WHAT IS EMETOPHOBIA? Emetophobia is classified as a fear of sickness. It’s usually an anxiety-related disorder that can be debilitating and take over our whole lives. Each sufferer will experience different triggers; for some it is fear of being sick themselves, regardless of the situation or place, others are terrified of vomiting in public; many sufferers also fear witnessing other people vomit and this can prevent them from leaving their homes or going to work, others are terrified of catching a sickness bug.
Symptoms and characteristics of Emetophobia can include
Obsessive hand washing or use of antibacterial gel to prevent the spread of germs
Avoiding drinking alcohol or being around inebriated people due to potential sickness
Avoiding eating in restaurants or even other people’s homes in case of sickness from food
Fear of pregnancy due to morning sickness
Avoiding any medication that may cause nausea or sickness as a side effect
Fear of children being ill
Eating only plain or very basic food to avoid food poisoning
Avoiding situations that can’t be escaped if someone were to vomit, e.g. trains, planes or car journeys
If an emetophobic person witnesses someone being sick they are likely to; experience intense anxiety and even have a panic attack, cry or scream, escape the situation as quickly as possible, convince themselves that they too will be sick.
CAN HYPNOSIS HELP WITH EMETOPHOBIA? Hypnosis is an effective method to help sufferers overcome their phobias. I’ve successfully treated many clients with various phobias over the last 10 years using a Solution Focused Hypnotherapy combined with Rewind Trauma Therapy (where appropriate) - to resolve associated experiences from the past. The programme also uses breathing techniques, mindfulness, NLP anchoring and reframing to help manage symptoms during the process.
Progress is often relatively fast; most clients notice improvements in quality of life, in a matter of a few weeks.
The process is tailored and focused on specific issues and aims to resolve emetophobia completely. Typically, clients take between 8 to 12 sessions to satisfactorily resolve their issue and achieve their hoped for outcome.
Factors such as generalised anxiety, current external stress or other complicating factors can impact on the number of sessions needed, and occasionally more sessions are required to complete the process.
Hypnosis itself works by guiding you into a state of deep relaxation, bypassing critical control faculties and speaking directly to the subconscious to address and replace any unhelpful beliefs or fears it holds with feelings of calm, confident control.
Contact Rachel on 07876 642230 for more information or to book an appointment, or email rachel@sagehypnotherapy.co.uk
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