Any emetophobes around? Had my first talking therapy session today

[Tatties]

I feel a bit lighter for it I think. It is quite a big thing for me - starting this thread - I don't generally like to admit to this problem / talk about it. It was important to me that the counsellor said, "let's call it a phobia," when I had been referring to my "problem" and "fear" - it felt like I was being taken seriously, which was a big relief. And it was just good to talk to someone who is interested in helping me, and who, hopefully, has the capacity to. I know it's still early days though. I was asked to think about some questions I really don't know the answers to (yet). How helpful have other people found talking therapies?

How old is he Orm? I don't know the right answer to this so am trying to think how I would have liked to be treated when I felt frightened of this as a child - I think I would have liked my fears to be taken seriously and I think talking it through would have helped me. Do you you think you would be able to chat to him about it once he is well again? Ask him what it is that scares him and try to reassure him about his fears. I think if it was happening to my child this would probably be my first step.

He's 11. I will try to talk to him later. He's still asleep atm.

Hi Orm, has he been sick or is he feeling sick? when i was little and felt sick my mum would be with me, doing deep breathing with me and talking about happy times, and what to look forward to, rubbing my back and just generally looking after me. not sure if it helps at all

let us know how he is

No. He wasn't actually sick in the end. He just felt that he was going to be and everyone else had been.

In fact I forced him to go to school in the end this morning. He had no fever, hadn't been sick or any other symptoms. He's had too many days off this year because I fell for his 'I feel sooo ill' line .

It was his utter terror at the prospect of being sick that shocked me.

Thanks for your advice.

Hi everyone.

Welcome OrmIrian.. I think you should definitley take this seriously. I feel maybe i wouldn't be as bad if id had some help when i was a child. I was exactly like your DS. My Mum was always there for me and very loving etc but i never really admitted how bad things were for me because i was embarrassed at how i felt. I only wish now i'd have opened up to my parents because i know they would have helped me in any way they could.

Not sure how you would go about it, but definitly address the situation. Maybe you could start by asking him exactly what it is that bothers him, and take it from there. Has he had a bad experience in the past or picked up some vibes from someone? With me i'm sure i was just born with it because i've been vomit phobic for as long as i can remember. One therapist actually said that it could have been seeing my Mum vomit when she was pregnant with mu sister that did it for me, I was only 18mths old but i used to follow her everywhere and watched her vomit as a baby...don't know if thats a connection though. Just running things by you. Hope you get to the bottom of it or at least help him overcome it while he is young.

My friend has the same phobia as us and her son also has it, she blames herself for maybe passing on bad vibes when she's felt sick.. ..or maybe it's a gene thing because my auntie also doesn't do sick, but she isn't as bad as me.

Anyway good luck with it.

hi to everyone else! xxx

Hello to all!

I had to cancel my CBT appointment yesterday as had no-one to pick dd up from school. Now my therapist is on holiday for three weeks, so my next appointment isn't till 15th Aug. Feeling a bit frustrated - having waited so long to get help, it seems to be progressing very slowly!

OrmIrian - your ds's reaction to the prospect of being sick sounds exactly like I would be if I 'allowed' myself to. However, if I feel sick and think that there's a possibility that I might actually vomit, I put on an amazing act of outward calm yet inside I am totally petrified. I agree with Wiggleit that it would be a good idea to see if you can get some help for him now, which may prevent this becoming a life-long issue, as it has for so many of us. Good luck.

Wiggleit - I have no idea where my phobia came from. AFAIK none of my family or friends have it (of course, they could be as good at hiding it as I am!) I am slightly different to you because I can clearly remember as a child being sick and coping with no problems. I first became aware of it being a problem around the age of 16/17. Doesn't really make any difference though how/when it came about - it's still awful!

Hey - apologies but I have to barge into this one.
Getting treatment for emetophobia!
You guys are all SO brave.
I couldn't bear to have treatment because then I'd have to talk about it. And the phobia is so deep rooted I can't bear to do that.

I, bizarrely don't feel it's ruining my life.
I never get food poisoning and haven't thrown up since about 1976. Seriously.
I've also managed to successfully avoid being near when anyone else does it.
I consider myself a success at handling it (guess I'm wrong about that) but really wish movies and tv programs would come with a warning!
I put hands over my ears and shut my eyes tight and hum loudly till I'm told it's ok to look.
Already dreading the new Brideshead movie (although I know I will love it) because of THAT scene.
No one is allowed to say the v word or discuss tales of drunkeness and its consequences in my presence.
I've pretty much got everyone I know pretty well trained.

Oh dear.
I am a sorry case.
Good luck and well done to all of you trying to combat it.
You are a better women than me

Hi everyone!

Tarantulip -one therapist once said to me that it doesn't really matter how the phobia began, it's dealing with it now that matters. I honestly can't remember having a bad experience but i can remember as a child being sick with a bug and coping with it ok but thinking to myself, 'God this is awful, I don't want this to happen to me again' ..so maybe i brought the fear on myself by quietly saying that in my head and then developing this phobia through being scared of it happening again...who knows?

