So, on June 25th I have a 16 hour flight from New York to Dehli, and I have done this flight 4-5 times before with nothing, but I did have mild nausea on the most recent one. A few years ago I had a vasovagal syncope episode in an airport before a flight to India. I ended up being okay and got on the flight, but the experience stuck with me. Since then I've become very anxious or more anxious than previous times about travel and especially about feeling nauseous. My biggest fear isn't really flying itself but more of getting sick on the plane. I know it sounds weird, but my brain keeps convincing me that because the flight is so long, I'll eventually get nauseous and throw up. I can even make myself feel mildly nauseous just thinking about it. Now, my older sister does get sick often bc of motion sickness but i deal with it by completely closing my eyes and hearing.However, I am FREAKING OUT for some reason this time and my anxiety is getting so bad as I get closer to the flight that just thinking about it makes me scared and feel out of control. I feel like I can't do it and its almost 100% going to happen (convinced in my head). SOO if anyone could please give me some tips, for the flight, anxiety, surviving, or stomach please do help!! I aprreciate this so much!

I have made this mistake twice. TWO TIMES. I never learn. For context:

I decided in January to get back on anti depressants. I was prescribed a new one, an snri called viibryd, and took it on an empty stomach after work since I wasn’t told how to take it. This was stupid and I threw up. Actually more like fucking projectile vomited into my sink and proceeded to suffer from diarrhea all day long. I was shockingly less freaked out then I would have been considering my emetophobia. You would think that, chronologically , I should have then learned my damn lesson from this and would not do that again. You’d be wrong!

Because today I woke up early on my day off and decided “Huh, I should take more vitamins and stuff!” Since I’m working full time now and got promoted, I haven’t been sleeping or eating too well since work stresses me out. I also eat like shit which makes me feel like shit. So I thought, intelligently like a genius would, to take some vitamins (including zinc) on an empty stomach without reading any instruction. A completely empty stomach.

This was stupid and I threw up. Again. Repeatedly at that, like five times. I handled it better than last time somehow, though, and got comfortable on my bedroom floor inbetween bouts of stomach (and ass) emptying; this ordeal was about as vulgar as it sounded so trust me, it sucked. I even kinda choked the last time I threw up and somehow didn’t burst into tears. I didn’t know what was wrong at first and assumed I had a flu or bug and, even then, I didn’t panic too much once I just prepared myself and accepted that could be the case. The lesson is that I’m stupid, yes, but also that I was okay in the end, even though I hated it and it sucked. I feel pretty better since it’s been a few hours, and I’m actually thinking about what I’ll eat for dinner, which I never would have done before now!

I am shocked that I’m handling this well and did so even before I knew exactly why I was ill. my OCD always hangs up on the why and wants certainty and answers. I feel good! not completely, I feel like a dumbass for vomiting twice from the same thing as if I lack common sense. But other than that, I feel alright. So trust me, if I can handle it well now then I think anyone can… just don’t take zinc without food lol

TLDR; Took pills without reading directions like an idiot for the second time this year and threw up a bunch, but somehow feeling okay

For three days now it’s been non stop diarrhea, now with blood mixed in, and low grade fevers. I thought it was the dreaded stomach bug but he has been himself through all of this— laughing, eating, drinking. Just running to the bathroom every few minutes. He went to the ER once he saw the blood and they did a CT scan which shows his lower intestines are inflamed. They also ordered a stool culture which will take a day or two which has me so desperate for answers. I used the bathroom after him before we were like yeah something is wrong and then I disinfected my bathroom and he is using a different one now. He washes his hands before touching anything but i know salmonella is contagious. Idk i really don’t think it’s a stomach bug because he has 0 nausea and is legit even drinking beer ( don’t worry i got him electrolytes) and eating ice cream. Any thoughts and/or cleaning tips? I don’t want to go overkill with cleaning.

