I need serious help with my anxiety

[Danieltiger21]

I have a phobia that is taking over my life. It’s always there but sometimes I have bad flare ups with it and it’s really bad. I am constantly panicky and on edge. I have had cbt which at the time was nice to talk to somebody about it but it hasn’t helped in the long run. I am also on 100mg sertraline which I do feel is working or it did at the beginning but I am wondering if the effectiveness can wear off. I sat in the bathroom earlier and just cried because I can’t take the constant anxiety over it anymore. I don’t know what else I can do. I can’t be arsed feeling like this for the rest of my life

Can you remember when and why the phobia began? Dealing with the root cause is the key to fixing it.

@Eyesopenwideawake I can’t remember the exact age but it’s something I’ve been terrified of since for long as I can remember.

Basically I am scared of others and myself vomiting. I remember one Christmas, I was maybe 4/5 years old and I had just gotten a Barney the dinosaur bike. It had a little bucket at the back and I remember a family member had gotten too drunk and threw up in the bucket. This is my first memory of seeing somebody be sick so maybe that could have been the cause

What's the worst that can happen if you throw up or someone else does?

@RedHelenB that’s something I ask myself but it’s like my brain doesn’t accept the rational thoughts

Not got too many answers as also a sufferer, but just wanted to come on and say emetophobia is horrid and debilitating and really difficult to understand for those who don’t have it

I’ve been looking at signing up to a programme offered by a company called Emetophobia Free which looks like it might be helpful.
I have also had CBT and the only thing that has helped specifically with this phobia is a mantra my therapist gave me of ‘Vomiting is helpful. My body is protecting me and knows when it needs to vomit to keep me safe.’ That has helped me a bit when I’ve started feeling nauseous. The worst bit for me is that I feel nausea because I’m anxious, then my anxiety gets worse because I worry it means I’ll vomit, which makes me more nauseous and so the cycle continues.

Very likely. When that happened a part of your mind was so disgusted/annoyed and possibly scared that it set up that lifelong hatred and fear of vomiting, it's called emetophobia (guess you know that!).

While it's never pleasant or welcome, it is a normal and very necessary part of life as it's a protective measure the body needs to expel poisons. It is possible to fix it via therapy - as a remedial hypnotist I've worked with a few clients with this phobia.

that’s something I ask myself but it’s like my brain doesn’t accept the rational thoughts

That's that bit of your subconscious that's having none of it - it existing long before you were capable of rational thought which is why it's able to override your conscious mind.

Emetophobia is actually more common than you may realise. It's a horribly debilitating issue. I have no first hand experience but I my son is on sertraline (since he was 12) and now is o 150mg due to issues as he got older. It may be the effectiveness is wearing off so another med or raising the dose may help.