Emetophobia is the fear of vomiting or watching others vomit. For some, even anticipating vomiting can lead to them feeling anxious and panicky.

The treatment for emetophobia is different to other phobias, it can’t be done in simply a few sessions like other phobias.

Other phobias cause fear and panic but normally only when people come into contact with the thing or situation that causes their fear such as spiders, dentists, getting on a plane.

Emetophobia can feel so complex as the fear and anxiety is continuous. It can be debilitating seriously impacting the way people lead their life. Often people find they are nervous about seeking medical help as they don’t like being around anyone who is sick or might be sick. People often refuse to go to pubs, clubs and out and about. They are nervous of eating all or some foods in case they make them sick.

When the phobia is really intense, it can really impact everyday life. Normal things like eating out, travelling, visiting friends or family, attending medical appointments are all seen as potential issues. This can lead to intense anxiety and panic disorders, sometimes leading to depression, and in severe cases agoraphobia, OCD and social phobias.

Hypnotherapy can help by first of all starting to reduce the anxiety, by helping to ease the fear response back to normal levels. I don’t go back and analyse why this fear has developed. We look for small steps to help the client move forward (even before we do hypnosis). As it’s a complex condition, it can take a period of time to resolve this issue. Working on a weekly basis, clients begin to notice that their general stress levels start to subside and the anxiety about vomiting will lessen until finally it’s no longer a worry.

Please get in touch if a fear of vomiting is ruling your daily life. It’s a debilitating phobia and can be helped by hypnotherapy. I’m always happy to have a quick chat over the phone. My initial consultation is free and online so you don’t need to commit until you’ve met me and heard about how I can help.

Have you considered looking at other options that might help you?

IBS or Irritable Bowel Syndrome is actually really common. The symptoms can be unpleasant and can also effect your daily life. Many people find themselves housebound, or at least planning their commute/trips or journeys around toilet availability. Some can find that their bloating is so bad that their clothes can be uncomfortable. It can impact your social life too as certain foods or alcohol may make your IBS worse.

Many IBS sufferers find their symptoms worsen during times of stress or when a life changing event happens such as moving house, getting divorced, suffering a bereavement or during work issues.

It’s always important to get your IBS symptoms checked by a medical professional so that they can exclude any other possible causes. Your GP will then decide on the best course of action for you, sometimes this will include medication or change of diet.

Various studies have shown that reducing stress and anxiety can help improve IBS symptoms. Professor Whorwell a gastroenterologist at Wythenshawe Hospital, Manchester, actually runs a hypnotherapy clinic for IBS patients. A study by Professor Whorwell showed that patients treated with hypnotherapy improved. Before the treatment, 65 % had severe IBS pre-treatment with the remaining 35 % having moderate IBS. After the Skype hypnotherapy sessions, 25 % of were classed as having severe IBS, 40% moderate IBS and the remaining 35% mild IBS.

So, if you interested in learning more about how Solution Focused Hypnotherapy could help you manage your IBS, please get in touch. I’m always happy to have a quick chat over the phone. My initial online consultation is free. All my sessions are done online so you can be in the comfort of your own home.

People always ask me if the hypnotherapy that I do is the same as what they’ve seen on stage or on TV and the answer is simply no! Also, I don’t swing a watch in front of your face to hypnotise you. There are many other questions that people ask about hypnotherapy, so I thought I’d cover a few of them here.

Many are concerned that they won’t be able to come around after being hypnotised. This isn’t something to worry about, you can’t get ‘stuck’ during trance (hypnosis) you are fully in control of your mind throughout this relaxation technique. Some clients may take a while to open their eyes once we finish but that’s simply because they are feeling very relaxed.

Equally, I’m not in control of your mind so I can’t make you do anything that you don’t want to do. While it is true that during trance, we are more open to suggestions, if I did suggest something that clashed with your innate beliefs or values your brain would simply ignore it. So, what you see in a film where an assassin can be activated by a trigger word simply can’t happen in real life even if it does make for a good story.

I’m often asked if you can only need one session of hypnotherapy to solve an issue. Some therapists claim they can help a client in one session however once you understand how our brains work, it takes time and effort to retrain the brain. A specific phobia therapy can take 4 sessions, but other general therapy takes more sessions. Interestingly, stopping smoking is the only time that we would use a one-off session and that is essentially a double session as it takes anywhere between 90 mins to 2 hours. However, the client needs to be sufficiently motivated to want to stop, they shouldn’t be doing it because a family member wants them to do it. Trance helps to reinforce the client’s decisions, directing them towards smoking cessation.

Are there people that can’t be hypnotised? No, but I suppose that some think this is true as for stage hypnosis the stage entertainer is looking for people who they can quickly get into an instant hypnotic trance. The trance that we use doesn’t need to be instant, we guide clients into a relaxed state of focused attention and all clients will find that they relax during this process, a bit like day dreaming.

Another myth is that hypnotherapy is all about mind control. It’s not exactly that, as I’ve mentioned, I’m not in control of your mind during trance, I can’t make you do things you don’t want to do. What I can do for clients is help them to understand how our brains work so that they can learn how to essentially take control of their brains for themselves.

Is hypnotherapy only for people that want to give up smoking or have issues with their mental health? Yes, Solution Focused Hypnotherapy can help with both of those but that’s not all. It’s effective in dealing with other issues such as insomnia, sleeping too much, OCD, fears and phobias, low self-esteem and confidence. It can even help with sports performance.

So, what is the difference between Solution Focused Hypnotherapy (SFH) and just hypnosis? SFH includes talking therapy alongside hypnosis. The ‘therapy’ part includes understanding how our brains work and then helping a client identify their preferred future and steps on how to get them there. The hypnosis (trance) element works with the talking therapy allowing the client’s subconscious to work on what we have discussed without the intrusion of our busy thinking brain.

People also want to know if I use hypnosis to go back into their past. I don’t, Solution Focused Hypnotherapy is all about looking to the future and finding solutions for the client, there isn’t any looking back into the past. Infact, people are often surprised that I don’t need them to talk about the problem that brought them to me in the first place!

Hopefully this has covered a few myths about hypnotherapy, and I’ve helped you to understand better how it can help people.