Emetophobia and Panic Attacks

Samantha suffered from emetophobia and panic attacks for 18 years

Emetophobia and panic attacks...Samantha beat them both in a few weeks!

From a very early age, Samantha developed emetophobia, anxiety and panic attacks and, as is the case with many suffering from this phobia, she struggled to find real help.

Many doctors didn't understand the phobia and often prescribed sedatives to help her relax. With no real treatment available, Samantha became really ill and couldn't hold down a job or have an active social life.

She even had to get married in a private ceremony, for fear of having a panic attack if lots of people were present. Thankfully her husband was very understanding and supportive.

Samantha's life was being ruined by this huge phobia of vomiting, called 'emetophobia' (and sometimes called SPOV - Specific Fear of Vomiting) and she suffered for 18 years, along with panic attacks and anxiety issues.

Finally, she realised she had to conquer her phobia and panic attacks when she was talking about chemotherapy with her husband. Although she didn't have cancer, she said that she would rather not have chemo treatment should she ever have cancer, in-case it made her sick. She would rather die than feel ill. At this point she realised how much she needed help.

She tried NLP, hypnotherapy, EMDR, CBT, exposure therapy.. none of these treatments worked. Eventually, she came across Mary's story through Cure Your Emetophobia and Thrive - an 81-year-old former emetophobia sufferer who was cured using The Thrive Programme.

After ordering the Emetophobia-free Manual and going through the programme with one of The Thrive Programme's licensed Coaches - who are all experts in dealing with this phobia - Samantha was pleased to announce: "After 18 years, I am not an emetophobic - I am a functioning person!" She no longer suffers from the emetophobia, anxiety or panic attacks that dominated her life.

The Thrive Programme is the most predictable cure for a phobia of being sick/vomit. In our recent research survey into the efficacy of Cure Your Emetophobia and Thrive ALL 162 participants stated they were cured of their phobia.

If you suffer from panic attacks without emetophobia symptoms, we would recommend looking at the main Thrive Programme site, or purchasing The Thrive Programme Workbook which can help you overcome a variety of symptoms not specific to a phobia of vomit.

How to Calm Down An Emetophobia Panic Attack

When you have an overwhelming fear of vomiting it's often common to experience panic attacks alongside your fear, particularly in situations where you might feel nauseous, or someone else is sick, or you feel trapped. Recognising triggers and adopting techniques to calm yourself down can help you stop panic attacks before they escalate, or try to reduce the anxiety as it builds.

Contrary to common misconceptions, panic attacks are not spontaneous occurrences; rather, they stem from various factors. By working on changing these causes, you'll be able to prevent or calm down panic attacks. Below are some quick fix and longer term strategies to calm down a panic attack:

1. Coping Skills: Fundamentally, panic attacks reflect a perceived inability to handle specific situations. Sufferers, fearing their inability to cope with vomiting, dread it to the point of deeming it unbearable. The more you avoid something, the more frightening it is perceived to be, so building coping skills throughout life will help you to feel stronger and able to tolerate and tackle difficult situations, including vomiting. Building coping skills is paramount. Encouraging exposure to discomfort is helpful for anything you avoid in life, not just vomiting. For example going to your local supermarket, or a busy crowded place. Realising your ability to self soothe will reinforce empowerment, which is vital in preventing future panic attacks.

2. Perceived Threat: Emetophobia instils a belief that vomiting is intolerable, akin to a life-threatening situation. However, this apprehension is rooted in perception, not reality. Unlike genuine threats, like intruders, vomiting is feared disproportionately. Challenging this belief and gaining perspective on it is essential in calming down your panic. If you feel yourself starting to become anxious, challenge yourself by asking 'what is the worst that can happen? Why is it so bad?' and repeat to yourself that you can cope.

3. Emotional Regulation: Building emotional management cultivates resilience. Recognising that emotions are not facts is important to empower yourself to reframe your perspectives, mitigating panic's grip.

4. Tunnel Vision: Anxious thoughts, fuelled by minor triggers, exacerbate panic. Providing reassurance and perspective during the onset of unease can prevent its escalation into full-blown panic.

5. Escape Urge: Panic prompts the urge to flee triggering environments. Fighting the urge to escape and repeating 'I can tolerate this, I can cope' while distracting yourself is vital in mitigating this inclination.

By imparting coping mechanisms and fostering resilience, individuals can navigate panic attacks with greater composure, reclaiming control over their mental well-being. If you have a child with this fear, find out how you can help them calm down panick attacks.

What is emetophobia?

Emetophobia, the fear of vomiting, is widespread; it is one of the most common phobias for which people consult The Thrive Programme's licensed coaches.

Research into emetophobia has suggested that prevalence of a fear of being sick ranges from 0.1 to 8.8% percent of the population (Hout & Bouman, 2011).

These different figures probably depend upon whether the researchers assessed participants for any sort of ‘fear’ of vomiting or solely focused upon a severe ‘phobia’. These prevalence figures suggest that somewhere between around 63,000 and 5.5 million people in the UK suffer from the phobia.

Emetophobia is known by many names (specific phobia of vomiting (SPOV), vomit phobia, sickness phobia, fear of vomiting…) and is associated with other fears and disorders, such as phagophobia (a fear of gagging, swallowing or choking), a fear of pregnancy, social anxiety, panic attacks and obsessional disorders. People can fear vomiting themselves and/or others vomiting. Most individuals with the phobia are female, with research studies revealing that 85-97% of their emetophobic participants are women (Hout & Bouman, 2011; Lipsitz et al., 2001; Veale & Lambrou, 2006).

Emetophobia tends to be a severe symptom and often significantly affects sufferers’ ability to lead normal lives. People with this fear often go to great lengths to avoid encountering anything that could lead to vomiting. They may, for example, be teetotal or heavily limit their alcohol consumption and avoid pubs or clubs where others may drink heavily and then vomit. They may worry a great deal about hygiene, and be fussy about making sure everywhere is clean. They may take excessive time off work or school because they worry about being exposed to germs that will cause them to be sick.

Many sufferers of severe emetophobia have unsuccessfully tried a range of treatments, such as CBT, exposure therapy, CRT. Veale and Lambrou (2006), for example, found that twenty-nine percent of their sample of vomit phobics had received some form of therapy for their fear, which overall they rated as largely ineffective. Veale and Lambrou (2006, p. 139) have stated that “clinicians generally regard it as challenging to treat because of high drop out or a poor response to treatment.”