The Sense-Ability Emetophobia Recovery Pathway
Overcome your Fear of V**iting
How Can I Get Over Emetophobia?
The Sense-Ability Emetophobia Recovery Pathway is a ground-breaking, gentle, affordable, online programme for managing and recovering from emetophobia or the fear of v**iting. This Pathway aims to make the recovery process as painless, quick and comfortable as possible.
with Jane at Sense-Ability
Award-Winning Emetophobia Specialist
Online across U.K., Europe, USA
DSFH, HPD; Reg CNHC, AfSFH, MNCH, ABNLP, ABH, IARTT; CTAA, BA Hons (London), PGCE (Cantab
Sense-Ability Awards
Tried CBT? Tried manuals? Tried exposure and desensitisation? Tried the Thrive Programme? Even tried hypnotherapy for phobias?
Or tried nothing at all!
The Sense-Ability Emetophobia Recovery Pathway is a painless, low effort, high impact, tailored online process. *Glossary: codes used for trigger words bottom of web page.
Squirrels, rabbits, rats and mice can’t be s**k! You might think that’s a good thing but it means they are easy to poison. Photo (c) Unsplash Dusan Veverkolog.
Can You Recover from Emetophobia? Yes you can.
The Sense-Ability Emetophobia Recovery Pathway focuses on helping you completely recover from emetophobia and related fears.
Recovery from emetophobia can be gentle and relatively quick. This pathway is a complementary approach involving a range of therapies.
No need to discuss upsetting past events
No addressing fears through will-power.
No forced exposure or desensitisation
No complex manuals or instructions
No triggering by psycho-education
No disciplined CBT exercises
Generally 6 to 10 week recovery period
Addresses emotional blocks and traumas
Safety behaviours naturally fall away
Six Steps to Overcome Emetophobia
The Sense-Ability Emetophobia Recovery Pathway is the most painless and comfortable way to resolve your fear of v**iting.
Throughout the gentle process, you naturally change perceptions, thoughts, actions, reactions and even interactions.
Although structured, the Pathway is tailored to each client.
We may address associated traumas, neglect, shame or humiliation (witnessed or experienced), the disgust response and sensory issues. Other enduring issues are taken into account eg low mood, insomnia, general anxiety and linked phobias.
You build on any therapy you have already done - exposure, CBT, the Thrive Programme, or previous hypnotherapy. Nothing you have done is wasted.
“I have tried a number of therapies in the past (CBT, EFT, NLP, hypnotherapy and the Lightning Process) which all helped in a small way, but I think Jane’s approach using solution-focused therapy was a winner for me. It makes sense, it uses evidence, and looks at the future rather than the past… I had thirteen sessions in total, I knew it wouldn’t be overnight (after thirty-five years of suffering) but I can honestly say l’ve never felt so positive. I started my therapy with a feeling of hopelessness. I am now living a life doing things I never thought possible, and feel optimistic and strong for future.”
Work at the pace that feels most safe and comfortable for you.
NB: My clients often use the term ‘cure’. You may see adverts claiming to ‘cure’ emetophobia. I prefer to say resolve or overcome emetophobia.
Emetophobia can be due to an earlier trauma creating OCD type symptoms (avoidance, intrusive thoughts and obsessing) linked only to vomiting. Emetophobia can also be a sub-set of OCD with complex multiple factors. Results naturally may vary.
How Do I Overcome Emetophobia?
Six Key Stages to Recovery
Emetophobia of fear of vomiting can be the result of previous trauma, or might develop over many years.
1) Reduce Anxiety
Develop resilience. Feel more in control. Experience daily life improving.
Suggestion-based hypnosis (no commands) reduces stress and anxiety, and begin to change thoughts, actions and reactions naturally and painlessly.
The Sense-Ability ‘Emotional Regulation Tool Kit’ helps you manage symptoms from day one: breathing exercises, affirmations, mindfulness, NLP techniques, EFT tapping, bi-lateral stimulation and vagus nerve ‘hacks’ to calm your nervous system.
2) Reduce Triggers & Fears
Manage challenges like traveling, eating out and visiting friends. Surf through challenging emotions or triggers faster.
The Sense-Ability ‘Emotional Regulation Tool Kit’ makes it now making it easier to ‘surf’ through difficult emotions, switch off intrusive thoughts, and recover from triggers. Gentle exposure to imagined situations during hypnosis, steadily reduces the impact of triggers in everyday life, and transforms negative thinking and fear responses.
Eye Movement Desensitisation & Reprocrssing, EMDR reduces the impact of triggers.
