Fear of vomiting o:(

[Susanne]

Hi everyone,

I have an intense fear of vomiting.
I've had it ever since I heard my Dad throw up when I was a teen.
I haven't been sick to my stomach in about 15 years..thank God, but I think about it every day.
I cannot eat a meal without wondering if I'm going to be sick.
I know it's crazy...but the actual process of throwing up your food is repulsive. I feel sick just thinking about it!!
Anyone else out there ???

[alazay]

I don't think that anyone really "likes" to throw up, but if you are thinking about this everyday, maybe you should get help for it, because that is not normal. Alot of people have things that they constantly worry/think about. So you are not alone!

[Staigirl]

Hi Susanne
i don't really know what to say for you. i mean...i throw up everyday...if i eat...i can't wait til it comes up because of the pain food makes in my stomach and the weight i know i'll gain if i don't. my suggestion...although i'm not an expert...would be to face the fear. i mean..i have a phobia of people and everyone tries to "help" by actually placing me in a situation where there is so many people...and i end up in an anxiety attack. anyway...maybe you should make yourself throw up just once (by sticking your finger down your throat),...just to show yourself that it's not so bad. i mean..when i do it...it doesn't hurt. it was probably just traumatizing that you heard your father (a parent) throwing up...and ever since then it's been in your mind. hope i'm of help.


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Stacie Sgrulloni

[Rachele]

eating disorders aren't healthy either.

[Jimmy]

Susanne,

First of all, do not make yourself throw up. One day you probably will throw up for one reason or another and it will not be a pleasant experience, but you will get through it. I guarantee that if you delve into your past a little, and see what that whole experience with your father throwing up is about - specifically how you felt about it at that time, or what it meant to you in the context of your childhood - you can get through this. There is probably an unfelt, unfinished feeling about that experience inside of you that is getting triggered everytime you see, hear, or think about puking (thought I'd use a different word there). The reason you obsess about it is because the repressed feeling is surging upward into concious awareness, and your mind is trying to clamp down on it feverishly. Believe it or not it's not the throwing up that makes you feel sick, it's the feeling attached to it from your childhood - trust me, I know about these things.

And to the person who posted that 'throwing up is no big deal, I do it all the time, etc.' It seems you need to do a little digging yourself.

Hope this helped shed some light.

[This message has been edited by Jimmy (edited 03-07-2001).]