- Fear of Vomiting

Fear of Vomiting

Fear of vomiting, also know as emetophobia, is a persistent and unwarranted fear of throwing up in public. Persons who develop a fear of vomiting persist in the fear no matter how much rational reassurance they receive from others, and no matter how seldom they actually vomit anywhere.

Some of the more common symptoms and strategies adopted by people who are plagued by this persistent fear of vomiting are:

• Avoiding eating out, or avoiding spicy or ethnic restaurants.
• Avoiding alcohol in any form for fear of throwing it up.
• Avoiding even walking past any restaurant where alcohol is served.
• Refusing to eat in public or sitting near a door when eating in public.
• Avoiding dinner parties and events where food and drink are served.
• Discomfort about going to movies; insisting on an aisle seat at movies.
• Obsession with sell-by dates and expiration dates stamped on food.
• Avoiding public transit for fear of germs or motion sickness.
• Avoiding air travel for fear of nausea or vomiting.
• Avoiding boat travel for fear of seasickness.
• Fear or avoidance of pregnancy for fear of morning sickness.
• Avoidance of places where sick people may be encountered.
• Obsession with illnesses like the flu and food poisoning.
• Always carrying water and mints in case of vomiting.

Fear of vomiting often develops as a result of a traumatic childhood incident or a real incident in adulthood that was experienced as frightening and/or humiliating. Over time, the avoidance of any situation that recalls the initial incidence develops into an irrational fear that becomes broader and broader. Avoidance of any situation that might bring on vomiting can literally take over the person’s life. Fear of vomiting becomes overwhelming and obsessive, and the person experience this fear finds that his or her world is becoming smaller and smaller.

Fear of vomiting is a phobia; an irrational fear that starts out as a normal reaction to an upsetting situation but becomes dysfunctional over time. An untreated phobia can turn into a panic disorder; a cycle of anxiety in which the sufferer can unpredictably experience complete, paralyzing panic without warning at the slightest trigger.

Panic attacks, though not usually physically dangerous, can feel so painful and intense they are often mistaken for heart attacks, even by medical professionals. Treating fear of vomiting or any other phobia when it first begins to take hold is the best option, and treatment outcomes are usually quite positive.

Even in cases in which fear of vomiting has been going on for quite a long while, prognosis for a complete recovery is excellent when compared to other chronic emotional disorders.

Hypnotherapy has been found to be helpful in the treatment of fear of vomiting. The patient is regressed back to the original trauma while under hypnosis, the trauma is released, and a hypnotic suggestion is made that restores calm and normal functioning.

Another very effective therapy for fear of vomiting is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). CBT helps the phobic person ‘reframe’ his or her expectation and views of self so that the obsessive fear is never generated in the first place.

CBT is usually a short-term, results-focused form of therapy. Many insurance companies do cover CBT for phobias and panic disorders, and even in cases in which CBT is not covered by insurance, payment arrangements can usually be made so that clients can get the help they need.

Today there is no need for anyone to suffer obsessive fear of vomiting and the limited lifestyle that so often accompanies it. The earlier treatment begins, the shorter treatment usually Is, but even severe cases can see marked improvement rapidly once help is sought.