Calling all my emetophobes - help!

[tiredaf2]

I have severe emetephobia. I have had it for over 20 years / before I can remember. Before kids it was pretty bad, but since having my kids and enduring a few stomach bugs, it’s got worse and worse. I’ve TRIED so hard to overcome it but I can’t and it’s getting so bad that I feel extremely depressed. I’m almost scared of my own kids incase they have picked up a virus from school.

Has anybody with this phobia successfully overcome it, if so, how please?

Have tried CBT twice before and I do try and tell my brain ‘I can cope’ etc when the thoughts come, but it’s not working.

In the same boat as you. I've had it since I was in primary school and now 37 so probably 30yrs! I know how/why it started, I've had hypnotherapy, I've had CBT, I've experimented with a treatment called Havening, I take an SSRI, nothing stops it. People say oh if you face it it's better etc but it really isn't as facing it several times in the last few years has only solidified my panic. So sorry I'm of no help whatsoever but wanted you to know you're most certainly not alone. I've read that it's one of the most difficult phobias to rid yourself of.

@Realisation14thank you for responding. I’ve tried all those things as well. I honestly believed once I got a stomach bug I’d be like ‘oh that wasn’t that bad’. Goodness me - it made things worse. It was indeed, worse than bad! :( sorry you are going through the same thing.

Exactly the same here. My son had a stomach bug in January so bad that it landed him in hospital with severe dehydration, 2 day admission and then the day we got him home to rest/recover both myself and my DH came down with it in the same night, sharing a bathroom - I don't care what anyone says the whole experience was traumatic for me. My son found it traumatic as well because he faints at the sight of blood so to have to have cannulas for fluid and blood sugar levels testing etc he was fainting left n right and having panic attacks while so poorly, he's only 10 and has autism. Anyone who thinks that experience is going to make me LESS afraid of V is fucking bonkers.

@Realisation14goodness me, that sounds really traumatic for everybody involved, bless his heart :-( so sorry you had to experience that ❤️

Thank you. I'm sorry you're experiencing this phobia too, it can be life destroying. I hope someone comes along on this thread and has some good advice xx

I have tried Rapid Transformational Therapy for two things - one a massive fear, rather than a phobia. It was hugely successful. It’s a style of hypnosis and I would thoroughly recommend it. I have tried regular hypnosis in the past, but one session of RTT had a great outcome. Good luck, phobias are debilitating.