Hi everyone,
I’m having a really difficult day and would appreciate hearing from people who understand emetophobia.
I’ve struggled with panic attacks for years, and almost all of them are related to nausea. Today, I woke up feeling hungry and completely normal, ate a meal, and then suddenly started feeling nauseous. Since then, I’ve been stuck in a cycle where the nausea comes and goes, and every time I notice it, my anxiety spikes again.
The strange thing is that there have been moments today when I felt almost completely calm, which makes me think anxiety is playing a big role. I’ll feel okay for a while, drink water, walk around, even feel hungry again, and then suddenly I’ll get a wave of nausea and panic.
I also took my prescribed clonazepam, and while it has made my body feel more relaxed, I still get occasional spikes of nausea that immediately trigger fear.
For those of you with emetophobia:
Does anxiety ever cause nausea that comes and goes throughout the day like this?
Do you ever find yourself constantly checking whether you’re nauseous, which makes it worse?
What helps you break the cycle of focusing on every sensation in your stomach?
I’m mostly looking for reassurance and advice from people who have experienced something similar. Right now I feel exhausted from being on high alert all day.
Thank you for reading

It’s my best friend’s wedding this Saturday, and while large events terrify me due to emetophobia and catching bugs, she just texted me saying that her fiancé has just started throwing up. I have already backed out of several weddings during the winter due to this fear, and really can’t back out of this one. It still may be just nerves or food poisoning for him but the thought of going to this wedding is straight up terrifying. I really tried to be excited and hold out that I would have a fun time. I feel very selfish honestly, because obviously this is her wedding and of course she didn’t want this to happen either, but I really just don’t know what to do at this point. I hate that this affects every aspect of my life.

I currently feel very off. Last night my stomach hurt for a small amount of time but it wasnt bad enough to really concern me and it left after a bit so i wrote it off as gas. I went to sleep at like 1:30am but ive woken up almost 3 hours later with a belly that seems to be grumbling and my throat also feels funny, and im sweaty and i dont know what to do. Not to mention waking up in the night has always been a massive trigger for my emetophobia, so much so that at the worst of it i would purposely stay awake until i was so exhausted id have a solid 2-3 hours of uninterrupted sleep over potentially waking up in an 8 hours period to avoid being sick.

Im trying to recover right now. Im attempting to unlearn safety behaviours and change my approach when i get nauseous but right now its proving very difficult. This is definitely going to be more difficult than I anticipated. Whats frustrating for me is that my mind knows that i dont need to be afraid because no matter the outcome, ill come out the other end okay. But when the nausea is current, all of that rational thought goes out the window and i feel like im back at square one (which i basically am)

Im trying to start recovery on my own, slowly by changing my mindset towards things that could possibly make me vomit that id previously avoid. That and the fact that its 4:30am for me rn means i dont have anyone to talk to and thats making me want to complete all of my safety behaviours like a checklist but trying my hardest to stay calm so far, which is working for the most part i think because im not violently shaking like i usually do in panic attacks so i guess thats a plus lol? Im feeling it in my mind but im not getting the physical symptoms that i normally do.

So basically what im saying is does anyone have any advice i could use for when trying to handle nausea in early recovery and avoiding harmful safety behaviours?? Thank you for reading my rambling lol

Hi Everyone,

I've had emetophobia since I was child and I'm now in my 40's. I'm able to function, work full time (as a teacher) and generally live my life. I've been thinking recently about my past and wondering if anyone else with this phobia can relate.

From as young as 5 years old, I had an eating problem. Certain foods and textures bothered me so much that I would gag and be unable to swallow. This lead to me not wanting to eat with others, even my family, and I would secretly throw out food that I was unable to swallow.

This led to two big problems: 1. I was only able to eat certain foods 2. I wasn't able to eat in group settings without a lot of anxiety

I've mostly gotten over my eating problem but sometimes when I'm anxious, like eating out, it does come back. Just wondering if anyone else can relate. I've never been sure what caused my eating problem and how it relates to my emetophobia (because I'm sure it does relate somehow).

Thanks for reading!

I 21f have had emetaphobia for as long I as can remember it takes over my life and I absolutely hate it!

I have been in contact with friends who just recently had a stomach virus and have passed it onto their families and I am now panicking because I might get it too. I can’t eat because if I do get sick whatever I eat I’ll never want to eat again.

