick and just a hand hold really 😞

Both emetophobia and agoraphobia respond very well to remedial hypnosis. Why? Because they are both emotional reactions to everyday occurrences and not something you were born with or inherited. Anything the mind can learn (as a seemingly helpful strategy/protection) it can unlearn.

@Eyesopenwideawake do you know if this is offered on the NHS?

No, it isn't (more's the pity). Privately it costs from £295 to around £700 for a full course.

@Eyesopenwideawake oh wow a little out of my budget :/

For sure get some CBT and exposure therapy on the NHS. Are you on anything for the anxiety?

@whateveryouwantmetosay I had 12 sessions of cbt last year that didn't really help :/ and yes I take chlomipramine and olanzapine for anxiety

Did they do any exposure alongside the CBT? How are the meds working for you? Do you feel better since starting? I ask because not all meds will affect you the same and some are better than others for anxiety.

I just found this guy. £90/session so way more affordable and says most people only need 3 sessions.

thephobiaspecialist.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw4vKpBhCZARIsAOKHoWR12xSuDVVYrbuHybBIg19IzGhxObNk7XBxiVGyUNuz7pFEb8oWfJkaAn4oEALw_wcB

I found exposure therapy fairly helpful for my agoraphobia. It only happened after one course of telephone CBT, a face-to-face course and then as part of high-intensity CBT when I was very comfortable with my counsellor. It was hard work but it means I look like I function normally to most people.

@whateveryouwantmetosay no they didn't do exposure it was just cbt. I have tried many different medications including citalopram, venlafaxine, sertraline and fluoxetine. Nothing seems to help. I have been on chlomipramine for about 6 months now but if anything I'm getting worse 😫

@DisforDarkChocolate thanks for your reply. Do you mind me asking how the exposure therapy works? And do you take medication?

Have you asked for a referral to psychiatry? You need an expert to be giving you input on meds at this point.
Exposure therapy is very much at your own pace. I was so so scared and put it off for years even though I knew it was the gold standard treatment with high effectiveness. We started with making a chart where I had to rate different things associated with vomit like animals vomiting, sounds of vomit, picture of vomit, etc.
We started at the lowest end. For me that was animals vomiting. We found a channel on YouTube and for the first couple sessions watched together and I had to practice my strategies at the same time. The criteria for moving on was having to look/listen/watch the thing without feeling anxious. It does require work on your part to actually practice the breathing (when you are calm) and watch/look/listen to the homework.
I never felt like it was too much because I was was supported by my therapist until I was ok to try on my own.
I wouldn't say I am "fully recovered" but I am so much better now (I will leave the house, travel) and I do not obsess about it anymore.

Could it be hormonal, how old are you? Anxiety is a symptom of peri-menopause.

@whateveryouwantmetosay I am under the care of a psychiatrist. Do you also suffer with emetophobia? I'm glad you are now in a better place and that you found something that worked for you

@TreeHuggerMum1 I'm 35 so doubtful but thank you anyway

@Bridgetx88 yes I do. Always have (I'm 43) but getting treatment (in 2020) has been life altering.

@Bridgetx88 how long have you been seeing psychiatry?

@whateveryouwantmetosay there is hope for me then! Probably been under a psychiatrist for about a year now

@Bridgetx88 ok that's good. It's worrying that you feel the same even with the meds and med changes though. You said you tried CBT and it wasn't effective (I'm not surprised), is psychiatry able to offer other types of therapy for PTSD? The link I sent above does seem like the best bet if not. Don't let the word exposure scare you. Be very upfront with any counselor what you are willing and unwilling to do. They will work with that (if they are good).

Can’t offer any advice but just want to give some support - I also have bad emetophobia and have 2 kids aged 3 and 1 so we’re in the thick of the germ years. It’s horrendous. My marriage is going through a bit of a rough patch atm and to be totally honest one of the main reasons I haven’t left is because he does all the vomit stuff. Such a terrible phobia.

I’ve also heard hypnosis is good but it’s so expensive, maybe if I win the lottery!!

@whateveryouwantmetosay I am actually on the waiting list for some psychology input so hoping they can offer me some therapy. What that therapy will be I don't know.

@SuspiciousLampshade thanks for your message. It's tough isn't it. Yes if only they offered it on the NHS!

@Bridgetx88 gold standard is exposure which is likely what they'll do.

@whateveryouwantmetosay yes hopefully!

The book 'anxiety panicking about panic' by Josh fletcher might be helpful. You basically have to learn not to be scared of anxiety, you're not really afraid of being sick you're afraid of feeling afraid.

Once you realise that feeling anxious and afraid is horrible but ultimately harmless it becomes more manageable.

I was so anxious I couldn't leave the house for nearly a year but this book really helped me. The only way through anxiety is to feel the fear and do it anyway. You may feel anxious, you may have a full blown panic attack, you might even be sick but you won't die, you'll be okay and the feeling will pass.

@Girliefriendlikespuppies thanks for your reply. I will check it out! It does make sense