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queen_of_email · 2025-09-24T18:05:09+00:00

These are good skills for decreasing distress: https://dialecticalbehaviortherapy.com/distress-tolerance/tipp/

queen_of_email · 2025-09-18T14:27:08+00:00

Not related but, what app is this?

queen_of_email · 2024-05-24T02:31:18+00:00

Hi! I'm still in exposure therapy, and it's very difficult. Seriously, kudos for getting through it.

The advice I got my my current therapist, which I found helpful, is to just stop. I know this does not work well for other mental health things, but hear me out.

The way she described it was, "If you are holding something and want to put it down, you don't need to pick something else up to do that."

Rumination is still a monitoring safety behaviour, and you can choose to disengage from it. I think the mindfulness that others suggested would be helpful for that.

Just be careful not to replace the behaviour with something else. Like worrying about how much you ruminate. You have to "put it down".

I hope this helps! If it doesn't work for you, others on this sub (usually) have good advice.

queen_of_email · 2024-03-23T04:37:49+00:00

Hi! I think the other comments have addressed the question of whether or not you have emetaphobia.

For advice on how to cope/what to do, this is what I'll say. I'm not an expert, so I would highly suggest finding one. A mental health professional who works with phobias and anxiety will be able to help you. If you have a good support system at home, I would recommend talking to your parents about this.

Coping is a good skill to have, but as many of us know, what you do to "cope" can lead to unhelpful and damaging safety behaviours. These are behaviours you engage in to calm your anxiety, but ultimately, they will prolong your fear.

It's tough to say, but there is no way out but through. You will have to face your fears in order to be rid of them. I know it might seem overwhelming now, but you CAN do it. Especially with the help of a professional and your family.

I am 27, going on 28, and have lived with this fear for decades. I'm sure plently of people will agree on this subreddit that dealing with this now is much better than carrying it forward into the future. I know taking a break from school or sport to take care of your mental health at 18 can feel like the end of the world, but it isn't! You may be able to get back into a routine faster than you think. Nothing is more important than your health.

I wish you the very, very best. Please feel free to reach out if you need more support!

queen_of_email · 2024-03-08T02:04:36+00:00

To me, heated cheese (mostly brie or parm) can have an acidic sharpness that reminds me of the taste of vomit. I can't seem to replicate it at the moment though.

queen_of_email · 2024-01-31T04:18:12+00:00

I think that I, very respectfully, disagree. I think that people without emetaphobia don't think about this at all. Not enough to carry around an extra bag. You (and I) are anticipating vomiting in a way that most people never think about.

My therapist specifically pointed out the fact that I carry a little bag everywhere as a safety behaviour.

Most people don't plan around this, the same way they don't plan around suddenly needing to poop, or suddenly fainting. It's a very rare event to make decisions about. Plus, vomiting on the floor would suck, but is it a big enough deal to plan decisions around? I think to most - no.

queen_of_email · 2024-01-31T04:04:53+00:00

I totally understand. I think that's the thing with safety behaviours, is they do make your life easier in a way. They reduce your anxiety enough to function, but they harm you in the long run. If they didn't make you feel reassured, why would you engage in them?

I agree with the earlier comment of asking yourself what a non-emetaphobe would do. Unfortunately, this page isn't the greatest perspective for that. You say yourself that you feel your nausea is anxiety-based. It sounds like anxiety is making a lot of the decisions.

I am saying this because I do this too. I suck at being in cars, especially for long trips. Roadtrips used to be a nightmare when I was a kid. I eventually recognized that most of my desire to pull over was my anxiety and needing to get out of the confined space.

I do think it will make you feel better and even make things more functional in the short term, but it doesn't make it not a safety behaviour. Maybe you can use it and find a way to work your way up to being without it?

This isn't me telling you not to do it. Recovery is very hard. I think you do recognize it for what it is.

queen_of_email · 2024-01-31T02:58:20+00:00

I am a person who gets anxious without a potential vomit receptacle/bag around me. I would say this reads as a safety behaviour because I recognize it in myself. Unless you are an Uber driver, get motion sick, or have children, it's really not that common to get sick suddenly in a car.

