Here are some words of encouragement directed at the author of the FAQs by readers over the years.

From December 1997:

I just wanted to say a very big Thank You... Brilliant! It has answered a lot of questions for me.

The emetophobia FAQ was very interesting. I had no idea there were others with this fear as well. I have suffered from this since I was 9 years old and had a very scary experience with a stomach flu of sorts.

The FAQ is GREAT! I just printed out a copy of it, and I'm going to give it to my therapist today, because she and I have been working with this lately. A great many thanks to those who wrote it

Great job on the FAQ! It brought to light some things that I never thought of before.

I don't tell everybody about my phobia. In fact, I've been ashamed of it all this time. My husband of 20 years is just starting to understand. I made a copy of the FAQ and gave it to him.

From January 1998:

I did not even know there was such a documented case of this phobia nor the name. I found it by accident and started crying while reading the FAQ cause as like I was reading all about me.

I read the FAQ, I can't believe it! I never thought it had a name, and there's so much info on that web page. Thank you to whoever wrote it, I'm glad I found it. I printed it out to show my parents.

My name is ***, I'm 22 years old. I have been afraid of vomiting since I was a little girl. I haven't vomited in like 17 years.

I feel like I'm missing out on life because of this fear.

Finally I had time to read the FAQ-list of the emetophobia site. This is great! It seems this phobia is already explored someway, here in Germany nobody knows anything about it! I can only offer my compliments on how this all is done, really, I think it is great that somebody takes upon himself such a work! Thank you, whoever you are!

I was reading the FAQ and I was like, "Yes, yes, this is exactly how I feel.

From April 1998:

Thank you so much for your incredible piece on emetophobia. I have had this my entire life but until an hour ago felt that I would have to live with it alone. I read your article in tears, feeling as though you have watched me live my life coping with this fear.

I am signing up for the mailing list and feel somehow that a great weight has been lifted.

From May 1998:

I'm not sure if you are the one that I should be writing this to, but I just read the FAQ about emetophobia, and I was shocked. I have had this fear for years, and it was as if you were describing me throughout much of the info given. I actually said things aloud in disbelief as I read it all. I think that I was 'afflicted' (or whatever) with this "between the ages of 6 and 10", I have avoided social situations, I have been accused of having an eating disorder, etc, etc, etc..... the list unbelievably goes on and on. I don't really know the purpose of this email.. I don't know if it's gratitude, or even amazement.... I just wanted to let you know, I guess, that your page was read and appreciated. I learned a lot about myself from a complete stranger.

Hi! I'm terrified of vomiting. When I read the FAQ I almost started crying, cuz it was so much ME. Well, that's it for now I guess...

From June 1998:

I'm the mom of a 13 year old daughter who is apparently an emetophobe. She recently started therapy, and was diagnosed with "panic disorder", but I was not completely convinced about the diagnosis, and started to research the matter on my own. I came across your FAQ, and felt like it was describing my daughter exactly. I've since shared the FAQ with her therapist.

I'd like to express my appreciation. I thought I was the only one in the world with emet -- until now. It was only a week or so when I learned that our phobia has a name. When I read the FAQ, I thought that I had written it myself. It describes me perfectly.

From July 1998:

I read the FAQ and realized HEY THIS IS ME!! Although I'm not as bad as some it definatly describes how I feel. I am just now realizing that this has affected me for a long time. Maybe now I can get the help I need, or at least some information to guide me to the right direction. Thanks again.

When I read the FAQ it was incredible - to see everything I have lived with since childhood described in a medical/professional way.

I am 31. I haven't vomited in over 20 years. Twice in my adult life I've come close. I went to therapy for 2 years. The therapist had never heard of this specific phobia, and approached it with desensititization. It didn't cure me. I stopped going because I thought I wasn't trying hard enough to get over it.

From August 1998:

I can't believe I found this site. I thought I was the only person in the entire world that suffered from this. I seriously almost hyperventilated reading the FAQ's on the home page. "IT'S ME" my brain was screaming. I have had sooooo much shame around this. Thank you for letting me know that I am not alone.

From September 1998:

Every time someone new joins the list, one of the things they always comment on is how the FAQ spoke to them personally.

I started searching the web using EMETOPHOBIA as my search word and I found that "list" of FAQ's etc, etc. I couldn't believe it either and was so amazed to find my exact thoughts and feelings staring back at me too! I was excited that I e-mailed my dear friend who is the only one who really understands my fear, anxiety etc. She was pretty surprised too and said she read it just as though I was talking to her.

When I read the page (where I found this mailing list) it was the freakiest thing, like I had wrote it...all my feelings and fears were staring me right in the face...that is when I realized it was MORE than a nervous stomach (as my family has refereed to it for years) and that is a PROBLEM, and a PROBLEM I am ready to FIX, I have let this ruin my life and keep me from so many wonderful experiences...

From October 1998:

I first read the FAQ and my girlfriend said that someone must've been following me around. :) It's still pretty surreal to think that I'm not the only one, but just knowing that there are others makes me feel better. My fear of vomiting started when I had a horrible case of the stomach flu when I was 11, so I've been living with this for over 12 years.

From November 1998:

Hi......I just wanted you to know that I read your FAQ page and was so glad to finally see that I wasn't alone! Although I knew that others HAD to have this problem it made me feel better actually seeing it in print!! I just joined the mailing list and look foward to hearing other peoples stories and management. Thanks again. :-)

I dont know who you are, or if you mind getting this e-mail, but I sit here in awe of the information I have read about the phobia with throwing up. emetophobia I believe it is. I cant beleive everything you have written pertains to me. I mean everything. I am 20 years old, male, and I have this problem. to be honest, I dont know why, or even when it started. it does affect my life, not a day goes by that I dont think about it. everything from taking vitamins, getting a flu shot, constantly washing my hands, and avoiding any high risk situations that could lead to getting sick. I am almost affraid of getting married because the fear of a close companion getting sick and they could give it to me. I am normal as any normal 20 year old guy can be, but I just cant get rid of this problem. I know that I am all there upstairs, and im positive I dont need a shrink. I almost wish I would just get the stomach flu just to get it over with and be immune to it for a while. it sounds crazy, but its reality for my life. it really sucks, and I just wish I would never vomit again in my life. sorry to waste your time, but I wanted to thank you for the helpful article you posted. I know it is probobly not the greatest thing to say, but it is a relief knowing that im not the only person that is suffering with this damn phobia. thanks..reply at will if you wish.

From December 1998:

I just had to write you because I just read your FAQ's on Emetophobia and it described me to a t. I couldn't believe what I was reading -- I almost felt like it had to be someone playing a joke because it all described me so well. Is this really for real?

I read the faq at the website and I was flipping out because my whole life matched the faq perfectly. I thought I was just some psychotic phobia induced reject.

about the FAQ sheet. I made my mom read it and she couldn't believe how much that was like me.

From January 1999:

Hello,

I just visited your web site, which I found through a link. I'm not sure how I found information about this phobia, but I've been searching the internet lately trying to find out what is wrong with me. I could never really define what it was, and I felt stupid telling people, but reading about emetophobia was like reading deep inside my mind. I'm glad to find others who have this in common with me.

From February 1999:

I read the FAQ and I thought it was just me (how many times do you hear that?) :) My wife thought I was insane until she read the FAQ.

From March 1999:

For the first time in my life someone has described me to a T. I am sitting here exhaling for the first time in my life. I am at the breaking point with this fear and I was ready to commit myself when I came across your page. I never knew what you would call my fear and I have to say you sure have me pegged. I have lost many years of my life due to this beast.

From November 1999:

I'm going to a therapist on Wed. I'm so happy I'm not alone. I feel like a nut. I'm only 14 and I eat very little for fear of vomiting it up. I feel like it's taking over my life. Luckily now that I've subscribed to the mailing list, maybe now I can meet people that feel the same!

From December 1999:

I've read all the responses. All express my feelings well. The FAQ was absolutely right on. This phobia, like many others, is a complete demon in my life. SO...can we emetophobes be presented with more research about effective treatment options? Just living with this is unacceptable, but I cannot break free from it myself.

From February 2000:

hi, ive just read your faq list, and like all others who have commented, I am shocked at how familiar this all sounds. Thanks for all the insight, I think its wonderful that you have taken the time to create this beneficial site!

Hi, my name is *** and I'm a 15 year old girl and I really don't know why I am writing this but I guess it is because I was really moved by your article. I mean, it basically told my whole life story down to a detail. I had not heard of Emetophobia until I researched it on the internet and stumbled upon your article. I've had this illness for about 6 years now but it seems like a life time. I've been through countless treatments and was never told that I was emetophobic. I guess this was partly because I never told anyone but my mother my true fear. I really just want to thank you for your article. It really shed some light on the matter.

Hi Doug,

Thank you for documenting what you have learned about this terrible phobia. I am 34 years old and have suffered with this since childhood. I greatly appreciate your courage in posting the site. Thanks.

From March 2000:

I know you have heard this hundreds if not thousands of times by now but I honestly thought I was among a very few who suffered from emetophobia. It is very comforting to say the least that there are others out there. I have altered my life to the point where I barely leave my house because of panic attacks brought on by my fear of throwing up. I just thought it was something that most agoraphobics dealt with but I am beginning to see that I am wrong. This is a specific phobia that has manifested itself into the agoraphobia that I now suffer from. ... I cannot begin to tell you how many jobs I've had and quit just for the simple reason that the flu was going around the office or someone was acting like they might be getting sick. On these occasions, and there were many, I disappeared from the work place without a trace leaving myself feeling guilty and ashamed because I couldn't cope. I have an appointment with my psychiatrist on the 20th of this month and I plan on brining this to his attention.

Well, that's a bit about me. I just wanted to say thanks so much for the information provided on the website. It is a godsend to people like myself who feel ashamed, alone and guilty most of the time.