3) Resolve Traumas
The past is no longer in the present.
You let go of the past and are ready to move forward. Dr Muss’ Rewind Trauma Therapy, Time Line Therapy (TM), hypnosis for PTSD with inner child or parts hypnosis, or collapsed anchors may be used where there are complicating factors like shame, humiliation, suppressed anger or neglect associated with emetophobia.
4) Reframing & Rehearsing
Feel stronger and stronger, day by day, week by week. Enjoy the things you love with family and friends.
Exposure rehearsed under hypnosis helps you feel increasingly comfortable with situations you once avoided. Week by week, feel stronger, calmer and more in control. Life expands and improves with little conscious effort. You discover you have the resilience and strength to deal with most challenging situations.
5) Resilience & Recovery
Conquer your worst fears. Feel strong, brave and proud about all you have overcome.
Continue to create, rehearse and embed feeling calm, in control and resilient when facing worst fears and uncertain outcomes, consciously and unconsciously. When ready, psycho-education on what v**iting is, and how it feels, de-mystifies the process and gives you back control. Your ‘Emotional Regulation Tool Kit’ helps you deal with daily challenges.
6) Post-Therapy Exposure
Realise your hopes and dreams. Enjoy life more. Improved relationships.
“When I first contacted Jane, my emetophobia ruled every part of my life, and I felt utterly helpless. After a number of rewind and hypnotherapy sessions, under Jane’s compassionate care I started to feel more and more confident... I feel lighter and freer than I have in years ... Thanks to Jane l am a better mum to my little ones, and a far more relaxed person. If you happen to be reading this, and feeling hopeless about emetophobia - I promise you, that with Jane, there is genuine hope!”
Resolution is an ongoing organic, natural process. Recovery doesn’t end when therapy ends. Its likely the ‘worst case scenario’ has not been tested. Exposure continues as you do more things you love. As hypnotic suggestions continue to embed, you continue to resolve the last vestiges of your emetophobia naturally.
Keep Jane’s number in your ‘emergency kit’ for set-backs; reassurance as you venture forth and face more challenges.
Recording & Evaluating Success
Throughout the six steps, Jane records, measures and evaluates progress to help you stay motivated as you make steady progress towards your Best Hopes; the vivid picture of the wonderful future you will have once your issue is resolved.
Symptoms generally lessen week by week.
Expected Final Outcome of the Recovery Programme
The final outcome of The Sense-Ability Emetophobia Recovery Programme
Generalised anxiety and associated behaviours are addressed throughout the process and thinking, acting and reacting to previous triggers has been greatly reduced or completely resolved, making life so much better overall.
Recovery means you can enjoy a better quality of life
no longer thinking, ruminating or obsessing about v* or anything related
unaffected by events or possible events that were once triggers
coping with others being s*ck
coping with uncertainty
feel more comfortable driving, flying or being far from home
enjoying life more; doing things you love
eat out, socialise and travel more comfortably
feel equipped to deal with the possibility of v**iting in future - yourself or others
“I found the sessions unbelievably helpful to the point where I essentially lead a normal life now where most days I don’t even think about the risk of being s*. ”
What Does Recovery Feel Like?
By the end of the process, clients usually report getting on with their daily lives without fear, anxiety or stress related to ‘the problem’ - or anything linked to it.
Avoidance and safety behaviours are dramatically reduced, or completely gone. Clients feel less restricted and free to do the things they enjoy. They enjoy eating out again. They feel comfortable driving and flying. They look forward to holidays. They even happily take their children to soft play!
Many people report being completely recovered at the end of therapy. No more obsessing, ruminating, catastrophising. They aren’t triggered any more and feel confident facing even the worst imagined scenarios.
How does it work? What’s it feel like?
The Sense-Ability Emetophobia Recovery Programme does not push clients to face fears. Instead, the aim is to organically change patterns of thinking, acting and reacting, using the natural plasticity of the human mind, and our innate ability to enter a deeply relaxing, alpha-to-theta brain-wave state (trance) until the problem is resolved.
“Before, my Emetophobia would have affected me every single day. It would have been on my mind almost all the time. Now I barely register it. I can carry on my day, without anxiety or worry. And if I get in a situation where I encounter sickness, I feel much more able to handle it, rather than break down. I cannot thank Jane enough for her support and help when I needed it most. [From a longer review on Yell].”
The recovery programme is not a ‘miracle cure’. It takes patience, commitment and determination. However, it is a relatively pleasant and enjoyable journey to recovery.
How long does it take?
Generally clients resolve the issue with the Sense-Ability approach, in a way that’s satisfactory for them, between 6 to 12 sessions.
