Phobia

justjen2 · Post by **justjen2** » Fri Jan 15, 2010 7:00 pm

Well, here I am. It's well after midnight, and I'm facing head on my biggest fear and phobia that causes incredible anxiety in my life...vomit. I know it sounds ridiculous, but since childhood, it has truly been a serious problem. I'm scared to see it, scared to watch someone do it and certainly petrified of being sick myself. How stupid does this sound. Tonight my fourteen year old boy who is suffering from pneumonia, seems to have come down with the stomach flu on top of the pneumonia. He is truly miserable, and I'm doing my asolute best to help him, clean up after him, etc...I feel like a terrible parent. I need help finding a way to deal with my fears so I can be more compassionate and caring. The "what if" thinking that is mentioned in the tapes is true in my case, because my thoughts keep racing to "what if" I get it? How will I handle it? 25 years I have been saddled with these fears. Does anyone have any ideas that might help?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jan 15, 2010 7:08 pm

Hi Jen
we were just talking about this in another thread. It's the "Does anyone relate" I bumped it to the top so you wouldn't have to hunting for it. I feel your pain.
Jill~

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jan 15, 2010 7:23 pm

I truly thought I was the only person on the planet to suffer from this type of anxiety. I can't believe there is even a name for it. Do you have any suggestions to get me through this? I'm in the "heat of the battle" right now...

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Jan 16, 2010 3:53 am

justjen2,

My husband does not have either anxiety or depression, but he absolutely HATES to have to vomit. I have been married to him for 38 years and have heard him vomit once, when he got food poisoning. So maybe you should relax about this a little. It appears some people are just this way and there is nothing that abnormal about it.

Maybe knowing that a lot of "regular" people feel this way will help you not feel so anxious about it. I hope so anyway.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Jan 16, 2010 4:03 am

The program teaches how to help yourself get over the fear once it comes, but it also teaches that eventually you have to put yourself in those fearful situations in order to overcome them.

That really is the key to the whole thing - purposely facing it, feeling the anxiety and using the tools in the program to overcome the anxiety.

It works in every situation, and sometimes, in the beginning, you have to do it at certain times/places at first to make it easier (like at home as opposed to in public) and you have to work on it continuously until you are able to have a better handle on it.

So the answer is in you, you are the one in control (or not in control in some cases) and however long your recovery takes is up to you.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Jan 16, 2010 10:02 am

Please don't feel bad because you have this particular phobia, everyone has something that scares me. It isn't stupid, it is just something you need to work at to get over. exposure therapy like what we are taught in the tapes is the way to get over your fear,you must face your feer little by little. I have lot's of fears. I don't liky flying, crowded places, or the doctor's office! See, we all have something we don't like.