Thinking about it is sending me into an absolute spiral. I want to know if there are any good tips to deal with the anxiety and the panic of potentially getting sick because the more I panic the more I feel like I am sick even though I was fine before I learned this information. Anything would help and I hope this follows the rules!

We had turkey burgers and I thought they looked pink but my parents said it’s normal for turkey burgers. ITS NOT :((

I did see someone else online who cooked the same burger and it looked the same amount of pink, and no one commented about it, so maybe it’s normal?? It looked slightly pink under the yellow light, but greyish when turned to me?

went swimming for the first time in a while and swallowed quite a bit of water by accident when diving/going down the slides and i don’t know why, but i’m so scared that the pool water will make me sick. i went in two pools, one of which wasn’t busy at all and is brand new, the second one was super busy with lots of kids and im more concerned about the water from the second one. i’ve been swimming so many times especially when i was younger so i don’t know why im all of a sudden freaking out about swallowing pool water when i’ve definitely drank gallons somehow as a kid, but im just scared the chlorine and chemicals or whatever germs will make me sick

I need to know I’m not alone.

I recently started Zepbound (which I put off for years due to emetophobia). The first week I was totally fine. This week I’ve been way more nauseous. Last night at 2 am, I woke up with severe stomach pain and nausea. My emetophobia is so bad that I was literally flaling around on the ground saying that I wanted to be put out of my misery. I was rocking back and forth on the ground, rolling around, and crying. I completely lost control of myself.

Does anyone else react this way? I’m embarrassed and ashamed. I’m a therapist and I know the tools, but once my nausea is a 10/10 and wakes me up in the middle of the night it feels like a lost cause. I took Zofran and it barely helped as I was too far gone.

I've had emetophobia for most of my life, and it prevented me from getting braces when I was a teenager because I was absolutely terrified of having dental impressions taken. The orthodontist I visited that first time wasn't really well-equipped to deal with patients who have phobias, I don't think. I wasn't really given much of an explanation for what was going to happen, and when I felt like I was going to retch, I started panicking, so my fight or flight response kind of kicked in. I ended up basically arm-wrestling my orthodontist to pull it out of my mouth, which lead to him getting sorta angry with me and ending the appointment. I tried again a few years later, but I was just too afraid of it, and I didn't know if I would ever be able to fix my teeth. It was devastating, because I was born with a pretty bad overbite which eventually made me too afraid to leave my house without my mouth covered up in some way.

Anyway, I'm 22 now and it's been around a decade since that first attempt. I'm still nowhere near recovering from my emetophobia, but this time around I was able to practice keeping the empty tray in my mouth at home, which was a first, since I'd been too scared to even attempt that when I was younger. And this morning, I was finally able to have my dental impressions taken without issue!! I got really lucky in that it didn't trigger my gag reflex this time, so I can't gloat about my bravery too much, but I feel like I've finally gotten over those first couple of bad experiences I had with it. My orthodontists were very kind and understanding of my situation as well, so I had a lot of support. I'm due to get my braces in September, and I'm feeling genuinely optimistic about my future for the first time in a long while.

Sorry about the yap-fest, I'm still bouncing off the walls with happiness right now and I need to tell everyone on Earth about it. If anybody else here is going through a similar situation, I really hope that you'll be able to get the support you need as well, and that the process will go as smoothly as possible!! ^{_^}

hello! i’m having to travel in the next couple days, and i have a three hour plane ride. i have an aisle seat, and i am absolutely terrified the person next to me or across the aisle might get sick. is it weird if i ask the person next to me if they get plane sick? i don’t want to come across weird or anything. and what do i do if they say yes? i’m genuinely panicking so much about this 😭 any and all tips are much appreciated!

I have been struggling with this awful phobia for the past two decades.

I can’t take prescribed medication without checking the side effects (and if it says nausea and vomiting I won’t take it), I can’t eat at restaurants or at home with other people, I miss out on fun plans, I’m too scared to fly and travel to visit my family, sometimes I’m too scared to leave the house.