Sometimes it takes as little as 5 sessions (very occasionally as little as 3).
Where emetophobia is complicated by a history of trauma, neglect, other anxiety disorders, is linked to sensory sensitivity, or has become embedded over decades, the process may take more than 12 sessions.
In many cases, clients work with me over 3 or 6 months. Later sessions are spread further apart - two weeks, a month or more. Sessions are generally an hour long.
Making your Mind Up
Deciding on the best therapy for you
If you are reading this web page, it’s likely you have tried other paths to recovery: CBT perhaps, the Thrive Programme; exposure therapy; even traditional hypnotherapy approaches for phobias (which are not so effective for emetophobia).
Maybe you dropped out of a programme, or found once you finished therapy, the problem came back? Perhaps the cost was prohibitive?
Medical clinicians know emetophobia is a difficult condition to treat. There are few research papers focusing on successful therapy for emetophobia; to date there are no manualised treatment protocols or randomized-controlled studies available.
The Sense-Ability Recovery Programme can lead to complete freedom from the symptoms of emetophobia.
The traditional way of treating emetophobia has been Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy or ERP. Although researchers and the medical professions say this method is effective, it comes with a number of issues. Clara Law and Christina L Boisseau in their review of ERP* write, “Despite strong evidence supporting the use of ERP in the treatment of OCD, about 50% of patients do not show significant improvement and 25% to 30% drop out of treatment prematurely.” It also requires a highly qualified therapist, usually a psychiatrist, or specialist psychotherapist, and it comes at a cost.
These are not outstanding outcomes by any measure. I would soon be out of business with these results!
Researchers Michael Simons and Toni Daniel Vloet explain, “In our own experience, emetophobic patients are especially difficult to motivate to expose themselves to v**it or v**iting and to provoke fear and disgust.” No kidding! If you are an emetophobe reading this, you’ll no doubt agree.
“Before coming to Jane for help, I had reached my lowest point in my struggle with Emetophbia. I struggled with my disorder for many years and its severity steadily increased. I could no longer eat or drink unless I was half asleep, and as a result I would go days without eating/drinking and when I could, it was very little. I was extremely malnourished and underweight, I couldn’t leave my house, I couldn’t drive or go anywhere, I could hardly leave my room, and my body was beginning to shut down… After the first meeting with Jane, I had finally found the hope that I could get better again after so many years of having given up. After many sessions and homework, I began to do all the things I used to do without the debilitating anxiety. Jane’s methods and guidance directed me towards healing and healthiness and I got my life back.”
That’s precisely why I developed The Sense-Ability Emetophobia Recovery Pathway.
CBT-based programmes work from the outside in. The idea is to challenge and change unhelpful thoughts about v**iting. My aim is to do the same thing, from the inside out, as it were. It’s still exposure therapy - it’s just very gentle and requires less effort on the part of the client.
Jane sees many clients who have tried CBT and found it ‘tough’ or ‘brutal’, or who who found it helped as long as they kept working on it. But CBT didn’t get to the root of the problem. Of course, by definition, Jane doesn’t see people for whom CBT has worked well!
The well known Thrive Programme is psycho-education and CBT based. Many people have benefitted significantly from it and it’s coaches are often people who recovered themselves. At first glance, their outcomes look excellent, but bear in mind their research focuses on 62 paying clients who had already completed the programme, so it’s not a randomised clinical trial nor a blind trial. However, Thrive make an excellent contribution to the emetophobia recovery field.
Sense-Ability’s Success Rates
Jane’s experience is that almost all Sense-Ability emetophobia clients report significant improvement, or feel they have recovered completely. Success is measured using scaling each week, as previously mentioned. Outcomes are very good to excellent as my testimonials attest.
There are also other benefits to the Sense-Ability approach, such as reduced anxiety overall, greater resilience and improved relationships. Drop out rates are low because exposure is done under hypnosis in a safe, structured way, minimising distress. Sessions are generally relaxing and pleasant. Jane adapts to the client and uses her considerable experience to address complicating factors e.g. trauma, generalised anxiety, shame and OCD and works at the clients pace.
For some highly logical structured people, the rigours of exposure therapy or CBT suit them well. Some people are not easily hypnotisable so they prefer a path with homework and tasks.
In the end, whichever approach a client chooses, it’s a very personal decision. There’s no wrong path and people can draw different benefits from different programmes. So do your research before committing.
All Sense-Ability Pattwsys are organic and down to your brain and body’s natural ability to change perceptions, experiences and responses. Outcomes cannot therefore be guaranteed.