Hello. I read your Frequently Asked Questions and found it most eye-opening. I felt like I could have written many of those things myself.

My name's Jenny and I wanted to thank you for putting up your website about Emetophobia. I am almost positive I have this, and found out that my phobia actually has a name. I was so relieved to see that I was not alone and "abnormal". Most people that I know in my school (I'm 15 and a freshman in my high school) know that I have a fear of vomiting and often laugh at the thought of fearing something so harmless and natural. A lot of my peers also think I'm kidding around about it, which they find out to be very untrue if they ever go with me to a crowded area, amusement park or a movie that may contain vomit. I know that I don't have it as bad as some other emetophobics, for example, I don't spit in the toilet as an offering to the "vomit gods", infact, I still don't really get the point of this... But I will stay open minded to all the weird habits that the emetophobics have, since I know I've been really frustrated with ignorant people who refuse to understand my problem.

Hi I am yet another person who suffers with this terrible problem. Like the many who have written to you before, I thought I was the only one who had it and was incredibly relieved to read that others have it too. I have sent your URL to a couple of very close friends (who have always been most supportive) so that they could read all about it too.

My fear was so great I begged my doctor for a hysterectomy until she gave in. I simply didn't want the risk of falling pregnant. I am now 36 years old and I have not vomited since I was 13. I have to fly to Germany this year and I am absolutely terrified of the flight (not so much that I will be sick - I can take precautions against it - but of others being sick).

Thank you so much for your efforts. It is greatly appreciated and will, I hope, help many more in the future.

I have suffered from emetpohbia as long as I can remember. This article described me to a tee. I was searching the net today because my son has the stomach flu and I am trying to "arm" myself with knowledge.

From April 2000:

Thank you so much for writing this. I can't believe that I am not the only one that suffers from this. I read the whole thing, and you described me to a T. It brought tears to my eyes. I am scared to be this person, the person that I am. I hate being this way, but like the article described, I am very much this person. I am glad to know that I am not the only person with this condition. I have done some of the things that you have suggested in the article, I am trying to be brave on a daily basis. I work with kids and this winter one of the kids was sick, and I had to be around it. I did better than I thought that I would do. Thank you.

THANKS FOR THE INFORMATION. I HAVE SUFFERED FROM THIS FEAR FOR 35 YEARS. IT HAS BEEN HARD BUT IT IS NICE TO KNOW THAT THERE IS SUPPORT OUT THERE. I APPRECIATE YOUR RESEARCH AND WILL LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING MORE. I AM SINGLE AND WILL NEVER GET MARRIED. KIDS ARE NOT AN OPTION AND NEVER WERE. I LIVE ALONE AND AM VERY ISOLATED. I WORK, THEN COME HOME AND NEVER GO OUT AT NIGHT. NOT MUCH OF A LIFE , BUT IT IS THE ONLY ONE I AM COMFORTABLE LIVING. THANKS FOR LISTENING.

From June 2000:

I am a 28 year old female and I suffer from emetophobia. I have had it since age 9. Until today, I didn't even know it had a name. All I knew was I was normal in every way except this one. When I read your FAQ's I started to cry because it was exactly me. I've always hoped that I would grow out of my fear, but instead it seems to have gotten worse. I have frequent panic attacks and feel my quality of life has suffered tremendously. I have never told anyone about my fear of vomiting...not my husband, my family or my closest friends. I so badly want help. After reading your FAQ's, I think it might be out there.

From July 2000:

I just visited your site and it is SO right on! I totally think I have a phobia of vomiting. And I do think it stemmed from childhood and has been with me ever since. (Lucky me!) I wanted to thank you for the extremely informative answers that you give to the questions on your site, as well as for how well-written and reader-friendly they are. I even thought they were a bit humorous in parts! : ) I am enlightened because of your site. Thank you very much. It's great to know I'm not alone.

From September 2000:

I came across your emet FAQ page. Congrats, you gained my respect because of the way it is written.

From November 2000:

Thank you so much for the information! I was starting to think there was just something seriously wrong with me. It's nice to know I'm not alone! And I'm proud to be puke free since November 24, 1989.

Thanks again.

Hello. I just came across your webpage today, and I am in absolutely amazement. I suppose I could be classified as and "emetophobic." I am now 24 years old, and I have had a fear of vomiting for as long as I can remember. I have never really done much research on the subject because I have always thought this was something very rare, that I only I have. I would love to be able to communicate with others who have this problem,if you or anyone else has any insight. [...]

Once again - thank you for your article - it really hit home.

From December 2000:

I just wanted to tell you what a wonderful FAQ you have created. As someone who has suffered from emetophobia for nearly 20 years, it is such a blessing to know that I am not alone. I just stumbled upon your site and I wanted to thank you. ***

From January 2001:

Just a note to simply say thankyou. I feel a little less crazy after reading this web site. I chuckled, I cried, I felt human again. Thank you.

Thank you so much for your article on emetophobia. I thought I was the only one with this fear and I never dreamed there was an actual phobia named after it. In a way you have helped me so much. I am 20 years old and I'm a man so it's very difficult for me to deal with this. It seems as though no one understands me, not my mother, my brother, my girlfriend, my friends anyone. So thank you very much, I cried while reading it, I really did, it was like reading a description of my life! I cannot begin to thank you enough, it is such a relief to know there are others. Thank you for everything

From July 2001:

Hi, my name's **** I'm 15 years old and I just read your FAQ on emetophobia from 1997. I just wanted to thank you for writing that. It was amazing for me to read it, because I thought I was the only one who insanely feared vomit, but reading the answers to the questions was like reading all about myself. It described me perfectly and helped me understand my phobia and feel less embarassed about it. I was just wondering if you knew if emetiphobia is very common, or about how many people have it. Well, thank you.

THANK-YOU, THANK-YOU, THANK-YOU!!!

The FAQ were so informative. I had no idea others shared this fear. I come from a family of three emetophobes; my mom, sister, and me. I was in "remission" for about 5 years until my mom's death in December 2000. Now my phobia has returned and it's been very debilitating. I have been overcome with nausea and fear almost every day for the past four months. I have suffered from this for almost my whole life, off-and-on. I am so glad I am not alone. Thank-you for this site.

This is the first time I've read anything about emetophobia - I didn't even know it had a name!! I've been suffering from it since I was 7 years old and, of course, I remember the episode that started it all. (I am 23 now.) I began taking Dramamine in high school and probably took it every day until I was a senior (3 years) when I was finally diagnosed w/ depression and anxiety and given other medications.

I was doing really well until I came down with a stomach virus after Christmas of '99. I threw up every 5 minutes for 3 hours and finally had my roomate take me to the hospital to get some medicine. I was SO grateful but extremely embarassed. Since that time I've gone back to letting it control my life. ** My big worry now is that I'll never be able to endure pregnancy. My mother (who is also emetophobic along w/ my sister) said she made it - yeah, like I'm gonna trust anyone who says it like it's no big deal. Anyway - I had just never met anyone else who has this problem. Although all that reading made me anxious and queasy it's still nice to know it's not just me.

This is great. I am taking it to my therapist tomorrow

I just wanted to thank you on a wonderful website. I actually thought that I was the only person to have this phobia. I believe that the origin of my emetophobia was when I had taken about 50 or so vitamins when I was 6 (they were sweet chewable child vitamins). My mother called the poison control hotline and they advised the administration of an emetic (ipecac in particular). I remember taking the the stuff and asking my mother what it was for. She wouldn't tell me. The rest of the memory is blacked out. But I am sure this is the cause... **

From September 2001:

Great FAQ page, you can read my phobia like a book.

From October 2001:

I don't know how I stumbled on to your article, but I wish I did before! I am a bonafide emetophobic and the information contained was great. Thanks! Now I know what to do. By the way, I havn't vomited for years and I can doggedly fight nausea for over 20 hours if I have to. My remedy is benedryl, after exhausting myself fighting the nausea, the benedryl will put me to sleep and I wake up nausea free.

I have spent the past hour or so reading about emetophobia...the phobia I have suffered with for my entire life. It is a terrible burden, and a fear unlike most other phobias...it's impossible to totally avoid. I've always wished some medical researcher would come up with a total cure for ever having to vomit. I have always been secretive about my fears and have felt alone...like an oddball. I am in awe of my husband, my friends, my family that can deal with vomiting like it's simply an unpleasant thing, but not a big deal. For me life shuts down when I become sick or anyone in my family or near me becomes sick...even if they simply look pale and "may" get sick. *** So, here I sit, continuing to struggle with this horrible fear. I don't know who you are, and I never in a million years would have thought I'd be pouring all this out to a perfect stranger...but I pray in some way, you may be able to help me.

Okay, so I, just for kicks, thought I would do a search on "emetophobia", not even really expecting that there would be any information out there--especially on a word that I thought I made up.

Then I found your website. I got to reading it.

That very loud "OH MY GOSH, I'M NOT MAKING THIS UP, THIS IS NOT IN MY HEAD AND I'M NOT ALONE!!!!!" you heard in your neck of the woods (wherever that is) was from me!

It has been since '92 (could be '93) since I last vomited, and I'll fight the impulse to the point of thinking "I should just vomit and feel better", but I abjectly refuse. I'd rather live with the misery. My mother thinks I'm just stupid to not throw up and get it over with, when I'm sick. *** I'd much rather be sick for DAYS with diarrhea. ANYTHING but vomit. And when I read what you wrote about putting off pregnancy because of morning sickness? I thought, "no way, this person has READ MY THOUGHTS!" :)

So, I'm SO glad you put up your website for me. Well, I know it's not just for "me", but now I don't feel so alone. Or so weird. Bless you for the service you've done. Your website is a Godsend!

I came across the FAQ a year ago and I have to say, it changed my life. I found it after searching the web looking for help with my phobia. At the time, I didn't even know it had a name and was suffering panic attacks and feeling completely desperate. When I read that, I cried. It was the most important thing I 've ever read. It has helped me explain my phobia to my family and in turn, helped them understand that what I suffer from is real.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I have just finished reading your revised FAQs and I think you have done an excellent job and covered an enormous amount of ground.