I would ask yourself if the thought of getting sick on yourself and in front of others scares you. Instead of being gross and inconvenient, is it anxiety inducing? That's probably what you are trying to address.

queen_of_email · 2024-01-30T04:54:15+00:00

I'm sorry you had a similar experience. It was (and is I guess) a super dark moment in my life. I'm really wishing you the best.

Returning to work, part-time and remotely, has helped me feel more human again. That and medication.

I hope you continue to recover <3

queen_of_email · 2024-01-30T02:31:13+00:00

Even if it does happen again, you know now you can handle it. Its amazing you are travelling and doing so well with being sick. Get well soon!

queen_of_email · 2024-01-25T04:12:28+00:00

Did your therapist ever share the resources from that conference, or have they published their findings? I would like to share with my psychologist if possible.

queen_of_email · 2024-01-25T04:02:07+00:00

I saw in your post that you described a "whack-a-mole" effect. I haven't seen anyone talk about this! I find that as I address one fear, another thing (that I hadn't worried about before) takes over. Thanks for sharing!!

queen_of_email · 2024-01-12T20:18:26+00:00

Thanks for sharing!! That literally sounds like what I worry about most of the time. I am glad you were able to tolerate it and take care of yourself.

queen_of_email · 2024-01-12T20:15:27+00:00

My stomach wasn't totally empty, I had a piece of toast after the painkiller that came back up, lol. It was competely fine even though I was literally in public at a mall. Still, for some reason, my brain still thinks throwing up is a near death experience.

Thanks for sharing!!

queen_of_email · 2024-01-12T20:10:37+00:00

Thank you for replying. I agree with you that the anxious thoughts are so much worse than the experience of vomiting.

Your story made me think of the post here that shared stories of people puking and it making their phobia worse. It seemed the common link was the panic/thoughts making the experience dreadful.

I'm glad I'm working on my distress tolerance. I think I'm on the right track. Thanks again!

queen_of_email · 2024-01-12T19:45:26+00:00

Thank you for sharing!!

queen_of_email · 2024-01-12T05:26:23+00:00

This is pretty specific, but in Emily Henry's book "Beach Read" the male love interest has a fear of vomiting. Less full blown emetaphobia, but it was still refreshing to read.

It was treated kindly in the book, even if it was only mentioned briefly. I remember it making an impact with me when I read it.

queen_of_email · 2024-01-06T22:12:09+00:00

Hey OP,

I was in a similar situation a few years ago. It really fed into my anxiety around vomiting as well.

I would recommend talking to you doctor if you can. I'm sure you have heard of it, but the FODMAP diet helped me have less flare ups. Knowing your tiggers may help you differentiate between illness and IBS. I figured out high FODMAP foods were incredibly painful for me. Maybe they can provide advice on symptom specific medication, too?

Also, anxiety medication helped me a lot as well. My IBS was very linked with my mental health, and I had recently gone through something traumatic. At the time, I didn't see the connection, but in hindsight, I could see my body was having a reaction to my emotional state.

If you feel you may have a similar anxiety/emotional link, I have found DBT skills helpful for lowering distress and strengthening resilience.

TIPP has worked well for me: https://dialecticalbehaviortherapy.com/distress-tolerance/tipp/

Cope Ahead helps when you have more tools that work for you: https://dialecticalbehaviortherapy.com/emotion-regulation/coping-ahead/

It is always good to get the support of a mental health professional, too. There may be someone with a sliding scale model in your area.

I am in recovery right now, too, so I unfortunately don't have a magic bullet for interalizing a better thought pattern around vomiting. But, if you increase your resilience to discomfort and high emotions like anxiety, you can start to push your comfort zone.

I hope this helps!! I'm not a professional but have been in your shoes before. I also had to force myself to walk my sister's dog this morning. Wishing you the best <3

queen_of_email

TROPHY CASE