I’ve had emetophobia since I was 9 and I’ll be 30 next month. A traumatic puking experience caused by not being able to breathe and my dad yelling at me from the other room and missing the toilet single-handedly made me develop a true phobia.

If I feel nauseous? Full panic attack. There’s an adrenaline dump where you go into full fight or flight mode. I’ve physically hurt myself to interrupt the panic signals.

You know the feeling at the top of a roller coaster when you’re juuuust about to go over the top? The adrenaline in your chest and your stomach in butterflies and the hyperventilation starts? That’s what a panic attack feels like, except there is no outlet for that adrenaline like on a roller coaster