Thanks again for doing such a great job.

Hi! Just wanted to say how useful your website is! I find the photos useful to look at, trying to get myself to look at them for longer and longer each time! There is so much info it's great! I'm 35, last vomited age 11, 1977. Many thanks, good luck with your recovery.

Hi there,
I only discovered the label 'emetophobia' yesterday but I have lived with this since I was seven years old. I visited a few sites already but I found this one to be the most positive, and at times funny, in comparison to the others I checked out. To be honest those sites made it worse for me. Lots of sites don't even write the word 'VOMIT' - what's with that?? I mean, the first thing I reckon one should do, in a long line of steps to overcoming the fear, is to be able to use that word. VOMIT. Nothing is going to happen if you just say it or write it. This is our first little hold on the fear that conquers us in every other area of our lives! Anyways, keep up the hard work. I'm sure heaps of people are benefitting from it. I was surprised it was such a common thing.

I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart and soul. If it weren't for your website I would have never found out what my phobia was called, nor would I understand as much as I do now. Thank you Thank you Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just finished looking through your site. I loved it. You've worked so hard and must be so proud.

I had no idea you were the one who published this. I came across it a year ago and I have to say, it changed my life. I found it after searching the web looking for help with my phobia. At the time, I didn't even know it had a name and was suffering panic attacks and feeling completely desperate. When I read that, I cried. It was the most important thing I 've ever read. It has helped me explain my phobia to my family and in turn, helped them understand that what I suffer from is real.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

In response to the above message:

I have to agree with this and send my thank you also!

I have just finished reading your revised FAQs and I think you have done an excellent job and covered an enormous amount of ground. Thanks again for doing such a great job.

I think the website is very well-done. I think you covered about every possible aspect about emet. You did a great job--it will help many people.

From November 2001:

Thank you for a most enlightening website. The information included has helped me to feel better already. I just learned today from my psychiatrist that I probably have emetophobia and he told me that there is information on the internet. Until today I had no idea that other people suffered from this problem; I thought I had OCD--particularly connected with a fear of germs. Your site made me realize that I have emtophobia; I can relate to almost everything in the information.

From January 2002:

Hi, my name is *****. I am 21. *** I am writing to thank you for the website. It is extremely relieving to know that I am not alone on this. I have been this way since I was about 13, at least that's when it got really bad. I have had no idea what to call this other than a deathly fear of vomiting. But, in reading an email that was sent around amongst my friends, it was a list of phobias and to my surprise there is one that was listed as a fear of vomiting, Emetophobia. I looked around on the internet and found the FAQ. I have found that in reading this FAQ, I am most likely an emetophobe.

I cannot put a finger on a trigger event of vomiting at an early age that has caused it, I try to not think about ever having vomited at all in my lifetime, can only remember the last time I did at the age of 16. I honestly do not know what it is that keeps me fearing it so. But, I do have quite the case here. *** I have spent 8 years avoiding even people like my best friend for weeks at a time because they had a stomach flu or episode of vomiting. I left a three year relationship that was going to result in marriage because my partner began vomiting regularly. *** Thank you for that website once again, it's brought to light that perhaps I am not sick in the head or something, that perhaps this is more normal than I thought. Thank you.

Thank you for your information regarding emetophobics. My daughter is 12 and has been suffering with this for the last 7 years and I could never help her understand her feelings. I am going to sit down with her and read your website with her to help her understand that she is not alone. We may join in one of the chat groups if she is comfortable doing this. I cannot recall one incident that may have caused this, but Im sure something triggered these feelings. She feels many of the symptoms like never going for a boat ride, she will not touch chicken of any kind, she runs from anyone getting sick at school and has "willed herself" not to ever get sick in fear of vomiting. I am considering a therapist that may help her with this phobia.

Thank you again.

A concerened mom

I checked out your faq and also got the nerve to look at one of the pics, only one though. Nice job.

I had the fear of vomiting when I was in the 5th grade every thing to this page relates to me. The only issue I really have is being at school and being sick. I usually have gotten sick at night time. I have suffered from this for 6 years and I have just figured out what it was. I thought I would be the only person in the world to fear this. I used to want to die before I threw up. *** I have missed so many school days from it. It really makes me feel good to know I'm not the only one suffering from this. For six years I thought I was the only one. ***

Thanks so much

Thank you for an informative and objective site on emetophobia. ***

In the last couple of days I've looked at several sites as I felt it was time to do something about this phobia after nearly twenty years and after a holiday recently ruined by my continual nausea caused entirely by anxiety. Most of the sites have been a disappointment and have generally made me feel more panicky, especially the many who suggest that there is no effective cure. ***

Again, thank you for providing a source of support for people like us.

Just went and read the recently revised Emet FAQ. Once again..outstanding work!

Oh ... you learn something new everyday!!!

Btw, the FAQs are great and I really appreciate you working on them. I've printed them out twice to give to 1) my therapist and 2) my GP. I checked out the Vomiting FAQ once a while ago (the one with illustrations) and ... true to emet form .. couldn't view the whole thing and then, on top of that, couldn't get the visual of that one pic (chick puking in the toilet) out of my head for weeks ... being emet really sucks.

*** I'll explain how I first decided to do something about my fear of sickness. I have been a sufferer of emetophobia for some 40 years or more without actually knowing the name of it.

Ten days ago, here in the UK, I read on the news that a particularly vicious winter vomiting bug was spreading across the hospitals in Scotland. Immediately I went into a panic, as I should imagine did many other fellow sufferers across the UK.

All I could put my mind to was the fact that my 'record', some 44 years or so without being sick, could so easily be broken with this bug. I couldn't sleep during the next few nights closely keeping an eye on the news to see if the bug was spreading. Inevitably it was.

Last Wednesday morning I was so panic stricken that I just felt that I had to do something about it. I searched on the web and came to your site. I read through all the FAQ's and was able to familiarise with all of the problems discussed which did help to know that I certainly wasn't alone.

I then decided that although I have never mentioned my fear to anyone, I had to 'come out' and discuss it with someone. That evening I explained it all to my wife who was extremely sympathetic and totally understood. It also suddenly became clear to her why I was such a stickler for hygiene and all the other traits that are so common to emetophobics.

The next day I spoke to my cousin about it. He has so often mentioned to me about his hatred of sickness and the problems he has feared which have been common to me but I never let on to him before now that I also had this great fear. We spoke freely for some time which also helped. ***

(emphasis added)

From February 2002:

I just read your FAQ about vomiting and completed survey. Its absolutely such a relief that I am not the only one who battles this debilitating fear daily. I don't feel quite so hopeless. *** Anyway, bless you for all this info. I will try to make it help.

For years now, I have been suffering from all of these symptoms and thinking myself crazy! I decided to search the internet to find out more on this subject and to hopefully try and help myself!

This is when I came across your site. I would just like to say thanks for such an informative site and now I know what my problem may be, perhaps I can try to overcome it! It really is such a relief to finally find an answer to my questions after so long.

Many Thanks and Regards

I am 30 years old and have emetophobia. I am so relieved to know I'm not alone. :)

I just wanted to thank you for the information on emetophobia. My husband and I were at our wits end with our 12 year old son. He suffers daily with this fear! *** HE NEVER VOMITS!!!!

Thank you so much Doug! Your website really helped me to understand just what my poor sweet son is going through : ( Thank you again....you touched someones life! : )

I have been an emetophobic since early childhood (I am now 29) and it was SUCH a relief to come across your website, especially the FAQ. It felt as if I had written this myself! And what a relief to know there are other people who can't bring themselves to care for people who feel sick or are vomiting - I've always felt soo guilty and selfish about it...

From March 2002:

This website is the most comprehensive, wonderful site that I have found about emetophobia.

I have just been browsing your site on emetophobes. I think I am one and have been since I can remember. I am now 30, and the fear has never dimished through the years. Only today did I realise the phobia was so common and I am amazed (and relieved) by this.

I just wanted to say thank you for having such a wonderful site. I have suffered with emetophobia for as long as I can remember. I have been to countless doctors and to all kinds of mental therapy in search of something to make me feel less trapped. Your site has given this to me. I take such comfort in knowing that there a other people out there like me. Like you, I have good days and bad days. During certain periods of my life, so far, I thought that it was gone, only for it to come back with a vengeance. Your site has answered a lot of questions that might now put me a little more at ease, and for that I am thankful. If you ever need anything please don't hesitate to ask. Thank you again!!!=)

From April 2002:

I discovered your emetophobia information page last week. This is making an incredible difference for me. I have been stuggling more and more with the things you've discussed. This information has given me a lot of insight. I didn't realize that there are others out there who experience the same fears to this extent. I'm really trying to work through this so it does not continue to overtake my life. I don't really know what to say except THANK YOU!

I wish more people understood this phobia. It is hard enough to deal with. I have seen 4 doctors & not one of them had a name for my fear of vomiting. It made me feel worse, like I was alone in my fear.

I've known I was emetophobic since I was in the third grade and it has pervaded every aspect of my life. I'm shocked to find your site as popular as it is, with such accurate descriptions of how other people have governed their lives with this phobia. I've been told I was neurotic my whole life because of this, and it's both satisfying and cathartic to know there are others EXACTLY like me!

I just would like to say that I found this website very helpful. Vomiting is not easy for me and I always said that it was a phobia. After reading up on it, I don't think it's quite that severe. Still, it's refreshing to know that there is somewhere I can go for information and understanding.

The worst part about vomiting for me is the moment before it comes out. When I know that I'm about to do it, I get panicky and nervous. The first dry heave is horrible, too. It lets me know that it's about to come. Then bending over and actually doing it is just horrible. It's just one of the worst feelings in the world.

