Definition of a word
That means “the fear of vomiting”, but as with many things in life, our perspectives can be shaped by their associations. For some people, thinking about throwing up is associated with nausea and feeling sick, while for others it is linked to feelings of anxiety and panic.
For those who have persistent fears of vomiting, this can seriously affect their quality of life. Unfortunately, there are no specific treatments or cures for emetophobia or emetophobic disorders such as acute vomiting or chronic alternating between periods of aversion and tolerance.
However, exposure therapy can help patients overcome their negative reactions to vomiting. In these therapies, patients get used to experiencing vomiting (as well as other sensations like hearing colors, breathing difficulties, etc.) not only in actual practice, but also in fantasy form.
These techniques can help normalize or reduce symptoms of gastrointestinal distress. Additional methods include mental exercises that promote awareness and understanding around meal timing, predictability and side effects, along with cognitive coping strategies.
Some evidence suggests mindfulness practices may help reduce GI disturbances during and after chemotherapy.
Due to the risk of bowel obstruction from delayed gastric emptying, surgical interventions should be considered if medical management fails. This includes celiac plexus block (CPB) and enterogastric transmucosal nerve stimulation (ETNS). Clinical trials are needed to compare all approaches and see which work best.
Stories of women with a fear of vomiting
With about 2% of women having an extreme fear of vomiting, this is one disorder that affects males as well as females. Vomiting is a natural phenomenon that occurs during either digestion or after eating something we do not like. It is a protective mechanism our bodies use to throw out noxious (bad) materials in our systems.
People who have vomited sometimes believe it will continue forever–the feeling can last for several days. Those who suffer from emesis phobia, the medically diagnosed version of emetophobia, can experience nausea and vomiting so rarely that they become homesick for it. They go into convulsions when there is even a small chance they might vomit.
These people have taken precautions against it, due to their fears. Many cannot eat food unless it has been properly prepared (and preserved), and some won’t drink anything other than bottled drinks. This all adds up to a lot of time spent doing nothing but thinking, waiting, and watching everything you consume.
Despite all these reasons why you should be afraid of emetophobia, there are still many good benefits to being concerned about regurgitating your lunch. You will live longer and enjoy your foods more if you don’t force yourself to hate swallowing whatever you ingest.
Reasons you may have an emetophobia
It is very common to be scared of vomiting. This fear can seem strange, but there are many reasons that cause people to have vomitting fears. For some, experiencing nausea and being prevented from eating or drinking is the most prominent feature of their anxiety disorder.
For others, experiencing nausea means feeling sick or weak in general. Since becoming pregnant, women often feel nauseous for weeks at a time.
Some individuals are afraid they will vomit because they were told they could when they were younger. Also, seeing other people vomit can be upsetting, so can thinking about it.
Finally, watching TV shows and reading books with themes of vomit can play a role in creating fears of puke-related sensations.
These are all symptoms of another condition called nausea and vomiting syndrome, or NESV for short. Therefore, as long as someone feels enough pressure to eat or drink again, these feelings should go away.
However, since the thought of throwing up is debilitating and painful, treatment is needed. With therapy and medication, people can once again learn to tolerate this unpleasant sensation.
Ways to calm down when you are nervous – Emetophobia
There is a very easy way to handle feelings of fear: learn to breathe. Feeling scared is normal; you’re exposed, vulnerable, and unsure of what to do in situations like this. However, you can control how you respond by learning to breathe properly.
When you feel like you cannot take another breath, let yourself know that you want to cry, but don’t go ahead and start crying yet. It’s always best to have a reason why you need to break out in tears.
That way people will know where they should be focusing their attention, since it is impossible to look at everything all at once. Once you get used to paying more attention to your breathing, you will start noticing other things around you that need your attention.
You will realize you are not the only one feeling afraid.
What to do when you feel sick – Emetophobia
Even if you don’t suffer from nausea or vomiting, many people fear they will. Because of this feeling, you may want to avoid situations where you might get sick (although it should be less than an anxiety trigger for you).
