Attacks of nausea in a crowded place. An important thing about vomitophobia or emetophobia is the fear of vomiting. How to help a loved one or friend who suffers from a fear of nausea

Hello. Almost three years ago I was diagnosed with VSD (high blood pressure). No one could understand why this was happening to me. Heart, kidneys, etc. - Everything is fine. And only I myself know why.

I am an overly impressionable person, I constantly overthink myself and invent fears.
The fact is that I am tormented by the fear of nausea, which is present almost constantly. This fear is absent only when I have no time to think about it.

I constantly drink Cerucal, Motilium, I’m afraid to eat something wrong, I only eat home-cooked food and God forbid anything fried. Because sometimes I think the nausea is due to my stomach, but he seems okay.

I don't know what to do I should worry about anything - By the evening I start to feel sick, I have an aversion to food and so on. At the same time, nausea does not end with vomiting, I am afraid of it and constantly take anti-emetic pills at the slightest attack of nausea.

Sometimes situations happen when I think about something bad, I even immediately start to break into a sweat, my hands and not only my hands shake. You feel slightly dizzy, and in the evening it also hurts, rapid heartbeat, weakness, loss of appetite and the worst thing - nausea appears. I take everything to heart.

I drank valerian for two months, motherwort for a month, afobazole for a month - all a waste of money and time. Due to stress, I developed mastopathy. I myself understand perfectly well that I just need to pull myself together. Take care of yourself and think about the future, and not about today's nausea.

This nervousness and constant “sickness” spoils everything for me: my studies, my personal life, my relationships with many people. And I’m only 18 years old, I’m studying and I want to start a family, give birth to a healthy child, but how can I plan a pregnancy... What if I have toxicosis, if even at the slightest thought of nausea I take pills for it. By the way, they don’t even help, I just convince myself that they help.
Thank you in advance.

Answer to the question.

Attacks of nausea during VSD.

If the nausea had an organic cause, then the pills would help remove it.

Of what you took, only Valerian tincture is worthy of attention, but you need to take it in a sufficient dose. That is, until now you have not received sufficient treatment with sedatives.

You will be very surprised When does nausea go away after starting psychotropic medications?. Your attacks are provoked only by overstrain of the autonomic nervous system. This is how the nervous system expresses its protest against your behavior, which it does not like.
And the symptoms that you describe during an attack are a clear example of a panic attack.

Everything that happens to you is the result of the fear of death, which you are afraid to admit to yourself.. When you stop noticing it and thinking about it, then the nausea goes away.

We need to start reconciling with him. First, read the article.
And be sure to visit a psychotherapist to prescribe adequate calming treatment.

Question for a psychologist:

Hello. My name is Elena, I am 31 years old, married, 2 children, a daughter 4 years old and a son 1.9 months old.

I have such a problem, I’m terribly afraid of nausea and vomiting, I’ve never had vomiting myself, so I don’t know how it is and I’m scared to death that this will happen to me... As soon as I feel something wrong in my stomach, I immediately start take tablets and drops just in case..

It all started a year ago when my mother and daughter were ill with the gastrointestinal flu, it was just terrible... my husband was with my daughter and I couldn’t, I was shaking with fear and felt sorry for her and was angry with myself that I couldn’t be with her .. that I am so weak... It was the most terrible night of my life. Right now I’m writing to you and tears are rolling down my cheeks...

Since then I’ve always been in tension, I’m afraid that it will happen again, maybe I’ll get infected in kindergarten and infect me, I can’t get rid of these thoughts, I drive them away from myself, but it doesn’t work. Recently my sister told me that her daughter was vomiting at night... and that’s all... as soon as I hear about this, my mood, appetite and all thoughts just about this disappear. Even on TV I can’t see or hear this, I switch it right away.

In the spring and summer I felt sick periodically, they sent me to check my stomach, they found bacteria, treated me with antibiotics and my stomach seemed to be healthy. I thought everything would work out, but no... the fear does not go away, it seems the problem is not in the stomach, but in the head. I wouldn’t want to take any serious medications in the form of antidepressants, maybe I can somehow get rid of this fear myself. I don’t tell my family about my problem, I’m ashamed... this is the first time I’m telling you what’s boiling over.

Help me get rid of this, tell me what to do? I want to live peacefully like before, I was afraid of this before, when someone was feeling bad at home, I would bury myself under the blanket and close my ears tightly so that, God forbid, I wouldn’t hear anything. But when everything was fine, I didn’t think about it, I lived calmly and enjoyed life, but now it’s some kind of obsession... it’s constantly spinning in my head. I convince myself that vomiting is a normal reaction of the body, that this happens to everyone at some point, but it doesn’t help, I’m terribly afraid... I think it’s easier to die than this...

