Ever feel like you're the only person in the world who has an irrational fear or phobia?
Trust me, you're never alone. I found this out recently after quite a bit of research.
After reading ton's of websites I've found out that I have something called Emetophobia which is an intense, irrational fear or anxiety pertaining to vomiting.
I understand nobody loves it. It's never pleasant and is just gross but I take it to a whole new level. If I see, hear, know that someone one is sick I instantly get flu like symptoms and snap into panic mode.
People with emetophobia are triggered by the following (all of which I'm all too familiar with) :
- Their own vomiting
-Hearing someone else vomit (I've perfected the ear plug/noise cancelling hand movement)
-Hearing about an illness going around that includes vomiting ( Heard my mom was sick, I've been woozy and anxious all day)
-Watching a t.v show or movie where someone vomits
-A visit to the doctor
-A visit to the dentist
-Going to visit someone in the hospital
-Consuming food that you have an idea might make you sick ( Ask my family, I'm a hardcore expiration date checker and meat inspector)
-Fear of eating food someone else has prepared ( I rarely eat at a party or social gathering...potluck? Kill me now)
-Refusing to vomit when you feel ill ( I will sit in the bathroom for hours concentrating on not throwing up)
--Fear of children who are likely to vomit without much warning (If I hear a kid say their stomach hurts I want to bolt)
-Fear of being pregnant and experiencing morning sickness ( This is getting less and less scary because I want a baby so badly)
This is my life.
You have no idea the sense of relief I found knowing that I'm not alone! I could have written this list! I plan on taking further steps to help get over this hurdle because its getting kind of ridiculous. I've had this fear ever since I can remember and I don't know how I'll be able to have children without overcoming it.
Anyone else suffer from emetophobia? What do you/ have you done to regain a normal life?
I apologize for this gross post but sometimes it helps to get stuff like this out of your system...kinda like when you throw....oh nevermind.
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I think you are the third person I know who has this phobia!
ReplyDeletei have this exactly, I've had problems with vomitting and the irrational fear of it for years and even had help with it with a therapist because my axiety through other stresses had caused this to become so bad. I worry about dates on food and ill feeelings and the motion of of sicknesss and how i feel after. I've had a lot of help but its still with me as a fear.
ReplyDeleteGlad im not alone! xxxx
I've been like this since I was a child. To this day I still cry everytime it happens and will do anything to stop it. I never got help because I thought it was all in my head, my own physciological issue. Or at least that is how my family has always made me feel.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a phobia of doing it myself. I had bad morning sickness with my twins and I just got used to it...and it wasn't fun but you just h ave to think it won't last forever.
ReplyDeleteBut when other people throw up is the worst. I just want to DIE hearing someone else do it.
But I guess all you can do is hold your ears until it's over and then make sure they are ok.