Sophie has overcome her fear of throwing up (emetophobia)! Check out her story in the video below.

Emetophobia (fear of throwing up) sufferer cures herself in six weeks, now she's helping others!

Sophie suffered considerably from a fear of throwing up (emetophobia) since her young childhood, through her teens and as a young adult into her early 20s, until she discovered Cure Your Emetophobia and Thrive.

Her story is fairly typical among people with a fear of throwing up, in that they developed it in childhood after an unpleasant experience with vomit. (Sufferers often think the unpleasant experience is the 'trigger' of their phobia, but this is not the case - see Rob's YouTube support video on how we create phobias and anxieties.)

Sophie came across The Thrive Programme's emetophobia-specific book Cure Your Emetophobia & Thrive and she undertook the short course with one of The Thrive Programme's licensed coaches over 6 weeks.

 "I can say 100% that I no longer have emetophobia! I am able to do exactly what I want to do, when I want to do it. I'm also training to become a Thrive Programme Coach ® so I can help others who have emetophobia" says Sophie.

What a fantastic effort and a remarkable turnaround for Sophie. Well done!

You do not need to live with Emetophobia - you can COMPLETELY overcome it - just like Sophie did.

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 throwing up…) 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 a severe fear of throwing up 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.”