Do you think this is a phobia? How can you fight this? Or do I still need to take courses from a psychologist?

Psychologist Yulia Vladimirovna Vasilyeva answers the question.

Hello, Elena!

I completely agree with you, your problem lies in your head, in the thoughts that scare you.

Nausea and vomiting are the body's natural defense reaction against bacteria and foreign bodies. Thanks to them, the body is able to protect itself. This is a healthy function of a healthy body. Therefore, there is no need to be afraid of this. The phenomenon, of course, is not pleasant, but necessary in order to PROTECT yourself. It’s bad when a person’s nausea and vomiting function does not work, which brings with it a number of additional problems. In your case, there is absolutely no need to be afraid because you can take the “smart” pill on time and it won’t even get to the point of vomiting and nausea, which is basically what you are doing.

How to overcome obsessive thoughts?

Firstly, you can overcome obsessive thoughts in a very simple way: replace them with affirmative thoughts, only of a positive nature. For example: “I’m not afraid of vomiting!”; “If I experience nausea and vomiting, I will take it calmly, because my body protects me!”; “Nausea and vomiting are temporary and keep me safe!” Such thought-statements can be written down on a piece of paper and spoken out loud in moments of fear and obsessive thoughts.

Secondly, with a strong-willed effort, prohibit these thoughts from attacking you. For example: “I won’t think about it!”, “I forbid obsessive thoughts from visiting me!”

Thirdly, if obsessive thoughts come to you, then this is a signal to fill your mind with positive and useful information. Read more and think about something good, useful and developing you.

Nausea is a very unpleasant condition that causes disgust in some especially impressionable people. Absolutely no one is immune from an attack of nausea and sometimes vomiting, which can occur for various reasons. This can happen to anyone, both at home and in a public place. Vomitophobia, oddly enough, is one of the ten most common fears in the world.

Fear of vomiting

Most people are averse to nausea and vomiting, not giving these processes much importance, while for some, even the thought that they may experience nausea, for example, on a bus or in a restaurant, is frightening and horrifying.

The fear of vomiting or nausea is called vomitophobia. Of course, being the center of attention, for example, in public transport because you feel sick or vomiting, is very unpleasant and even embarrassing. But for some people, even the thought of it is shocking and nauseating.

Symptoms of vomitophobia

People suffering from such an unusual phobia try not to appear in public places where many people gather, not to travel on public transport, and not to eat in cafes and restaurants. Such people are overly picky about the expiration date of food and almost never eat outside the home. They usually try to eat high-quality food that is familiar to them, so as not to get poisoned or cause an accidental vomiting attack.

Sometimes it comes to the point that a person refuses any food, and sometimes even thoughts about food can cause him an attack of nausea or vomiting. This behavior can sooner or later result in anorexia nervosa, in which the patient cannot eat normally. Women with vomitophobia are afraid of becoming pregnant, since this process is usually accompanied by toxicosis.

Causes of vomitophobia

The cause of such fears, as a rule, is some incident from the past when a person, for example, got seasick on a bus, and the act of vomiting occurred right in front of dozens of other people. At such moments, a person usually experiences fear of what happened, and to this feeling is added a feeling of shame. It also happens, for example, that a child witnessed someone vomiting and then started vomiting. If the child is impressionable, he could experience strong emotions of fear, disgust, rejection of such a situation and later fear that this could happen to him.

Treatment of vomitophobia

Treatment of fear of nausea and vomiting in public places usually takes place under the supervision of a psychotherapist. An experienced doctor first carefully studies the patient’s behavior and tries to establish the reasons that provoked such a phobia. Later, treatment begins, which is aimed largely at stabilizing mental and emotional states. In this case, the prescription of sedatives or medications that relieve attacks of nausea will not have an effect, since with such “symptomatic” treatment the person will not be able to overcome his phobia.

It is important that a person understands his role, the significance of his behavior in such situations and does not justify his fear by other people’s actions or reactions. When treating vomitophobia, Gestalt therapy is often used, as well as the “peeling the onion” technique, when the doctor asks the patient certain questions, which gradually put everything in its place, and the person can see his fears detachedly and objectively.

Vomitophobia is a problem whose seriousness many people doubt, but it is usually very difficult for a person to cope with it without the help of a psychotherapist.

What to do if a person has fear, fear of nausea and vomiting, and this leads to eating disorders and fear of food, weight loss, anorexia nervosa...

How to overcome the fear of nausea and vomiting

Good afternoon I’m 28, and I look terrible - my weight is 47 kg (3 months ago it was 64 kg). It all started with the fact that since childhood I have been afraid of nausea, I constantly check expiration dates, look at the compatibility of all products, I never even try new and unknown things. At one time I felt normal, I could even overeat and drink alcohol a little.

