There is an increasing number of clients asking for help to manage their anxiety regarding their fears and phobias around sickness.

Emetophobia is a fear of vomiting or seeing others being sick. Those who experience emetophobia may also fear being out of control while they are being sick or fear being sick in public, which can trigger avoidance behaviours. It is a condition that is not widely diagnosed even though it is a fairly prevalent anxiety disorder.

Emetophobia varies enormously in how it affects people. Most worry excessively about being sick even though they are less likely than the general population to be sick because of all the steps they take to avoid being ill. Some express they feel unable to leave home if there are tummy bugs going around or during the Covid lockdown. Many will avoid family and friends who have an illness.

In listening to their presenting issue, the following questions can help in understanding their specific fears.

·       Have you experienced a fear of being sick or being seen being sick?

·       Have you experienced a fear of seeing/hearing others vomiting?

Have you taken significant steps to minimize the risk of your catching a sickness bug, which have interfered with your daily life?

Emetophobia can have a huge impact on daily life, from avoiding certain foods and alcohol to worrying about travel, pregnancy, hygiene and caring for loved ones when they are ill.

The avoidance behaviours associated with emetophobia can lead to other mental health conditions, such as anxiety. Over time, these habits can lead to social anxiety or agoraphobia – the fear of being in situations where it may be difficult to leave if things go wrong as sufferers remove themselves from social situations to feel in control.

People with emetophobia are also more likely to engage in obsessive behaviours, such as compulsive hand-washing and dietary restriction. This behaviour can become obsessive to the point where a diet becomes extremely restrictive or eating until feeling full is avoided leading to the possibility of developing tendencies of an eating disorder.

Phobias often develop after a traumatic experience. In the case of emetophobia, this may be because someone has experienced vomiting in public, suffered from bad food poisoning, watched another person vomit or having another person vomit on them.

Some adults that have lived with emetophobia for many years may not remember the experience that triggered their phobia. However, the condition can also begin spontaneously without a clear cause. This usually happens during childhood, rather than adulthood.

The NHS advises that the most effective treatment for emetophobia is cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT). However, as hypnotherapists we understand that our thoughts, feelings, physical symptoms and behaviours are all linked. Some advocate exposure therapy as a treatment option for emetophobia involving progressive exposure to the source of the phobia.  

Hypnotherapy can be used to treat and help Emetophobia, using a combination of Hypnoanalysis and Suggestion Hypnotherapy, and can be extremely effective in identifying the originating emotional trauma and thereby removing the symptoms of Emetophobia.

Ian MHS (Accred) is a Chrysalis trained hypnotherapist works from his clinic in Botley, Hampshire. Ian is an approved therapist with Anxiety UK and is a trainer of hypnotherapists with the UK Academy of Therapeutic Arts and Sciences and is a qualified solution focused supervisor plus he supervises bereavement counsellors for the Bereavement Counselling Charity.