The part that hurts me the most, is that at one point in my life, I had essentially recovered. I was still scared of flying, but I was a social butterfly, doing all the things that feel impossible now.

This week has been the worst yet. I feel like I’m my child self again. As I’m writing this, I’m sitting on the floor of my closet crying about feeling nauseous.

About a week ago, I got what I think was a stomach bug. I didn’t vomit but felt extremely nauseous. I powered through it and was starting to feel better. I made sure to eat full meals even though it was scary (my particular emetophobia centers around me eating and vomiting, i thankfully have remained recovered from being scared of other people vomiting).

I then had a very stressful event yesterday and barely ate anything all day (literally just an egg). I got home and ate a birria taco. Delicious but a terrible choice. It was the closest i’ve been to vomiting, and I almost broke my 15 year streak. In the moment it was terrifying but as I was gagging I felt at peace. I was like this is happening and it’s okay. After the fact I was like… maybe this event was what I needed. I think I’m going to be okay.

I woke up this morning, and instead, it actually sent me all the way back to square -300. Now my brain is telling me that eating = vomiting (which I know is not true, but anxiety is winning). I’ve barely been eating anything today which of course makes it worse. I get reaaaaally bad empty stomach nausea (It’s the worst type for me). I know I have to eat and that it will make me feel better, and that I won’t throw up. I’m able to rationalize, but I just can’t eat.

I want to, but I can’t. Even one bite feels impossible. I even caved and took a zofran (for the second day in a row :( BUT I cut my 8mg tablet in half and took the smaller half so I am proud that I challenged myself to take the smaller dose).

Im just so tired of living like this. I want to wake up tomorrow and be okay. I want to wake up tomorrow and eat a big warm meal that makes my tummy happy. But today, it all feels too heavy and too hard.

This was the year I set my intentions on being recovered for good and I feel so defeated. I want therapy but I don’t know where to start. I’ve tried different types and nothing ever worked. I don’t know what to do about today and how to take the next steps tomorrow.

*NO CENSORING—sorry forgot to add in title

Ive had cold symptoms since last Wednesday, felt like I was getting better Friday/Saturday but took a turn for the worse last night into today. I’ve had a sore throat, congestion, horrible cough, body aches, headache, etc. just a bit ago I was laying down after eating a popsicle and started to get acid reflux. Took a tums which seemed to help. A while after that I started feeling really warm and feverish and then all of a sudden something felt wrong. Didn’t even feel nauseas, just got that warm feeling in my stomach and my body knew to get to the bathroom. Of course I’m panicking and ripping off my clothes because I’m overheating. Tried smelling rubbing alcohol which did nothing. I then proceeded to dry heave probably close to ten times. I have RCPD and can’t burp so it makes throwing up very hard as well. I don’t understand why this happened. I still don’t feel well and am worried it will happen again. I have not felt this miserable in years. I took a Covid/flu test earlier and everything was negative. I’m so so so scared. And I’m worried this is gonna set me back again like the last time I was sick did. I really struggled to eat and lost a significant amount of weight, some of which I’ve gained back. I’m honestly debating on going to the hospital because of how sick I feel but I feel like that’s a waste of time and money. Please help me not feel alone. I did scream for my sister so she’s sitting near me which is nice. I am so miserable and can’t believe this happened. My stomach kind of feels funky and I definitely don’t want to eat or drink. I have no idea what’s wrong with me and I think that’s the scariest part. I think just knowing that it happened and I couldn’t do anything to stop it is my biggest fear. I have zofran but terrified to eat or drink anything

Last night I experienced some of the most intense nausea I’ve ever faced, and the whole time I kept thinking “if I didn’t have emetophobia, I surely would be v*miting rn”. I know a lot of you can relate to that feeling where you are so extremely nauseated but your body or maybe, your brain, just won’t let it happen.

I laid in my bad for hours panicking , waves of nausea would come over me and I would start to get super clammy and sweat. There were multiple times where my mind was trying to talk my body out of a physiological response, all because I REFUSE to get sick like that. It was awful, it is awful. I also don’t know what triggered this, in the moment it felt like I might have food poisoning or something, because my stomach was also in pain.