I would like to thank you for your wonderful web-site. As soon as I read your web-site, my fear was in a way decreased. I don't know if I will ever be "cured" from this phobia, but now I gained the strength to face "my enemy". I accept my fear and manage to get along with it in my life. Thank you for sharing the information.

Thank you for such a fantastic site, I have felt a huge amount of relief and excitement to know that I do not suffer alone. Low and behold the day we can find a miracle cure and we as sufferers can have a normal, fearless lifestyle.

I just wanted to say that your page was very helpful to me. I had no idea that my fear was even an actual phobia until today. I've been being treated for Panic Disorder over the past year (I am 31) and it's basis is a fear of vomiting. I could identify with EVERYTHING that was said on your site.

At the risk of sounding like everyone else who has probably mailed you, I'd like to thank you so so much for writing your piece and putting it on the web. Until today I had not admitted that I have a serious problem. I have come to realise since reading your piece that I do and hope to find the strength to deal with it in the best possible way I can.

Thanks for the inspiration, keep up the fantastic work!

I'm rather proud of my emetophobia, really. I am a nineteen year-old male who is completely obsessed with attaining and pushing my body to the limits, simply for the sake of perfection. I can recall having Scarletina (a mild form of the oft-fatal Scarlet Fever) at the age of two (going on three, Spring of 1984), and regurgitating on my mother seemingly out of nowhere. Since then I have had an immense fear and a sort of faux disliking/shunning of those members of society "giving in" to their body's limitations.

I would consider my bout with emetophobia to be both obsessive and "perfectionistic" at the same time. One one hand, I can understand the benefits of alleviating the contents of one's stomach for the sole benefit of relieving sympotms of nausea and severe-illness, but likewise, I sort of see it as a wimpish cop-out. I even went to the extremes of consuming two cartons of pure Vitamin D milk in less than an hour, just to see if I could, as one would say, "fight the feeling." I did, and my body DID reject the bovine treat (via diarrhea). I can safely say that, while I have bragging rights, if one wishes to refer to them as such, I am an emetophobic who is content with himself and is extraordinarily proud of his "accomplishments," if you will.

Take care, God bless, and may you continue to down-chuck, rather than up-chuck! :D

From May 2002:

I am an emetophobe and I learned a lot today from your website. I fit your descriptions to a perfect T. I am relieved to know I am not the only one and that I can still be vomit-free for a long time since others have too.

What a well-researched, well-written, and well-presented FAQ on a rather unpleasant topic. I'm very impressed!

I just got done reading your "Vomiting FAQ" and I have to say that it was EXCELLENT!!! It answered soooooo many questions that I had. I will confess to being an emetophilic, (needless to say, I read the illustrated version), so I was fascinated by the amount of pictures available but was equally impressed with the volume of information you had. A lot of it can't be found anywhere else. I just wanted to say that you did an excellent job in putting it all together. Thanks!

This site is great! I really did think that I was strange. When I was in middle school and high school I use to sit as close to the door as I could so that if I had to vomit, I would be able to leave the classroom (I know, social phobia). I used to avoid drinking because it would cause vomiting in my friends, and I still get shaky and nervous when I am around people who vomit. I must say that my last vomiting experience (where I vomited in front of one of my good friends) was really good for me -- since then, I have supported friends (holding hair and such) while they have been ejecting their stomach contents onto the concrete for whatever reason. It was also nice to see that recognized people (Joan Baez) also suffer from this condition. The actual act is not so bad, in fact, I usually feel better after vomiting. I get to a toilet or trashcan and tell myself that I have to let it go.

Thanks for the page...it comforted me.

Your Emetophobia FAQ is a Godsend. I know I sound like everyone else, but I had no idea there were so many people like me. I have decided to "come out" with my disorder. I have had a huge amount of shame associated with this. NO MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

From June 2002:

I think that the website is a great help to people who suffer from this phobia. Before I read it, I thought that I might suffer from this phobia but now I know that I do and I can hopefully try and get cured. This may be the start of a normal life for me at last. The worst part has to be in the moments before you vomit, when you know that it is actually going to happen and you cant fight it anymore.

I'm 30 and my last vomit was 23 years ago. I can't believe this phobia has a name. I always thought I had panic disorder and ocd. Thank you so much for this website. You've truly helped me see I am not alone.

I haven't vomited since about 1975. People are amazed at how long it's been for me. Just that I'm glad you're here. I really did think I was the only one.

I would like to congratulate you on your piece on emetophobia. I come from Belgium, so go figure how far you are reaching in your attempt to educate and support others.

I have been suffering from this horrible condition since the age of of 6 (guessing) and now I have reached the "blessed" age of 29. I have indeed prevented vomiting for years and years and it has left me with a severe panic disorder and complete agoraphobia. It has come with ups and downs with lower points in my puber years, hight points in university then somewhat lower and now for the last 2-3 years is has been pure hell.

I am starting a novel on love, life, dissapointment and yes, anxiety and emetophobia, so your information is very helpful, thank you.

I am an emetophobic at the age of 11 and I am undergoing treatment, but all of my friends vomit willingly with no concern. The whole reason that I am here is because a girl in my classroom vomited twice in one week (at school). All of my friends seem to accept(not embrace) the experience of vomiting(I actually envy them). I've only vomited five times, most recently in 4th grade. I fight the nausea for an hour, then I just change my state of mind to 'Well, my body doesn't like what's there, so it should come out.' This site has helped me realize that I'm certainly not alone.

From July 2002:

I clicked on the link to your vomiting pages. Wow, so much information, actually a lot more than I probably should have read. Did you really need to include all those graphic images of people vomiting?? Yeah, I know there were massive warnings but, being the glutton for punishment that I am, I viewed them all anyway. Figured I could do with a bit of 'safe' online exposure but now I can't seem to get those images out of my head. Hey, don't get me wrong - I'm not blaming you in any way. I think it's great that you've done so much research on the subject. It's me that needs to change. The descriptions of the vomiting process, especially the bit about the open mouth, etc. really brought back to me just how horrible the whole thing is. All day today, I have been feeling nausea and dreading 'it' but I'm trying to convince myself that it's hopefully mostly my mind spooking me.

The really dumb thing is that when I read stuff like that, instead of making me realise that it's nothing to be afriad of - which would be the 'correct' response - it serves only to reinforce my phobia. I have no idea how I can ever be treated with this approach since it goes against all the principles of CBT. This phobia is so different from, say, having a phobia of snakes. Most people with snake phobia have never been bitten by a snake so they don't 'really' know what they're afraid of (I'm not saying that their fears are any less, just maybe easier to treat). We know EXACTLY what we're afraid of. I KNOW that vomiting is the worst thing in the world for me because I've done it. When I read such detailed descriptions, it brings back to me just how awful it is (in vivid detail), scares the hell out of me and reinforces my need to avoid it happening to me at all costs. I KNOW that this is DESTRUCTIVE THINKING and hardly the path towards being cured but it's not something I seem to have any control of (which is probably why I was a total failure at CBT). Sometimes my life feels like one big wait for the next (inevitable?) stomach virus. Urgghhh! Of course, I do fun things most of the time and go out with fun people but it's always in the back of my mind. I rarely think about it when I'm at work (way too busy) or playing sport but mostly in the evenings or weekends if I'm home - like now.

The descriptions and facts on Doug's web pages scared the hell out of me and after reading about the lady at dinner, it has made me all the more determined to avoid other people's vomit. Sorry, this got to be very long and I'm not even sure of the point I'm trying to make here. I just wish I could learn to accept vomiting but I can't! The more I read, the worse I get.

Dawn - hoping that my current state of semi-nausea is merely the produce of my imagination

The author responds to Dawn: Hey, you really should have read the unillustrated version! The illustrations are there to desensitize emetophobics to vomiting. Once you get over the initial shock of seeing the page, I hope the cold, dry facts contained on the page make your phobia easier to handle. Remember, even in the room where that diner vomited, there were plenty of people who didn't get Norwalk. The survey research should make you feel strong too. You are strong! Be strong!

I too viewed your pages and they had the opposite effect on me. I found that studying the mechanics of vomiting -- the way it physically occurs -- brought me some comfort. I can't exactly explain why, just that it lessened my fears. Even the explicit photo of, well, I'm not gonna say what it is cuz mere words may disturb some, but I found myself staring at it for a long time and being less and less bothered by it, kinda accepting vomiting for what it is. Of course it's easy to feel this way while I'm not nauseated but who knows how panicky I will get when the nausea returns!

Anyway, it's a gamble having a site like that, isn't it? The point of it may be to inform, but it also helps people and scares people at the same time!!!

Well hello there, I think your site is quite interesting and quite fascinating in a way. Would you be so kind to add my info to your streaks page? My name is Danielle and the last time I vomited was on April 8, 2000 and I was 41 years of age. I hope it won't ever occur again. Love your page once again.

From August 2002:

It's such a relief to find this website. My husband knows about my phobia, but no-one else. I'm going to print it out, give it to my doctor and say, 'Here, that is me!'

Hello, my name is Jennifer. It gave me such great pleasure to read your website. I never realized how many people face the same phobia I do day in and day out. I have always been petrified of vomiting, but it worsened around the age of 11. I always thought I would outgrow this, but here I am at 25 still dealing with it. I shared these fears I have with my parents, but I don't think they ever realized how bad it was. I discussed my problem with a psychologist and he suggested medicating me with Prozac, but I refused.

I have always been a very thin person due to the fact that I am careful about what I eat. I'm not as extreme as some of the other cases, but I tend to avoid spicier foods like Mexican or Italian dishes fearing that it would be much worse to get sick off of that kind of food rather than a turkey sandwich or chicken. I want more than anything to gain weight, but my phobia seems to make this impossible. I just hate it when people label me as being an anorexic. I just explained to my husband what I suffer from. It is a tremendous help knowing that I have people like you I can talk to and relate to. I would really appreciate if you could share other suggestions on how to overcome this dreadful phobia. Thank you.

