Emetophobia is a fear of sick or vomit. It may seem unusual to many people because sufferers don’t necessarily talk openly about it, but it can have a real impact on life for people who suffer with it. It can present for sufferers in two ways; the person can have a fear of being sick of others being sick or in some cases both. Sometime this can happen just by hearing the word sick or seeing it in the media or reading about it, etc. The phobia may have developed from seeing someone being sick or the person being sick themselves.
The phobia is extremely debilitating and can lead to the sufferer avoiding situations where they might become ill or be around people who are ill, this is caused by the fear that they may catch something and become sick themselves. If they have been sick in a place or situation or seen someone being sick somewhere, it is common that they will then try to avoid that situation or anything associated with that situation in the future. Sufferers sometimes start to limit their food intake, avoid eating certain foods or avoid eating at restaurants or other food outlets for fear of getting food poisoning. This can lead to severe weight loss and malnutrition problems as some sufferers will eat a very limited diet.
This phobia can affect children, and this can result in them avoiding certain classes in school because they fear that there may be discussions about bodily functions which might include vomit and sick or videos or other materials used in lessons may show someone being sick. In severe cases, the sufferer will not even be able to mention the word sick or vomit without developing severe panic symptoms. If the situation is not dealt with it can escalate and children can then become fearful of going to school and this may lead to an avoidance of all sorts of situations verging on agoraphobia.
It is very common that a sufferer will habitually scan their body several times a day to check for temperature, tummy aches, headache and any other bodily sensations that are unusual. This will then lead them to think they are unwell and can develop into a fear that they will become sick. The sufferer tends to be very inwardly focused on their own body sensations. Sufferers will report feeling that this thought is with them all the time, from the minute they wake in the morning to the moment they go to sleep.
Some psychiatrists believe this phobia is linked to OCD and as many as 30-50% of sufferers have OCD, making this phobia different to other phobias such as the fear of spiders. Consequently, emetophobia should be treated differently from other phobias.
How can hypnotherapy help with emetophobia?
Emetophobia can be treated successfully with the use of hypnotherapy. It is possible, with the aid of hypnotherapy, to train the sufferer's mind to be more outwardly focused from their body and live more in the moment. Doing this will help the sufferer to move their focus away from thoughts about sick and vomiting.
As this phobia has elements which are similar to OCD, by helping the sufferer to reduce general anxiety will help to reduce negative/intrusive thoughts. High anxiety is linked to increased OCD negative/intrusive thoughts. A hypnotherapist can provide an audio recording designed to reduce general anxiety which the sufferer can listen to every day.
Coping strategies can be installed in the mind so that the sufferer is able to challenge negative/intrusive thoughts as they appear in the mind. Hypnotherapy can also be used to train the sufferer to think and feel differently in a more positive way in situations that they once used to avoid due to their negative/intrusive thoughts.
In addition to hypnotherapy, exposure therapy and desensitisation techniques are often effective in helping individuals overcome emetophobia. These approaches involve gradually and systematically exposing the sufferer to situations, images, words, or scenarios related to sickness and vomiting in a controlled and safe environment. By repeatedly facing these triggers in a manageable way, the individual can slowly reduce their anxiety response and build confidence in coping with their fears. Over time, this process helps to break the association between the phobic stimulus and the intense feelings of panic, allowing the person to engage more freely in everyday life without being ruled by their phobia.
I use a combination of techniques outlined above to treat clients, ensuring that the treatment plan is carefully designed and agrees to suit the client's needs.
If you suffer from emetophobia or any other type of phobia why not give me a no obligation discussion, and I can explain how I can help you. Imagine no more phobia!
Craig Hughes Dip CBH, MFHT
Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapist
07419981888