Fear & Phobia – Emetophobia

What is fear?

Fear is a normal phenomenon that warns us of danger and helps us respond to the danger. Abnormal or unreal fear is no longer helpful, but rather a nuisance. An anxiety disorder is a psychological condition in which fear plays a role. The fear is so great, with all kinds of unpleasant consequences that cause a lot of trouble for the person himself, but also for the environment.


What is a phobia?

A phobia is a specific fear of a certain situation, animal or place without any apparent danger. If you come into contact with this, panic will arise. You then do everything you can to avoid or avoid that object, animal or situation. You develop avoidance and/or safety behavior that maintains the phobia.


What is emetophobia?

Emetophobia is such a phobia in which there is a great fear of either seeing someone vomit, or having to vomit themselves, or having to vomit in public places. Often it is a combination of the three, or someone even suffers from all three. By the way, emetophobia ranks 7th on the top 10 fears.


As with all phobias, this is maintained in part because situations are avoided. Coping (avoiding or moving away from it) actually turns the fear into a phobia. Situations in which one may be confronted with nausea and vomiting are avoided at all costs. And that can go very far.

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An example

A teenager came to me with her mother because she was terribly afraid of vomiting and lately she had been suffering from nausea, especially in the evenings. She had gotten sick a while back and vomited. She had suffered from anxiety before, but from then on it got worse and she only ate a little at night. Even when they went to McDonalds, and that was her favorite food, she hardly ate anything. She was a smart, spontaneous and open lady. The fear was with her all day and prevented her from enjoying her life.


During the intake it became clear that her mother also suffered from emetophobia. And also her mother for her. So it was smart of the mother to seek help so that the passing on in the women's line stopped.


Both mother and daughter have now been to me a number of times and the fear of vomiting and nausea is playing an increasingly smaller role in their lives. We started working together and they were given tools.

Going to the fair or to McDonalds is fun again!

  • Why specialization emetophobia?

    When one of my fellow students asked me during my studies why I had chosen this particular subject, I had to think about it for a moment. This was my answer:


    On the one hand, because this phobia is relatively unknown, there isn’t much information available in Dutch, and the barriers it creates in daily life can be quite extreme. On the other hand, because I am considering specialising in treating clients with irrational fears and phobias. 


    I personally do not suffer from emetophobia, but like everyone, I have my own fears—specifically, the fear of being left alone, the fear of loneliness. And perhaps that is where the basis for my thesis topic lies. From my perspective, a phobia or irrational fear is a very isolating experience. Often, such fears are not understood by those around you, or are even laughed off. You receive well-meaning advice along the lines of ‘You know what you should do,’ and so forth. Your phobia isolates you, depriving you of the freedom to make certain choices. My goal is to enable all my clients to experience the freedom of having choices. To move beyond that fear/phobia, beyond the coping mechanisms (often avoidance and safety behaviours).


    In my practical research, I applied a combination of various techniques/therapy methods within or related to hypnotherapy to a limited group, and we have largely managed to overcome the debilitating phobia.


    Overcoming emetophobia!

    One of the participants now feels so liberated that she is going to backpack through South America for six months, and even a boat trip on the open sea no longer holds her back. She accepts that she might become ill. I consider this a cure for the phobia. A photo of her journey is on the cover of my thesis.


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  • What causes emetophobia?

    Emetophobia arises when vomiting becomes associated with fear. This can happen due to:


    1. A frightening experience with vomiting. This could be from personally having vomited or felt nauseous in childhood (around the age of nine or younger), which was perceived as scary, or from witnessing a family member who vomited frequently or suddenly became ill.


    2. A distressing situation in which vomiting (coincidentally) occurs.

    This might happen during a stressful and intense period where one feels out of control, such as during a sleepover when feeling homesick, taking an exam, or experiencing parents' divorce. Other examples include a hospital stay, tonsillectomy (pain, spitting up blood, nausea from anesthesia). Intense feelings may then become associated with vomiting instead of the actual cause. Although vomiting is not the central issue, it becomes linked to fear.


    3. Experiences of others. 

    If one of the parents became anxious when the child had to vomit in the past, this can leave a strong impression. The reaction can then be mimicked. Sometimes, the fear only surfaces due to an event that occurs months or even years later.


    4. Physical predisposition.

    Some people are more prone to anxiety than others and may develop an anxiety disorder more readily. Genetics can play a role in this. Sensitivity to disgust can also be a contributing factor.

  • Consequences of emetophobia.

    Emetophobia can have far-reaching consequences, especially since the fear often underlies decisions such as which career to pursue, whether or not to have children, going out, what to eat, and so on.


    Family, Environment, and Career

    People with emetophobia often avoid situations where alcohol is consumed, focus excessively on expiration dates, and worry about nausea or stomach flu in others. Sometimes, they even avoid getting pregnant. There is often a sense of shame associated with this phobia. The lack of understanding or the barrage of unsolicited advice can make the person with emetophobia feel misunderstood and very isolated, as if they don't belong.


    Choosing a career in healthcare is often avoided, but other professions may also be shunned. For instance, one of my clients wanted to work in childcare but did not pursue it due to her fear of vomiting children and becoming sick herself. For students, attending school can be challenging; the bus ride, classroom, or lecture hall can sometimes be problematic.

Help

In my practice I treat clients with fears and phobias, including emetophobia. Because I can use various techniques, including NLP, hypnotherapy, voice dialogue and systemic work, I have already been able to guide many clients to move beyond their fear and thus live more freely.


Tips for anxiety and phobia

Some tips that can help you:

  1. Your thoughts are not facts – What scares you may not be as bad as you think. Someone being sick won't hurt you, but your mind can trick you into believing that it will.
  2. It doesn't make you weak – Everyone gets scared sometimes. It doesn't make you weak, it makes you human. And overcoming this takes a lot of courage.
  3. Don't be afraid to talk – Everyone has fears, and perhaps more people than you think have a phobia. It's normal, talk about it if you need to.
  4. Get help – you don't have to do it alone and there are several options to work on your phobia at your pace.