From September 2002:

I'm so happy to know that there are so many other people out there who understand what I go through every day. Thank you so much for putting this website together.

I don't think I have severe emetophobia. I definitely would rather control nausea than be sick but after I am sick I feel so much better, I think it's worth it. I am jealous to the point of anger with friends who are sick regularly and don't think it is a big deal. I would, however, be capable of looking after someone being ill if I had to. When I'm ready to vomit, I will get up from where I am sitting or sleeping and go to loo with glass of water. Shut the door. It has to be so bad that I really don't have much of a choice. Then I will just let the convulsions happen rather than holding back.

I have only just found out that my phobia has a name and have just looked it up here on the internet. Your site has been very helpful and it's a great relief to read that others have the same thing. Your FAQs are very precise and informative.

From October 2002:

I am about 70-85% CURED of my phobia, although I have suffered with it so intensely for some parts of my life, I could not get out of my house. I achieved a "cure" through hypnosis and by taking Paxil and Effexor XR (which I am still on). I have an occasional "attack," but the last time I vomited, it was really no big deal! The only times I've ever gotten sick were when I absolutely had to. The last time I vomited it was because I was having liver problems and not to vomit would keep my body toxic, so I kind of had to. I think I have great control over my vomit reflex and only puke as a last resort.

To get rid of nausea, I lay down to rest and try to sleep it off. I also drank ginger ale, seltzer water with a lemon in it, tried pressing acupressure points on my wrist after hearing this works for seasickness induced nausea, and had some peppermints in an attempt to soothe my churning stomach. When I know I have no choice but to vomit, I relax and just realize that it might bring relief as it does so routinely for many who just throw up to make themselves feel better after eating something bad, or having a virus or whatever.

I am so glad I found this website. I never thought to look before. I have felt so alone for so long. Your faq sheet made me feel less "crazy". I don't hide my phobia from my friends, but I do hide myself from the world. I am an extrovert trapped in a world that can't stop vomiting around me. Thank you.

I read several links from your web page and found enough information to realize that I am not alone. I have not met anyone else with this problem and have dealt with it alone. I'm not sure where my fear stems from but I think I might have to do with my father. He is an alcholic and vomited on a regular basis. I remembering being a little girl and I could hear him retching in the bathroom. It sounded terrible and because of it, I also have a fear of being intoxicated to the point of vomiting or being around heavily intoxicated people. Thank goodness my father left us when I was 8 years old, but anything that dealt with vomiting became my biggest fear. The last time I vomited was when I was 12 and I am now 27 years old. I fear vomiting myself or anyone else vomiting.

I do have a 5 year old daughter and have managed to deal well when she vomits, but it still makes me nervous when she complains that she feels ill, and even though I can help her vomit and clean her up, I can not bring myself to comfort or hold her or even let her lay in bed with me when she is sick. I usually just make her lay in her bed and I will sit by her bed side, anticipating her next vomiting episode. It is terrible and it makes me feel like I'm a bad mother.

I did not vomit when I was pregnant and I know I have had the stomach flu and did not vomit as well. I was surprised when I read that emets rarely get sick and for some reason can not vomit. I was getting worried because even if I feel terribly nauseous, nothing happens. My fear was worse when I was younger. I would check all my food for expiration dates and smell everything before I ate it. I still do that sometimes, but not so obsessively. It is on ongoing struggle but I hope some day, I will get over it. Your website has been very helpful and I'm glad that there is information out there for people like me.

I need to know how to cure the combination. I fear both me doing it and me witnessing it. I have run away from my year old nephew because he began to vomit and I have pictures of me crying because of it. I can't watch movies that show it. I dont know what to do but seeing it is not the answer.

The worst part is the sound, smell and sight of it spewing from the mouth right before it plops in the toilet or splashes the ground. When I have to throw up, I fight it until I have to gag but then I cry.

I suggested that this person join the online support group.

From November 2002:

I'm a fellow emetophobic and appreciate the time you've put into your website. I thought I was all alone in my phobia, and was glad SOMEONE out there can relate to me! The part about the Norwalk virus scared me though, as you admittedly said it's a "horrible" thing! I thought you were trying to DE-sensitize me?!? Well, the truth hurts sometime I suppose! Thanks again!

I'm 17 years old, and I would like to say thank you for the page that you set up. When I read that you and others had this phobia too, I wanted to give you a big hug. I have never talked to anyone that have this disease before, and knowing that people out there have it makes me feel better. My family doesn't understand this, and they tease me all the time. They sometimes pretend like they are vomiting just to scare the crap out of me. Again, I want to say thank you and I know what you are going through.

I haven't read all of your information but I will as soon as I get off the computer. I just wanted to write to you and tell you that for as long as I can remember I have had this paralizing fear and have never said anything because I just assumed I was "mental." To know that there is at least one other person out there who understands makes me feel a lot better. I just wanted to say Thank You!! I will read your information and if you get a chance or would like to write me back - please feel free.

Thanks for having that wonderful FAQ on your website. I have let my friends and boyfriend and family read it and now I think they all understand better. It feels good to put a name to what I go through all the time. I still don't really know what to do to make it better. my psychologist isn't much help. :-(

Thanks again.

Still enjoying my streak of luck,

Elizabeth

Thank you so much for your stories. I've recently become an emetophobic and it has controlled much of my current life. Only lately have things begun to get better. No one knows. I don't care if they know. I've just never brought it up. I'll just pray for better days. The worst part about vomiting is the panic right before and then the memory afterward.

I was in a typical boredom-fueled bout of web-surfing when I came upon your FAQ on emetophobia. I found it quite intriguing to say the least. I myself am 22 now and have had a HORRIBLE fear of vomiting for as long as I can remember. I tried to read your vomiting FAQ but couldn't. Things like that are just too disturbing for me (actually as I type this my hands are still shaking because I am having a miniature panic attack brought on by that web page!)

However, the phobia FAQ was very interesting, although I must admit I knew most of what was on it already. I consider myself a very analytical person, and even though I am young I have already thought about this subject a great deal (although that's not exactly difficult when one is faced with these thoughts every single day). What made the FAQ interesting was just to know that there are a lot of people out there like me (I thought the "celebrity" portion was pretty funny actually). I have met one other vomit-phobic online (not searching for them, she was just a friend who confided in me), but other than that no one has ever let me know that I'm not a complete freak (of course, there could be people who are vomit-phobic and didnt tell me, since I personally find it so embaressing that barely anyone outside of my immediate family knows).

Just like you I have gone through a lot of different stages, some of them seemingly random, some of them as a result of getting older and more mature, and some due to the changes circumstances of life itself. When I was a kid I was a real disaster, in fact I have a memory of being unable to hear the word "vomit" (or any of its synonyms) without panicking. Needless to say I have progressed since then :-), although I still can't really watch (or hear! blech!) someone vomit, I can endure a surprising amount (depending on my mood of course, some days I simply feel more anxious than others, although I'd imagine everyone is like that), I don't really mind even the occasional movie vomit, as long as it isn't gratutious (I won't see the "jackass" movie for example).

I had other weird habits as a kid as well, such as all manner of superstitions, especially about what foods I ate (I utterly and completely avoided celery for years, I was completely convinced that eating it would make me throw up. Oh well, I don't actually like the taste of celery anyway, so no big loss :-)). I still avoid raw seafood and chicken, but in the past couple years I have started to try a lot of new and different foods that I wouldnt have eaten in a million years as a kid (I.e. spicy indian curries...so hard on the stomach but mmmm soooooo good). I also used to have a lot of nervous tics, especially involving breathing, which would come on due to anxiety over vomiting. These all seemed to disappear mysteriously upon entering my teens however. And as a kid I was constantly getting "stomachaches" which I realize now were actually self-inflicted, gas, or just imaginary, even going so far as to carry a bottle of Pepto-Bismol around with me at all times which I would unfortunetly abuse (fortunately, unlike some forms of drug abuse, this one merely left me with some bad episodes of constipation).

As I have gone through life and progressed from high school to college to having a job and having to interact with people in an office, I have learned to cope with different stomach problems and generally become less nervous (although I still have the occasional panic attack). For example, after I turned 21 my friends expected me to start drinking with them a lot more, which never left me feeling too good the next morning. Likewise, when I started wrestling competitively, I would often feel my vomit reflex being triggered after a match due to the extreme physical exertion. However, I am still wrestling and still drinking. In fact after 12+ years of all manner of stomach problems I generally feel like I have mastered my gag reflex to the point where it would take a LOT to make me vomit.

My one remaining fear is contracting something along the lines of the Norwalk virus or some other nasty gastrointestinal flu. Although I have actually had these before and managed to hold it in (!!), the net result is something I can only term as possibly the worst form of torture ever endured by a human being. However under the section of the Vomiting FAQ about preventing vomiting (I skipped ahead heh), I noted your mentioning that it was possible to get a prescription for pills that could prevent vomiting. This is really great news for me!!! In a way I am glad I found out about this now rather than 10 years ago, because I know the younger me would not have had good judgment about what was a "real" stomachache and what wasn't, and would have misused these kinds of drugs. However I feel like I am mature enough now to handle them correctly and only keep them handy in the case of a real emergency. Unfortunately, I don't really know how to begin finding a way to hook them up. I don't know any doctors personally who owe me favors :P. If you could provide any info in this area I'd be immensely grateful, although I must admit to not having researched this myself yet (hey give me a break, I just read it 10 minutes ago!), so perhaps it will be easier than I think to obtain them.

Thanks for the info and letting me know I'm not alone.

What an informative site. As a confirmed emetophobe with 3 kids, I can identify with most of it. My 9 year old son also has the phobia, and I dread the times he feels sick or has stomach ache, although he is rarely sick. I suffer from a gullet that doesn't work properly and am on anti-sickness medication. So having this phobia doesn't help much. This site makes me realise that I'm not alone and not the freak that I always thought I was. Thank you again.