Hey Ladystardust - welcome!! How does this fear not affect your life?
You have done well not to v for so many years. I think that is the thing with us emets..none of us are ill that often and seem to have a mental block of actually letting ourselves be sick..but a few people on here have succumbed to bugs etc when they've previously convinced themselves they can control it.
Do you have any medication that you keep to hand in case of an 'event'? Most of us on here have something we rely on, Mine's stemetil, not sure it would work if i had a bug though.
Do you have kids? If so how do you cope with them being ill?
My DH has to deal with anything like that to do with our DD.
I would be interested to know how you manage to lead such a normal life!

Ah - I said doesn't ruin - not doesn't affect!

Basically I'm either totally in denial or I have got it under the sort of control that keeps it out of my day to day life although the sight of someone swaying in my line of vision late at night has me crossing the road or changing my route.

Yes I have a dd who is good enough to be ill away from me very aware of my phobia. Once or twice she has failed but fortunately someone has been there to deal with it.

Yes I need to sit on aisles in cinemas, panic when on transport at night, worry about what's on pavements near where I live, quite near a campus and lots of drunk students...

You have me thinking about how I manage!
I had stemetil when I had ear infections but good old rescue remedy does it for me.

It's a real control thing, isn't it.
Fear of letting go ??

Hi everyone..

Ladystardust, You sound like you deal with it pretty well, although you have the usual hang ups by the sounds of it.

I used to take rescue remedy years ago, might start using that again actually,see if i can manage on that rather than prescription drugs, although i'll have to always have something in just in case of emergencies! Don't think rescue remedy would be enough for me when i'm having a bad 'do'!

Do you manage to live a normal life like going on holidays, flying, eating out etc? How are you when you know there is a bug going around? Sorry for all the questions just interested thats all.

Hope everyone else is well! xxx

hey all
hope everyone is well can anybody tell me what rescue remedies are and where you get them from?

thanks

Rescue Remedy is a miracle!
It's part of the Bach flower remedy range.
It's basically brandy - you buy it from the chemist - probably with the homeopathic stuff! - and it comes either in drops or a spray which you put on your tongue - 5 drops or 5 sprays.
I find that in the onset, or midst of, a panic attack it works almost instantly. It's in my bad at all times!

And yes wiggleit I do live a normal (?) life - well, I eat out, go on holiday etc. But like I said I think I'm in denial most of the time.
If there's a bug going around of course my anxiety increases.
Maybe it's because there's so much other stuff/crap I have to attempt to handle the phobia only pops up literally when I'm faced with it.

I'm so sorry for you and the others whose life it does ruin and I say again getting help is a brave and great move.
I'd love to hear about how effective it is.

Ladystardust - It's great to hear that you lead a normal life..i just cant imagine how you do it though,it affects everything about my life. Sad really.

Mumtoo3 - i would also recommend rescue remedy, It is good, i used to use it all the time when years ago i suffered severe panic attacks. I'm going to get some again. Holland and Barratt do it or any health shop should sell it. Give it a go.

Hi to everyone else! xx

This is a very funny article by Charlie Brooker in The Guardian in January - the only known newspaper article by a self-confessed emetophobe I have ever come across.
He is prone to grossness so be prepared but what a comfort to find that someone as hard boiled as he can also be a sufferer.
www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jan/14/comment.charliebrooker

thanks for that will be getting some tomorrow

i think your all brave
does anyone think that admitting you have a problem with this phobia, is a big help???

i am so worried about my ds starting preschool in january, my dd1 went there but is now HE, am i going completly mad here?

thanks for that will be getting some tomorrow

i think your all brave
does anyone think that admitting you have a problem with this phobia, is a big help???

i am so worried about my ds starting preschool in january, my dd1 went there but is now HE, am i going completly mad here?

Ladystardust I remember that article - I was was pleasantly surprised (iykwim) that someone had written about it (and dp and I are fans of Charlie Brooker )

Mumtoo3 I am also nervy about ds starting nursery... and school...

I have had a couple more sessions which have focussed on trying to get me out more into social situations where I might feel uncomfortable.

I got some rescue remedy spray, hopefully wont need to use it too much or too soon iyswim

thats great about the extra sessions

need to ask why do the soaps on tele insist on showing v in such detail!!! (eastenders on tuesday night with lucy!!!!!!!!)

Psychobabble good to hear that talking to your mum has helped. (Did you have a good holiday?)

Mumtoo3 I know what you mean about tv... often totally unnecessary

Hi everyone!

Mumtoo3 - Let us know how you get on with the rescue remedy. Hope it helps hun.

Ladystardust, thanks for that info about that article, i hadn't seen it before. It is reassuring to know that someone would dare write about how they feel especially someone like charlie, very refreshing. It must have been hard for him to admit that.

Tatties, let us know how you get on with your sessions, I too find social settings quite difficult. My main worry is me catching something. I find crowds particularly difficult, like at shopping centres etc. If there is a bug going round (which seems to be most of the time) then i become almost a hermit and just a trip to tesco's is difficult for me. Very hard to live like that when you have a family! But i am trying to battle with my demons and it helps to know i am not alone.

Does anybody check this thread anymore? How is everyone?