Katie overcomes Emetophobia – Five Ways I Changed After Thrive

Katie overcomes Emetophobia and changes her life!

After going through The Thrive Programme to help her overcome emetophobia, Edinburgh-based Katie Gow has made some massive changes in her life, and all for the better. Here are her top five ways she’s made a difference.

1) AWESOME COPING SKILLS
The biggest impact that The Thrive Programme has had on my life has been the reason I came across it – to overcome emetophobia. The fear left me with very little life and a constant intense fear of my own body and the world around me. I identified with the book straight away and devoured it, fascinated and encouraged by what I was learning about myself. There was hope! Being able to cope in nauseous or sickness-related situations has been the biggest change. However, my recovery didn’t just end there, as I also faced so much more and my life was completely changed.

The dentist and their needles terrify lots of people – but after doing The Thrive Programme it’s not a problem for Katie

2) BEATING MY PHOBIAS
Because The Thrive Programme doesn’t focus on just overcoming your symptoms, I was learning to apply the skills and techniques across all areas of my life. As I began letting go of my desire for control I noticed I was gaining confidence and belief in myself to face other phobias that I had. I had a huge fear of both needles and the dentist. I no longer avoided either and was able to get dental work done without diazepam. I was also able to get blood taken on a regular basis as well as even being able to inject myself with medication that I had been worried about for months prior. Two huge achievements and it only allowed my confidence to grow.

3) MASSES OF CONFIDENCE
Doing Thrive raised my confidence and self esteem to new heights. As I was facing challenges and continuing to work on all the techniques, I began to feel more confident to follow my dreams. I felt confident enough to invest in myself and my future by doing further training in order to change career paths. Instead of feeling hurt and dwelling on the things in life I couldn’t control, I decided to take action in areas that I could.

4) EMBRACING NEW CHALLENGES
I was showing myself that I could achieve great things so I was then encouraged to set myself some goals to push myself physically. I had never been an adventurous person. I hated the playground when I was younger because I felt too shy to play with other children and usually hid behind my mum.

Embracing new challenges was easy for Katie after Thrive

So when the opportunity arose after doing thrive to push myself to do a high wire adventure course through tree tops, I had to do it. It was exhilarating and I was enjoying the adrenaline instead of being terrified of it. I had proven to myself that I could push myself physically and lately I have been training to do a 5k run. This was also challenging as I had broken my kneecap when I was younger and was told running wouldn’t be an option for me. So I got myself fitted with special orthopedic insoles, did physio for my legs and began the couch to 5k, having never ran before.

5) NEW COMFORT ZONES
My comfort zone before doing Thrive was tiny. It consisted of my bedroom and watching Friends on TV. And even then I was still experiencing panic attacks! After doing Thrive my comfort zone is continuing to expand with new and exciting experiences. I am able to deal with difficulties much easier and my happiness is not reliant on things being perfect in my life. They are down to me and how I perceive and cope with events and challenges. The thought of leaving my comfort zone to try something new now enthrals me rather than terrifies!