Here are some ways that you can try to control your nausea:
Avoid foods known to make you nauseous. It is normal to experience some degree of disorientation and fatigue every time you go anywhere since you always have something going on inside your body.
However, there are several things you can do to help reduce symptoms such as drinking liquids and foods that make you feel better.
You can also practice stress management by taking a walk, talking to friends, doing yoga, or working around plants. If you need help managing your illnesses, please visit your doctor or therapist (if needed) and they will able to refer you to other resources.
There are lots of things you can do to help relieve your nausea. The best way to learn what works for you is by trying different strategies.
Some ways we know can help are eating smaller meals more often, having no sugar before bed, standing up quickly, and breathing deeply. Let yourself relax and wait until later to worry about being grossed out.
Tell your vet you may have a fear of vomiting – Emetophobia
If you suffer from emetophobia (a fear of vomiting), tell your veterinarian before coming in for any routine vaccinations or visits so they can make you feel as comfortable as possible.
Your doctor might ask questions such as how long it has been since your last vomit, if you have ever experienced nausea/vomiting before, and whether you experience too much dizziness when you are around vomit.
Some people are concerned about getting sick from drinking out of an untreated water fountain. Although this risk is relatively low, you should still be aware of your symptoms and manage your pain as best as you can.
Try exposure therapy – Emetophobia
If you feel queasy when you think about eating cheese, bananas or other foods, you may have an issue with nausea. For some people, just thinking about these types of foods make them sick. By choosing different options, you can reduce your symptoms.
Exposure therapy is a therapeutic method used to remediate negative thoughts by gradually exposing individuals to objects or situations. This practice was developed in the early 1900s and has been successful for many patients.
In the case of nausea, exercise training is very effective. And although research suggests that hypnosis also works, it is not as widely available and is cost prohibitive.
Therefore, we recommend listening to music while you eat. Or you could write out all of the reasons why you want to stop eating cheeses, bananas or other food items. These strategies will help get more information into your head at once.
Next, read all of the medical information that goes along with any new medications you take. You do not want to develop a pain condition because you did not know what medication meant.
Finally, start by keeping snacks and/or meal prepared at home. Once you learn how to prepare meals, you can work through preparation tactics such as cooking shows.
These places allow you to follow a recipe but don’t require you to prepare anything yourself. While this may seem like you should “do something” after hearing about a cooking show, it�
Try desensitization techniques – Emetophobia
There are many different ways to treat etiaphobia, but the most common way is through desensitization techniques. This means getting exposure to your fear without actually doing anything to trigger it.
The easiest way to do this is by starting with little steps. You can work up to bigger ones or keep practicing until you reach your goal.
Some people prefer to call this practice “situational therapy” because they think it helps them in specific situations just like medicine does.
There are also mental exercises that try to change how you feel about what you’re afraid of. For example, if you were scared of crowds, then these practices would help you get used to being in large groups of people.
Try hyperventilation
Hyperventilation is when you breathe very heavily, so breathing is stressed. This can be done verbally with what we call “sucking in air through your mouth” which some may refer to as humming or saying ho-hum.
The key component of venting is that it requires you to let go of control. If you are already anxious, this will make you feel even worse.
If you are using venting to get rid of anxiety, then stopping yourself from thinking or talking about the thing makes sense. But if the source of your stress comes from outside of yourself, then learning how to distract yourself via venting is not going to help you solve the issue nor improve your mood.
Venting is good for you, but only after you recognize the specific cause of your tension and take action to address it.
Furthermore, listening to yourself talk can help you identify the real causes of your tension and give you a chance to relax your body.
Call a friend or family member to chat when you know you will be free of work responsibilities. Let them know about the situation and ask if there’s anything you can do to resolve it.
Set up a time to meet up again once you have taken care of the problem. It also helps to connect with others during social situations to find ways to manage your emotions.
