Erin's Journey - Beating Emetophobia - From the age of FIVE, Erin suffered from a phobia of being sick (emetophobia)... then she found The Thrive Programme: "'Now I'm a different person!"

Erin is an English teacher over in Japan and had suffered from a phobia of being sick (emetophobia) for most of her life, since the age of 5. Constantly nervous and having frequent panic attacks, she feared that she would have to live with it for the rest of her life.

After much searching online, Erin discovered the Cure Your Emetophobia and Thrive Programme. You can be be guided through the book via Skype by one of The Thrive Programme's licensed Coaches if it is difficult for you to travel to a consultant.

Initially very skeptical about the programme and how effective it could be, Erin downplayed it and queried how a book could change something that she’d struggled with for the majority of her life.

Dismissing her doubts, Erin decided that she would engage with Cure Your Emetophobia and Thrive and immediately set to work to overcome her phobia of being sick. Putting in a huge amount of effort and taking the time to absorb the principles of the programme Erin eloquently states of The Thrive Programme: 'You have to work but what you put into it, you will get out of it... now I feel like I’m a different person’

Now Erin is emetophobia free she feels freer and more confident in everything she does. Her previously low self-esteem is now high, her view of her own body image is better, she is viewing the events and experiences of her life in a far more effective, productive way.

Encouraging other emetophobes to take part in their own Thrive Programme journey, Erin simply states ‘Go for it. I feel fantastic. You can too’ !

What is emetophobia?

Emetophobia is a fear of being sick or vomit and affects up to 8% of people worldwide, especially females. However, it is hugely misunderstood and various CBT or medical treatments are often used with little success.

Emetophobia is known by many names (emetophobia, 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 emetophobia 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.”