Having realised there is such a phobia is startling, I thought I was crazy. The worst thing is not knowing if it will ever go away. I have now sought professional help in the form of cognitive therapy to discover I am a selective emet, I.e. I could make myself sick but am completely terrified of contracting a viral or food poisoning outbreak where I would not be in control of vomiting.

I would just like to thank you for setting this page up. I have spent many hours at the Doctor with feeling sick all the time. I have had numerous blood tests which have all come back negative. I have lost a lot of weight through this and now look very thin and gaunt. Now I have an idea of what I am suffering from I am going to go and seek the advice of a specialist in phobias.

From December 2002:

I'm 17. I haven't vomited in 5 years but I've had nausea every day since. I fight the nausea but it doesn't happen until I'm ready to let it happen. I'll fight the nausea for maybe 2 hours then I give up. I remember each and every time I threw up (four times in my life). I remember the lighting in the room and where I was. Even when I was little I got terrified and would try and hold back. But when I was little I got over it. I went by living my life. now I can't leave the house because I'm scared to be sick away from home. I hate going in cars also. If I could have one wish. it'd be to NEVER have to throw up or worry about it again!!!

The only time it happened in public was when I was 17 and drank too much alcohol at a party. My boyfriend held my hair for me and flushed the toilet. I knew at that instant that I wanted to marry him. I couldn't get over the fact that he was able to help someone in that situation. Ten years later we got married.

The worst part for me is not knowing when of where it will happen to me next. If I could have a guarantee that it would only ever happen to me at home for the rest of my life I would feel free.

At this point in my life, I'm a newlywed and extremely terrified of getting pregnant for fear of morning sickness and having children who get sick. I even fear my husband's susceptibility at times because he's a teacher and constantly exposed to germs. My worst fear is getting cancer and having to undergo chemotherapy. I saw a psychologist six years ago and I tried cognitive behavioural therapy that only worked as far as helping understand how irrational my fear is and teaching me how to breath through my anxiety. I just started seeing him again and right now I'm trying hypnosis but he wants me to consider taking medication under the supervision of a psychiatrist. It's the last thing I want to do because the side effects include vomiting but most of all, despite this phobia I like myself and I don't want to alter other parts of who I am. I left my job at the hospital because I was too scared to be around patients. I can't be around people who are sick, I avoid them at all costs. Lately I have been noticing signs of social phobia and agoraphobia in myself and that frightens me. The phobia has been keeping me from life; it's ruined almost every day for me. I really hate it.

Your FAQ was really helpful. It was heartening to know I'm not alone. I don't think my phobia is as severe as some people's, but it has deeply affected my life, and until I realized there were others like me, I was afraid to talk about it to my family. But now they help me; I have a 'rescue' kit to take with me wherever I go: a paper bag, a packet of sugar-free mints, a bottle of water, my 'calming' blue marble, etc... so I'm less prone to emetophobia-induced panic attacks now. If I'm on the bus and I feel a twinge, I just take a sip of my water or suck a mint... and my fear of being sick on the floor in front of everyone is alayed by having the bag. I'm finding new ways to cope all the time, and in 10 days time I'm off to America by myself, which is a huge step for me, but now I feel much more prepared for the flight. :)

Hi there, I just wanted to thank you for making your website on emetophobia. I am an emetophobe myself. I am completely shocked that you were able to make this website even though you have this phobia. Do you find that all of these facts help you with your phobia? Do you have any suggestions on how to get rid of this phobia? Anything you can tell me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much again. :)

I'm just really glad I found this site. I thought I was the only person in the world that had this phobia..I feel like out of all the things to be afraid of, WHY does it have to be THAT!? Something you know is going to happen sooner or later no matter what you do!! So, again it's nice to know that I'm not alone! :)

(From a man) I had a lot of trouble caring for the kids when they were sick, because I knew they'd make me sick too. But I fought that off, because I just couldn't live with the guilt of being selfish. I felt so weird after vomiting this last time (about a year ago), guilty and ashamed and sad, happy and thankful, releived and I felt like I had to "prove" that I could still do all the things I did before. It was so confusing to have all these strange feelings bombarding me. I sobbed my heart out after reading the stories at this site, I thought I was the only one like this, I never knew before that there were so many like me. Everything makes sense now. God bless you people responsible for creating this website. It's about time somebody put information about this subject online for people like us, I'm really feeling better about myself now.

I've gone up to 10 years without vomiting, but I think it's because I was so afraid to. My late wife was very supportive of me and this website has helped me very much. I think I will be cured someday soon. Thanks

I have just read through your website and found out lots of info. I wish I were not emetophobic. I get so angry and uptight about watching ANYTHING on tv these days. Why does almost every show contain v-ing? I tried to look at your illustrated pages but kept having to click off the site and then re-enter. I sat reading very tentatively and nervous. The butterfly feeling is still in my tummy and my mouth a little watery. I know I probably wont V right now but I am so frightened because the longer I go in my life (I am 27) without doing it the closer I may be to doing it. I guess I just like to know I am not alone and thankfully my partner also knows about my phobia and supports me.

I would like to thank you for your FAQ page on emetophobia. My fiancee is emetophobic and reading this has given me insight into what life is like for her. It also give me a way to understand why she acts the way she does at times when I can't understand. This page has really cleared up a lot for me that she hasn't been able to explain, for one reason or another.

From January 2003:

Thank you for this website... what a relief to know I'm not alone! I am terrified to vomit and have had a couple pretty bad stomach flus in the past few years, and have managed to hold the vomit down!! I'm 27, and my last puke was 15 years ago. I've only had to do it five times in my life.

I'd just like to say that emetophobia is awful and has been with me for the past fifteen years though has eased to how it used to be. I sympathise with anyone who has this condition as non-emetics don't realise whats its like and they wonder why you can't eat, drink alcohol etc. When I was really bad all those years ago a friend even stopped going out with me as she couldn't bear the fact that I wouldn't drink or go to nightclubs etc - not a true friend I'd say. There is always that fear though of people shunning you or just thinking your being funny rather than you have a problem. Its no laughing matter as any emetophobic knows.

As the mother of an emetophobic, not only does she lose a significant part of her life with this phobia, so do I, in trying to find a cure for it. I hope to do just that and will let you know if I do!

Hey, I would like to thank you for bringing some sort of relief to my life !!! I’m sure you get messages like this all the time (and are probably tired of hearing them) but your website has been so comforting !! I have been phobic for as long as I can remember and it’s nice to know I’m not alone, and am not crazy!!

I am glad that this site is available. It actually helps knowing there is a name for what I have and that I am not alone. I only wish my friends and family would be more supportive of what I am going through instead of looking at me like I am crazy for feeling or thinking a certain way. Thank you.

I am terrified of other people vomiting too. I have two beautiful little girls and I can't even keep them with me if they are sick because I am so scared that they will vomit. Thank God for my mom and her understanding. She keeps them for me. My husband doesn't understand this and I'm not sure how to explain it to him.

Your site is helping me a lot... I feel like I am near being ready to go through vomiting... but I'm not sure yet... I'm scared but... I want to be cured... :) I think the worst part of vomiting is the thoughts I have in my head!

Thank you so much for your list of vomit streaks - JUST what I want to see, it's my main ambition in life to be just as fortunate (or is it determined?) as those people.

Really cheered me up thanx.

After reading the FAQ and looking at all the pics (forced myself), I went to bed feeling like I would throw up in the middle of the night, but I didnt! Reading the FAQ reminded me how much I hate vomiting and how freaky it is right before it happens.

Thanks for all your helpful web info. I wish it had been there for my childhood and adolescence. When I want to vomit, I give up fighting, go to an appropriate place or get a container, breathe deep, and swallow saliva. (Does not always happen even after giving myself "permission" and doing everything short of chemical inducement.) I'm 47 but have only vomited on 10 occasions, most recently 20 years ago next month.

Your website is very informative, it was a pleasure filling out the survey to help your study. When I want to "bring it on," I think about times that I've seen throw up or witnessed someone actually vomiting. I make a heaving motion by clenching and unclenching my stomach.

It is a relief to have found a "family" of people how have the same feelings, thoughts and fears. But I still don't know how to get rid of this.

I'm 18 and haven't vomited since I was 10. All of my friends think this is abnormal.

Thanks for all your helpful web info. I wish it had been there for my childhood and adolescence. When I'm sick, I fight nausea for 8-10 hours, then give up fighting, go to an appropriate place or get a container, breathe deep, and swallow saliva. ("It" does not always happen even after giving myself "permission" and doing everything short of chemical inducement.) I've only puked 10 times, most recently 20 years ago.

I have a severe phobia of vomiting, I suffer from panic attacks which make me feel sick. I have always managed in the last 10 years to not vomit by taking medication or trying to relax, even answering this survey is making me feel queasy, lol.

From February 2003:

BRAVO!! SUPERB ARTICLE.You answered virtually every question and examined every possible nuance of this most horrible phenomeonon. Please tell me what the status is of your emetophobia. I.e. cured,improved,unchanged. Any advice for intractable cases like mine? Ed.: I'd say improved. I discuss my own emetophobia at the end of the Emetophobia FAQ.

This is a very real phobia that needs more attention. I am just coming to realize I am not the only one who suffers from fear of vomiting and it's very comforting. I always carry an anti nausea liquid with me. Sometimes I try to take my attention away from my fear. I'm 24 and vomit about once a year.

Here I am, THIS CLOSE to puking my guts out, but I refuse to let it happen, I'm emetophobic and just can't deal. I got on the computer to distract myself, out of curiousity did a google search on emetophobia and came across your site. Your FAQs are the best I've ever seen. This is a fabulous site, you're not condescending to the emetophobic, yet you somehow get the message across that nausea and puking really aren't that bad. For the first time in my life I feel like this phobia is getting kinda ridiculous and it's time to move on. Wow. Thank you thank you thank you. Ed.: Is that really my message? I wish I believed it myself.

