Teaching with Emetophobia: How Two Teachers Overcame Their Fear

Experienced teachers Claire and Michelle talk openly about their own journeys through and over Emetophobia, and the impact it had on their individual teaching careers.

Claire’s story

Claire currently teaches children aged between 14 and 18 and struggled with Emetophobia for 33 years. Claire’s main fear was other people and children being sick. After reading a lot of misinformation on the internet, Claire thought she was stuck with her fear forever, but found The Thrive Programme’s Emetophobia-Free manual online and decided to give it a go. Once she fully committed to overcoming her fear, Claire was able to overcome it in just 8 weeks!

Michelle’s story

Michelle taught children between the ages of 4 and 11 for over a decade, and suffered throughout her teaching career with Emetophobia that lasted for over 20 years. In contrast to Claire, Michelle’s main fear was being sick herself. After trying lots of different therapies and interventions, Michelle was able to finally overcome her fear while still teaching in a primary school.

Michelle and Claire discuss how their Emetophobia played out in the classroom (with a few school trips and residential stories thrown in!) and how it impacted on their ability to do their job.

Packed full of valuable insights and real-life experiences, this is a must-watch for any teacher struggling with Emetophobia!

This episode featured discussion between Michelle Johnson and Claire.