The Sense-Ability Emetophonbia Recovery Programme is suitable for children over 12, adolescents and young adults.
Working with Children
I work with children and young adults aged 12 and over.
Sessions for younger children are usually 45 minutes and sessions for older children and teens are up to an hour long.
Parents are briefed by email on current progress, next steps and any homework after each session. The initial consultation is tailored to children with special care to avoid all trigger words. It is important that the child or teen really wants to get better as the Sense-Ability process is all about personal agency and motivation.
I am fully DBS checked, a qualified and a qualified KS2/3 teacher and have worked with many children and adolescents in my online clinic.
“Jane has completely changed mine and my daughter’s lives. She suffers with Emetophobia, it was heartbreaking watching my daughter crying everyday because she thought something was wrong with her and she wasn’t enjoying life anymore…. my biggest fear as a mum. Jane has helped and supported my daughter and I through all of this and without her I dread to think where we would be now and I owe her so much. Millie is thriving at life again and able to starr doing all the things she previously couldn’t when we first met Jane. Millie is especially fond of Jane, which says a lot being she is a teenager!”
“I can’t possibly express how grateful I am to have found Jane... My 12 year old son had been suffering from emetophobia and general anxiety for years. We had been to many different psychiatrists and therapists but none seemed to be very effective ... He is honestly a different kid from before he started and his anxiety is much more manageable. As a result our family as a whole is functioning better and that is due to Jane’s help. ”
To Find Out More
To find out more about how you can resolve this complex phobia, please read the Sense-Ability articles:
Hypochlorous acid is the safe and practical way for emetophobes to combat norovirus
Explaining Emetophobia to Family, Friends and Medical Professionals
Overcoming Emetophobia: Fear of Vomiting
Case Study - Resolving Emetophobia; a Typical Journey
For a full list of phobias see: Resolve Phobias Quickly
For Needle Phobias see Overcome Your Needle Phobias
I also work with misophonia, a hearing sensitivity.
Evidence and Ethics
The Sense-Ability Emetophobia Programme is a practical process using well established or proven complementary therapies. I have developed this approach by observing and recording what has worked best, in practice, for many dozens of clients who suffer from extreme fear or phobia of vomiting.
My experience is that the quality of life of most Sense-Ability Emetophobia clients improves considerably over a number of sessions. Progress and recovery are measured throughout the process using Solution Focused scaling, benchmarking and the IARTT Rewind Trauma Evaluation questionnaire.
I don’t diagnose; nor do I claim to cure. The changes or improvements reported are down to the clients’ commitment, imagination and the natural plasticity of their minds. Results are organic and natural, and therefore cannot be guaranteed. Kindly note this process, like most complementary processes, has not been researched in a clinical setting.
Rewind Trauma Therapy has a defined but flexible structure. Recent peer-reviewed trials at Cardiff University for single event traumas conducted using a strict Rewind protocol demonstrated very positive outcomes. Rewind was found to be as effective as EMDR but with the advantage of taking less time, being more affordable and less distressing to undertake. In my practice, I use the process for single event and complex traumas. Results can be remarkable but again, cannot be guaranteed. Find out more at www.iartt.com.
Rather than a strict protocol, I use a variety of techniques proven in other contexts, and over many sessions, and the clients’ own guidance to tailor the programme to achieve the best possible outcome with the minimum amount of stress, in the shortest possible time. I always work at the client’s pace so the process feels safe and comfortable.
If you have a diagnosed mental health condition
If you are under the care of a psychiatrist or mental health practitioner for any diagnosable mental health condition, it may be necessary for me to write to your doctor to ensure the Sense-Ability Emetophobia Recovery Programme is suitable for you. I do not need to know what your diagnosis is. I just need to know that no therapies are contraindicated.
Do not stop any prescribed medications nor stop any therapeutic interventions without the advice of a medical professional.
Ref:* Exposure and Response Prevention in the Treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Current Perspectives, Clara Law and Christina L Boisseau
Emetophobia – A Metacognitive Therapeutic Approach for an Overlooked Disorder Michael Simons and Timo Daniel Vloet
DSFH, HPD; Reg CNHC, AfSFH, MNCH, ABNLP, ABH, IARTT; BA Hons (London), PGCE (Cantab)
Sense-Ability Hypnotherapy & Coaching
jane@sense-ability.co.uk
+44 (0) 7843 813 883
www.sense-ability.co.uk
Online across the UK, Europe and across the USA
Glossary * - I think the terms are obvious to most but in case they are not: v**iting =vomiting; s**k = sick.