I've been an emetophobe for as long as I can remember. I'm just EMailing to say thank you. Your site really made me feel at ease and it felt comforting that I'm not the only one with emetophobia. I think my emetophobia started when I had appendicitis as a 6-year-old boy. The last time I vomited was with gastroenteritis at the age of 10. My emetophobia then really began to haunt me from around 2 years ago when I went to Nepal and contracted gastroenteritis. It lasted several months, but I managed to prevent myself from vomiting. As a medical student at Cambridge, emetophobia really makes things uncomfotable: I avoid parties with lots of alcohol, I panic whenever viral gastroenteritis spreads around college, and I panic whenever I get a stomach ache or feel nauseous. There has recently been an outbreak of Norwalk virus in Cambridge, and I have been panicking and living in fear for the past week. However your site put me at ease when it said that Norwalk gastoenteritis is spread through close contact and not by breathing the same air, except for vomit aerosol: I have not encountered any symptomatic people. It also put me at ease when your site mentioned that emetophobes who get viral gastroenteritis usually have diarrhoea but don't vomit, as thay can prevent themselves. So thank you for the comfort.

I don't know if I have emetophobia. It does not affect most of my life because I eat pretty much all the foods I want. I only panic when I feel nauseated, if there is a stomach flu going around, or if someone I knows throws up. Other than I, I don't think about it and do everything in my power to avoid vomiting when I feel nauseated. I am truly afraid of vomiting. However, it does not affect the foods I eat of the friends I hang out with. It would mostly affect me if there was a stomach flu going around or if someone around me vomited. I mostly panic when I do feel nauseated. The last time I vomited was 12.5 years ago in July 1990. I hope I will never do so again. In my case vomiting is as bad as I thought it would be. I can't stand doing it in public or in private. The reason why I fear it is because what happens when it happens. I cannot stand the after taste, losing control of the body, it being so messy, and wondering if it will happen again soon. However, I am not obsessed with the foods I eat or being extra clean. When I am nauseated, and it gets to step 2, I just have my knees pressed against my stomach, and keep swallowing until it gives up trying to vomit. After it gives up, sometimes I feel better right away and other times it comes back several times. I would get diarrea sometimes. I would rather have that than to vomit. Are there medicines that are effective at preventing vomiting? Luckily for the past 12.5 years I have been able to prevent myself from vomiting even though I had that feeling that I would an average of 10 times a year. I get stomach aches alot but at least 99 percent of the time, even though it seems like I will vomit, I am able to prevent it.

Hello !! I am a 13 year old girl and I know I have emetophobia because my mom went on this site with me and we checked everything out and it is for sure now!! Well, I only have a fear of throwing up when I am in a public place, especially SCHOOL! It is so bad I constantly fidget during class when I feel like I am about to throw up. It gets to the point where I start to make a plan of whether or not I should ask to go to the bathroom or if I should ask the teacher now or later and if I can go to the nurse. But I am ALWAYS AT THE NURSE constantly complaining that I feel nauseated and I think that the nurses think I'm FAKING and I'm NOT!! They just dont understand!! Do you have any suggestions for me so that I dont feel like I'm going to throw up in school?? Please help me!! OK well thanks very much!!

Ed.: You don't have emetophobia if you're only afraid of vomiting in public. Emetophobics are afraid to vomit anywhere. I think you have social phobia. That's better than emetophobia because psychologists actually know how to treat it.

I don't think you have to worry about throwing up at school. I never saw anyone throw up at school at your age or older. Kids throwing up in class is something that happens in elementary school. If you ever got to the point that you really need to throw up, I have no doubt that you could get to the bathroom in time. Don't worry about it.

Hi, I'm probably the worst case of this illness to ever exist. I haven't even met or heard of anyone worse over the Internet yet. You ever need a severe example or test case, it would be me. I'm a 19 year old female. I've only vomited 8 times in my life, most recently in October 2000. I only did it once each time I was sick. I should have vomited many more times. Especially because I was a really bad drunk for about 5 years. I'd drink around 21 shots of whiskey every night. Only got sick from it twice out of all those years. Almost died many times because of my refusal to vomit. Now my phobia is way too bad to drink and I haven't been drunk in over a year. On two occasions I was too drunk to get up and make it anywhere so I vomited where I was. I knew that I was going to vomit but there was no way for me to even lift my own head. Making it to a bathroom or even a trash can just did not happen. There was one other time that I took too many sleeping pills and the hospital made me vomit over and over again.

But I'm nauseated everyday, almost all day. (Not sure if I really feel sick or not anymore). Could just be the phobia haunting me.

The worst part about vomiting is not being able to control it. Also that weird drop feeling in your stomach right before it comes up. Not being able to breathe while it happens. Seeing it happen, tasting it. Wondering if anyone saw or heard it. Wondering if it will happen again. Thanks for your site.

From March 2003:

I'd rather have any other thing happen to me than to bring myself to vomit. In my situation, I understand vomiting is a normal thing to do. I just can't generalize that statement to myself. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think of becoming sick. I am constantly washing my hands for fear of getting a stomach virus or any virus for that matter that may cause me to vomit. For years, I was not aware that there was such a name to my phobia. I felt so relieved ... like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulder because all my life I was told to "get over it," "you're crazy," how silly was I to "make a big deal over something normal." I don't like to tell a lot of people about my phobia because I DO NOT want anyone to play a trick on me. I praise websites such as this one because it informs others of this phobia without shunning the people who suffer from an actual phobia.

Thank you for the FAQ - I have found it very helpful in confronting my fears. Knowledge is power.

It was very informative...THANK YOU!very much for having such a wonderful site dedicated to the topic.

From April 2003:

It seems so easy to say that nobody likes it and it is just a part of life. It's not. No one should have to question whether what they put in their stomachs is going to come back up or not. I'm 24 and I've only done it 8 times. It happened about four months ago. Sometimes I fight it for days, but then I decide to relax and let it happen. I tell myself that I need to let it happen.

Thank you for making a site like this. Now I know I'm not alone!

Thanks so much. I've truly thought I was border-line crazy and a freak. I'm so glad at least I'm not the only one that thinks of these things! I've only thrown up three times in my life. I fought nausea for 10 weeks when I was pregnant but never threw up from morning sickness.

Your site has made me feel a lot better about my condition, I had no idea so many people had this phobia. I was sure I was the only one on this earth. I've been emetophbic for 3 years now and I'm starting to wonder if I'll ever grow out of it. I've had since I was 14, I am now 17 turning 18 this coming June. It all started one night in January when I woke up feeling sick, and then had a panic attack, from what I thought was a "mild heart attack." I had vomited the week before and having that in mind, while having the attack, didnt work out too well. I'm wondering if is there any real cure for it??? Is there any way to get over it??? Do you have any suggestions? My emetophobia seems to become really bad around march for at least two weeks in March, there'll be a time when I cant eat or concentrate on anything, except the fact that I'll vomit It has caused me to lose a huge amount of weight, going from 120 to 105.

Hello, I just got done reading your FAQ page on emetophobia. I'm 22 years old and have had this for as long as I can remember. I'm desperate for it to go away, but I think I may be stuck with it forever. It's worse now than it ever was. Your page helped me greatly to understand questions I have all of the time. Thank you. In my opinion, I think this is an awful phobia to have. I am going to be a nurse soon, so I'm hoping that desensitization will help me get used to vomit, although I'm still petrified to do it myself! I really have no one to talk to about this. My boyfriend doesn't understand the severity level of this phobia for me. He thinks, "it's only vomit, who cares." So I never bring it up when I'm with him. We are going to Florida in May. I'm afraid of flying and going somewhere far away where I know nothing about. I'll get through it and hopefully will have a great time. Thank you again for this great info. It definately went into my favorites.

I've been Emetophobic for over 25 years and I've stopped myself from vomiting many times. God bless you for putting this web site together and doing this research.

From May 2003:

It is actually very comforting to know there are other people out there that have this same fear. It practically runs my life. There was a time where emetophobia made me not want to eat at all. I lost 35 lbs from it and I ended up weighing 109 which was a very low weight for me. I still struggle through it. I do eat I know I have to eat to live but I don't enjoy food the way I used to. I wish I could have that part of my life back. I am 24 and female. I do think people always look at me like I have an eating condition but it does all come back to vomiting. I think about it constantly and almost base my life around it. I read your entire web site and I honestly feel very supported. It is hard to talk to people who don't fear this. I get panic attacks from it. I can almost induce my panic attacks. My heart starts racing, my palms sweat, I shake sometimes. It actually is at its worse when I am under stress. The last time I vomited I was 5, 19 years ago. I would, like you stated, love to be like every other vomiting person out there, I just can't bring myself to do it. Thank you for this site. It is wonderful.

I'm 15 and haven't puked since I was 8. I'm trying to get over emetophobia, it's seriously taken a toll on my life and I'm currently having some sort of passing bug so I'm hoping I will puke naturally and get it over with and be able to be "cured" by my next counsellor session so I can share my accomplishments with her and everyone around me.

I have suffered from emetophobia for as long as I can remember. I am now approaching my 16th birthday and with my G.C.S.E. exams in just a few days the phobia is worse than ever - not helped my the fact that my friend who is unaware of my phobia recently went into rather graphic detail of her last episode of vomiting!

Last year I was admitted to hospital because I also suffer from OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) and depression. I am still a patient there. My therapists there have asked me to see if I can find some information on my phobia as she is going to help me construct an exposure programme to try to help me beat this fear. Some of the techniques that you have suggested like the watching of vomiting scenes in movies will be a really good way to start.

I am really writing just to thank you for such an informative and understanding article. I found myself sitting by my computer and nodding in agreement. My mum also read it with me. I was just so relieved that somebody else was aware of the horrible anxieties that daily life can trigger when you are so scared of being sick. Until I read the article I felt as if this was a completely unique fear and that nobody else felt the same way as I do.

