Podcast: Emetophobia - why exposure therapy doesn't work.
Exposure therapy - gradually exposing yourself to a feared situation - has some benefits for sufferers of most phobias, but not those with emetophobia. Why IS emetophobia mostly unresponsive to exposure? What are the likely side-effects of exposure therapy? Why should you undertake emetophobia-free instead? Press play and find out...
Why Exposure Therapy For Emetophobia Doesn’t Work.
Whilst Exposure Therapy is commonly discussed as a solution to emetophobia, this podcast discusses why it doesn’t work – and why the Thrive Programme is different.
What is exposure therapy?
Exposure therapy focuses on exposing the individual to the stimuli (in this case, feeling/being/seeing sick) and forces the individual to tolerate the presence of the stimuli. It’s normally delivered by a therapist, psychologist or GET specialist. The idea of exposure therapy is that once an individual has been exposed to and tolerated their phobia, they will overcome it.
Why doesn’t exposure work for emetophobia?
In one of the largest studies completed on graduated exposure therapy, participants were reported to be ‘marginally better’ with regards to their emetophobia symptoms. In this podcast it is explained why ‘marginally better’ and even ‘90% better’ is inadequate when it comes to overcoming emetophobia. It’s discussed that those who recommend exposure therapy for emetophobia are probably those that have never had emetophobia, never undergone exposure therapy or are professionals who have a poor understanding of emetophobia and the desire for control and obsessive thinking styles that come with it.
What does the Thrive Programme do differently?
The Thrive Programme is different on the basis that it teaches you how to cope, think and feel in a way that is powerful, resilient and helpful. If you are subjected to the stimuli of your anxiety without adequate preparation, and the knowledge you can cope, you are more likely to reinforce your anxiety, the learned helplessness and the panic you have associated with it.
This podcast explains that in order to overcome mental health issues, especially emetophobia, a person has to gently move forward, take back control of their life, gently build a confident skill set and then in a safe and controlled way, address the erroneous thinking that caused their symptoms in the first place.
Have you watched our other Emetophobia Podcasts?