Can you tell me something? It becomes very scary and very disturbing. I can’t go anywhere, I avoid noisy companies, I close myself off. If someone from your loved ones wants to help with something, it causes terrible irritation. In this regard, there is a fear of getting pregnant, but I already understand what is needed.

For any person, an attack of nausea is unpleasant in itself; this is the body’s natural reaction to the ingress of toxic substances into it. Yes, it's stressful, but for some people, the feeling of nausea can cause uncontrollable fear. To the point of panic attacks...

Even the very thought of possible nausea causes horror and fear, and if this happens, he immediately begins to shake in panic. Tears pour out and my heart feels like it’s bursting out of my chest. Anything, any pills that block nausea, just to prevent this condition from developing, it seems that you are about to go crazy. What should I do and which doctor should I go to? Maybe I need to take some sedatives? Do you really have to put up with fear for the rest of your life? What if something is wrong with me and I’m crazy?

Escaping from oneself

For any person, an attack of nausea is unpleasant in itself; this is the body’s natural reaction to the ingress of toxic substances into it. Yes, it's stressful, but for some people, the feeling of nausea can cause uncontrollable fear. Up to the appearance of panic attacks.

In such a state, it is difficult to objectively think about anything else; all thoughts begin to serve fear. Vomitophobia, like any other obsessive fear, interferes with life, bringing a lot of trouble to the owner of an anxious state. It becomes difficult to visit any public places: metro, shopping centers, shops, etc. A person is haunted by a terrifying fear - what if I feel bad in a public place among thousands of eyes of strangers, and no one can help? In addition to the phobia of nausea itself, there is the added fear of experiencing shame.

It turns out to be a very unpleasant cocktail of obsessive states. General nervousness can lead to emotional exhaustion. All this makes it difficult to socialize and lead the usual rhythm for others - work, study, leisure. After all, any exit to the street, to the outside world, is potential stress. The state of panic also affects the eating habits; in the obsession to poison oneself, overeat or eat something wrong, a person generally loses the ability to adequately eat food, up to the possibility of developing anorexia nervosa and serious digestive problems. And for women, there is also the fear of pregnancy, because it is often accompanied by toxicosis and constant bouts of nausea.

Today, unfortunately, vomitophobia is one of the ten most common fears. So what should we do with her?

We are looking for exits

To overcome phobias and treat panic conditions, modern medicine offers a medicinal approach, but sedatives and antidepressants, while stopping the physiological manifestations of fear, do not solve the problem from the inside.

In psychology, there are various non-medicinal methods of working with fear - try to distract yourself and calm down, try to analyze the cause of the phobia, or even go the route of moving towards your fear. But for a person suffering from a phobia, who is running with all his might from confronting his own fear, meeting it halfway and simply calming down, especially at the moment of exacerbation, seems simply impossible.

Psychology explains the cause of vomitophobia as a consequence of experiencing a negative experience with an episode of public poisoning, but not always in the case of fear of nausea it was preceded by a similar precedent, so what then is the root of the appearance of such a peculiar phobia?

Looking to the root

System-vector psychology of Yuri Burlan shows that various phobias and obsessive fears are manifestations of a person in an unrealized state. Visual people are those who naturally have high empathic properties, due to which they are characterized by increased emotional sensitivity. If such properties do not find the right application in everyday life - in the profession or in communication with loved ones, and wherever emotional involvement is necessary, then the focus of the visual person’s attention shifts to fear.

Describing a similar problem, people suffering from vomitophobia confirmed that they have special sensitivity and impressionability:

“I myself am very impressionable, I take everything to heart. “What if I feel sick, what if I feel bad?” It has become problematic to travel by transport, walk alone, or speak in public (although I do this quite often). If you start to feel sick, you immediately shake.”
ArinaP (quote from the Internet)

“I am too impressionable a person, I constantly overthink myself and invent fears. The fact is that I am tormented by the fear of nausea, which is present almost constantly. This fear is absent only when I have no time to think about it. I constantly drink Cerucal, Motilium, I’m afraid to eat something wrong, I only eat home-cooked food and God forbid anything fried. Because sometimes I think the nausea is due to my stomach, but he seems to be fine.”
(quote from the Internet)

System-vector psychology reveals that fear is the opposite state from love. The ability to empathize with the emotional state of another is given to the visual vector for a reason. This unique property of indifference, due to feelings of compassion and love, is designed to reduce hostility between people.

But when the entire colossal sensory potential of a visual person, instead of helping others, is aimed only at worrying about oneself, then fear appears in various forms. And now the viewer is not a sane adult with a big heart, but a child with frightened eyes, running from fear, as from his own shadow.

Getting rid of a phobia has a chance to say goodbye to it forever

Don’t miss your chance, having known yourself, to finally forget what fear is.