Thank you.

From June 2003:

I have suffered from this condition since early childhood after eating a bottle of aspirin and having to take ipecac and vomit. I am 56 years old and have never vomited again except for self induced during attempts to desensitize myself. I have a history of treatment at intevals for this phobia as well as general anxiety and depression since I was 21. Since my phobia was considered "symbolic," CBT did help some, but what seemed to be the turning point was my own self induced vomiting.

I don't obsess about it like most people with the problem, although as a young person, it was central to my life and tortured me as much as any emetophobic I've read about. It has been discouraging to hear that vomiting doesn't decrease the fear for many people. It did make me wonder if I got truly sick if I might have the same panic as anyone else with this problem. My thinking, and I hope I'm right, is that if vomiting seems inevitable, I will induce it myself before the nausea gets too horrible. When I have doubts about my ability to do this, I self induce vomiting again to reinforce my confidence. It seems to help just knowing that I can perform the mechanism and survive.

I don't have many of the behaviors that other emetophobics do, like not eating certain things and being vigilant about anyone looking sick, or becoming terribly concerned when news of a virus is out. I have even stopped keeping anti-emetics available. However, I would find it very difficult to take care of a vomiting person and would probably wear a mask if I absolutely had to. I won't go on and on about this, but wanted to say I found your website very interesting, informative and mostly encouraging.

I am using the information on this website as a tool in my recovery process with a trained psychologist for emetophobia...thank you.

Hi there! I just wanna say a big thank you for your brilliant website. I'm 19 and I'm a female. I live in Ireland with my two wee babies and I suffer from emetophobia which in turn has made me agraphobic for nearly a year now.

It's so good to no there are people out there who are concerned about people like me and who want to help us. It's also good to know that there are other people out there who are like me.

Please keep it going and help as many people as possible as this is a terrible thing to cope with, especially if you're alone. I'm lucky in that aspect of things as i have a really brilliant supportive boyfriend who does all the things I can't (shopping, taking the kids to the park, etc.)

I'm 22, and I've only vomited five times, and not in 11 years. I always thought I was the only emetophobic in the world, and then I found these web pages. It's good to know I'm not alone. However, I don't really have strict dietary rules, unless I'm expecting nausea on a particular day. But if I'm sick (even with just a cold), I'm afraid to eat, because I worry the cold virus could travel to my stomach. In my mind, vomiting equals death. When I'm nauseated, I violently tremble and try to find someone to come stay with me at my home (I live alone).

I'm very impressed by your site and studies - which I can also say for every emetophobic I know Austria. Your page is so very good, it's really one of the best!

Why is it that when you tell someone you have a fear of vomit they automatically say "I don't like being sick either"? From reading this web site I am soooo happy that i'm not the only one who has a phobia.

From July 2003:

I got emetophobia in kindergarten, and I think that had the situation had been handled better by the teachers, it would have laid such fear in me.

When I was in kindergarten, I went to a private school. The rule was if ever a child got sick in class, the other students would be rushed to either the wall or the other side of the room, probably to avoid any contamination or spreading any more germs.

It happened once, a kid vomited in class and suddenly all the teachers were trying to get 25 other students to a wall as fast as they could. It looked like a panic to me, not just rushing. It terrified me! To see our calm teacher just jump out like that and suddenly push you away to a wall near the door. No one else seemed as scared as I was. Sure it was gross to hear and see, but even non-emets don't like to see or hear someone throwing up.

From that day on, I -hated- throwing up or feeling sick in any way. It terrified me, and no one knew why in my family. I would cry and feel ashamed, my first thoughts were always "I can't believe I just did that..."

I'm 18 now and even though I just learned that there was an actual phobia of vomiting, I'm begining to get over it. I was able to understand that because I saw authority figures panicking over someone vomiting, that instilled a fear in me as well, and since I was so young, I didn't really know how to communicate my fear, "I hate throwing up because this is what happened ... and I cry afterwards because..." Stuff like that, so that while my fear is not/was not so extreme as to not go to movies or resturants, I would avoid foods that made me sick, and above all, panic whenever anyone said they felt sick, got sick, or just got done being sick, or panic when I felt sick.

But now I'm getting a lot better with it, and am able to not panic around others or myself.

I'm sure you get this all the time but I wouldn't be able to sleep unless I sent this email. I want to truly thank you for making the website about emetophobia. I never even knew it had a name until I found it. Thanks to you I'm now able to begin seeking therapy. I feel so much better having just read your site. I feel empowered by everything I learned. It doesn't seem so bad anymore. Thank you so much for putting all that hard work and effort into helping everyone feel better and become educated on such an interesting problem!

From August 2003:

If I am nauseated, it feels gooooooood to vomit!!!

Thank you for being here.....I don't feel alone now. ( :

I am a 24 year old woman who has been living with emetophobia for the last 20 years. I was surprised and in some way relieved to find out there was a name for what I thought was a severe mental illness that I have been grappling with in silence for far too long.

Intrigued by my own issues, and wanting to help others, I decided to become a psychologist. I am in the process of obtaining a BA to start, with the intentions of continuing my education to the Ph.D. level. I have been strongly encouraged to start thinking now of an area of psychology that I would like to focus on, and I can think of nothing better than to research this seemingly phantom phobia.

I am sure it has been said before, but I am saying it now from the bottom of my heart (stomach)...THANK YOU for providing this site and information.

Found your website after doing a google search for "fear of vomiting" Well I may suffer from this phobia. Basically the last time I was sick was when I was about 10 years old (I'm now 23) although I have been nauseated a few times since. I was relieved to find that there are others who have this phobia and it has even been given a proper scientific name! I don't think it affects my life to the same degree as some of the accounts I have read on your site. I rarely drink alchohol as I worry that will make me sick, which is often considered a bit weird by many as I live in London and everyone in the world knows of the great British drinking tradition! I am mindful (but not obsessive) of what I eat.I also don't particularly like air travel although I have been known to have a few alchoholic drinks and will fly if necessary. I'm not realy sure if I suffer from this condition. I mean I will normaly feel reluctant or wary of engaging in activities that may induce nausea but will usualy go ahead with them in any case but it is something that I sometimes worry about. I related to some but not all of the symptoms of an emetophobia sufferer listed on your site so maybe I have a mild case of it. I'm generally a very laid back person and don't worry about many things so its quite unusual for me.

I found your site to be most helpful and it was nice to find that there are networks out there for support and infomation.

I'm 18 and have vomited five times in my life, most recently about a year or so ago. I think my Emetophobia is a little different because I'm not completely paranoid about food poisoning, motion sickness, medication, etc. I do fear vomiting through these methods but they don't drive me crazy like fearing stomach viruses does. I think it's because I've never vomited through these methods before with the exception of food poisoning. But I also think it's because vomiting through medication would stop as soon as the medication is out of my system, same with the food poisoning. And vomiting through motion sickness would most likely stop soon after I was no longer subjected to whatever it was that caused the motion sickness. However, stomach viruses are unpredictable. You never know how bad it will be or how long it will last. You also never know when they will occur. They are completely unpredictable.

Vomiting is just a horrible feeling. The nausea and apprehension I experience before I vomit, the horrible feeling of actually vomiting, and knowing that it may not be over after I vomit, the whole experience is overwhelmingly unpleasant.

I also want to say thank you for all of this. It really helps being able to learn more about this phobia and talk about it openly with others, for this phobia of mine is something I keep completely secret. I hope that the information you gather through these surveys will help you to better understand Emetophobia and to one day develop a way of helping Emetophobics. Thanks again.

I've had a couple of moments pf clarity lately that make me optiistic about the future. Maybe, if I go out on a limb and just let go and vomit, I can rid this fear, and not live such a fearful life. Also, I have a feeling that vomit is like a roller coaster...it seems so scary, but once you're speeding down the big loop, it's not half as bad as it seemed. We'll see if this philosophy works next time I'm nauseated!

After reading some of the accounts written after the experience of vomiting I would like to say that last year I caught a stomach bug. I've been an emet for 20 years and because I felt so ill that day, with my boyfriend's help I actually managed to make myself vomit and I felt better after it. Let me warn you, those of you who think you are cured, you're not. It's your subconsious telling you "I've been sick now, so I'm safe for another 10 or 15 years." The only way to keep the phobia at bay unfortunately is to be sick regularly, which obviously isn't a healthy option to participate in. I thought I was cured but the longer time goes on without an actual vomit, the phobia slowly and surely creeps back. I don't mean to sound so negative but I feel this is true.

From September 2003:

I have suffered from this phobia from the age of 5 with the best periods of my life being, like yours, in my teens. It appears my condition gets worse (I think about it more) when life is stressful or I feel out of control. I have a number of strategies which I use as part of my daily routine to keep myself safe, most of which make me feel shameful. I have been to a number of counselors, who made little progress, initially putting it down to sex abuse, and then not wanting to be out of control and finally the childhood experiences of vomiting.

I wanted to write and let you know I first looked up this site in June soon after my family came down with a stomach bug. My son was terribly ill, then my partner two days later and I suffered a torturous period of listening to them and panicking that I was next. I did get it but of course, only diarrhea. Since I was five I have vomited twice, once as a child and once at 16 from alcohol. I stopped drinking that day.

I am currently receiving EMDR treatment (eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing) and I feel more amazing than I ever have. If you asked me to put my fingers down my throat I could probably do it. Some of the old habits are harder to lose (I still wash my hands before I eat and am not sure I could eat old chicken) but I figure those things are probably good safety measures anyhow. My mind is much less occupied by the whole thing and I am having a much happpy life becasue of it. I recommend you check this treatment out. It is said to work well for phobias and I am proof. There are some good websites on the treatment. I wish you the best of luck because I know how bad the whole thing can get in your head. I also want to congratulate you on this website, when I found it I was ecstatic!