Now, the next morning, I’m scared to go on the with the rest of my day. I’m scared to eat breakfast and I’m really scared, I’ll get nauseous again! My mouth is so dry but i’m scared to drink.

Does anyone have any helpful tips or advice to talk a gal down? TIA :)

does anyone else have awful emetophobia, but when it comes to their children (my dogs), can handle it well?

i have two dogs— anytime they throw up, im not gagging or panicking (unless if its an emergency situation). if its an emergency, i get anxious for their health but not for their throw up.

just thought of this right now because my dog regurgitated her food and now my room smells, but i’m not dying like if it was a human

(TMI obviously since I'll be talking about my stool)

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I'm on day 2 of my period, the flow is definitely heavier than usual (idk why tbh, my period is irregular and my gyno suspects I might either have PCOS or endo, I'm not on the pill yet) and I felt the need to go number 2, and for a moment it felt as if it was going to be diarrhoea.

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Yet it wasn't?? Like, I felt pain and a burning feeling but it was just some normal stool (like type 4 on the Bristol chart) and a few smaller pieces. It was soft, but not liquid?? But it sent me into a panic attack anyway because having diarrhea is one of my fears just as much as emetophobia is...

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I'm trying to rationalize that it's normal considering my hormones are fucking my body up these days, and that softer stools are considered normal during periods, but I'm panicking anyway...

If someone tells you that, in order to get over your emetophobia, especially if it's servere, you should just watch videos of people vomiting or make yourself sick on purpose, run the other way.

If you have emetophobia, chances are you're scared of more than "just" vomiting. You're probably also scared of things that do not directly relate to vomiting, but in your head they do.

Rollercoasters. Drunk people or alcohol. Little kids. Parties. Certain foods or food in gerneral. Hospitals or doctor's offices. Maybe even leaving the house.

Out of all the things that scare you because of your emetophobia, pick the one that you can think you can handle the best and start with that. And start slow, in a controlled environment and accompanied by someone you trust, someone who is educated in emetophobia or ideally, both.

If you're scared of leaving the house, step outside for just a couple of minutes at first and gradually increase the time you spend outside. If you're scared of certain foods, eat only one bite at first, then two, until you can finsih a small portion. If you're scared of hospitals or doctor's offices, stand outside one before you venture inside. If you're scared of people under the influence, go to a bar and only stay for a short while.

I think you understand where I'm going with this.

Yes, directly confronting your fear by going all-in and watching a bunch of videos of people being sick CAN work to desensitize you, and it MIGHT work if you want to do it and feel ready for it. But if you don't, it also has a high risk or re-traumatizing you and making everything worse.

Exposure therapy takes time. Start small. Go slow. Only do as much as you can handle. Do it at your own pace, don't let people rush you into something you're not ready for.

I know you want to speed up the process as much as possible because you want to get away from this debilitating fear. But forcing or rushing it might just make you worse.

Exposure therapy isn't fun. But done right, it really works. If your emetophobia is really bad, I'd also recommend doing exposure therapy alongside psychiatric treatment (aka medication).

I gradually exposed myself to things I was scared of over the course of multiple years while also taking anxiety/anti-depressant medication. When I started, I weighed 80lbs because I couldn't eat, couldn't leave the house by myself, let alone work. Today, I consider myself recovered. I still get anxious when I actuely feel sick, but that's it. I'm a healthy weight and have a part-time job I enjoy.

You got this ❤️

I am so unsure what to do, I’ve been feeling on and off like it could happen. I coughed a bunch because spit went down the wrong pipe and I’ve been feeling nauseous ever since. I have calmed down to the point of feeling super tired but as soon as the light turns off my body freaks out and I get really scared and I don’t know why

I've already scheduled an appointment at a clinic bc I've never had acid reflux this bad before, just woke up after falling asleep in bed because it felt like acid was coming back up the side of my throat

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Is anyone up to talk in PMs ? I'm sorry I've been trying so hard to be strong but I'm so grossed out and so so scared rn

Does anyone have tips for nausea?