Hypnosis for emetophobia (fear of being sick)

Emetophobia is an intense and persistent fear of vomiting, feeling sick or seeing someone else vomit. The fear may involve becoming ill, losing control, feeling embarrassed or being unable to escape. Because anxiety can cause nausea and digestive discomfort, worrying about vomiting can create some of the sensations you fear. This can form a cycle of monitoring, anxiety, nausea and further fear.

Emetophobia can affect eating, travel, social activities, work and family life. You may avoid particular foods, restaurants, public transport, alcohol, pregnancy, children or people who may be unwell. You might also check food dates, seek reassurance, carry medication or plan escape routes. These actions can reduce anxiety for a short time but may strengthen the fear over time. Speak to your GP if you experience persistent nausea, vomiting, abdominal symptoms, dehydration, unexplained weight loss or significant food restriction. It is important to identify and treat any physical condition that may be contributing to your symptoms.

Can hypnotherapy help with emetophobia?

The Bill Frost: Changing States practice provides emetophobia online hypnotherapy via Zoom and in-person hypnotherapy in High Wycombe. Sessions seek to reduce vomiting-related anxiety, change anticipatory worry and help you respond more calmly to nausea, food, travel and other feared situations.

Treatment begins with an assessment of how emetophobia affects you. Some people mainly fear vomiting themselves. Others are more concerned about seeing or hearing another person vomit. The fear may focus on nausea, contamination, illness, loss of control, embarrassment or being unable to reach help. Sessions are tailored to your personal experience and goals.

Clinical hypnotherapy reduces anxiety, changes frightening mental images, reduces anticipatory worry and rehearses calmer responses to previously feared situations. You remain aware of what is happening and in control at all times.

When appropriate, hypnotherapy will be combined with EMDR, CBH (cognitive behavioural hypnosis), NLP, gradual desensitisation and carefully planned exposure. Exposure does not mean that you will be made to vomit. It may begin with thinking about certain words, noticing bodily sensations, looking at mild images or undoing avoidance of foods and situations. Each step is discussed and agreed with you.

Obsessive / compulsive safety behaviours may also be addressed. These can include repeatedly checking food, avoiding certain colours or textures, carrying anti-sickness medication, seeking reassurance or sitting close to an exit. We may gradually reduce these behaviours so that you can learn to manage uncertainty without relying on them.

EMDR may be used when the fear is linked with a distressing memory of vomiting, illness, food poisoning, hospital treatment or seeing another person become unwell. Processing the memory seeks to reduce the emotional response triggered by reminders of the event. EMDR can also be used in the desensitisation process itself.

Emetophobia may occur alongside panic attacks, general anxiety, obsessive checking, contamination fears or restrictive eating. Therapy can address these related issues as required. These related issues may need different approaches and treatment is adjusted according to your needs.

📄 The free EmetQ-13 Emetophobia Questionnaire measures fear, avoidance and distress associated with vomiting. It can provide a useful starting point for discussing how the problem affects you. It does not provide a medical diagnosis.

📄 The free FQ Fear Questionnaire can help assess the severity and extent of phobic avoidance.

More about emetophobia

What is emetophobia?

Emetophobia is a complex specific phobia. It involves a level of fear that is greater than the actual risk presented by vomiting. You may recognise that the fear is excessive but still find it difficult to control. That is the irrational part of the response. The broader dynamic around vomiting is often quite complex:

The fear can involve:

• Vomiting yourself
• Seeing or hearing another person vomit
• Feeling nauseous or noticing digestive sensations
• Eating food that might cause illness
• Being somewhere without easy access to a toilet or exit
• Losing control or feeling embarrassed in public
• Becoming infected after contact with another person
• ...

Some people fear the physical experience itself. Others are more concerned about what vomiting might mean, such as becoming seriously ill, being unable to cope or being judged by others.

How does emetophobia develop?

Emetophobia may begin after a frightening experience involving vomiting, illness or seeing another person become unwell. It may also develop gradually without one clear starting point.

The original experience may become associated with particular foods, smells, places, bodily sensations or situations. Your nervous system may then respond to these reminders as though the original danger is happening again.

Children may also learn fearful responses from parents, family members or other people. In some cases stress, panic attacks, illness or increased sensitivity to bodily sensations or smells may contribute to the development of the phobia.

What maintains the fear of vomiting?

Emetophobia is often maintained by a repeating cycle:

1. You notice a sensation, thought or possible source of illness.
2. You interpret it as evidence that vomiting may happen.
3. Your anxiety increases and causes nausea, tension or digestive discomfort.
4. The physical sensations appear to confirm that something is wrong.
5. You avoid the situation, seek reassurance or use a safety behaviour.
6. The relief that follows reinforces the belief that avoidance kept you safe.

This cycle can cause the fear to spread. You may begin by avoiding one food and gradually restrict many foods. Avoiding one journey may develop into avoiding public transport, restaurants, holidays or leaving home.

How can emetophobia affect eating?

Some people with emetophobia limit the amount or type of food they eat because they fear food poisoning, nausea or feeling too full. You may avoid food prepared by other people, check expiry dates repeatedly or eat only a small number of foods that feel safe.

This is not necessarily linked with concerns about weight or appearance. However, severe food restriction can still affect nutrition, weight and physical health. Assessment by your GP or an appropriate eating disorder service may be required alongside psychological therapy.

What happens during treatment?

Treatment is collaborative and usually progresses through a series of stages, starting with hypnosis, with EMDR being used to help process trauma and to help in the desensitisation process.

During desensitisation you will not be forced to imagine or confront something before you are ready. The purpose is to help you build confidence, tolerate uncertainty and make appropriate choices without the phobia controlling your life.

Related emetophobia research and reading

Harbor, M. S., Harvey, K. and Jenkins, P. E. (2026) Treatment interventions for emetophobia: an extensive scoping review. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 198, 151-164.

This review examined therapeutic approaches used to treat emetophobia. Cognitive behavioural therapy was the most frequently studied approach. The authors also identified a continuing shortage of larger controlled studies.

Meule, A., Seufert, L. and Kolar, D. R. (2025) Emetophobia (fear of vomiting): a meta-analysis. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 114, 103053.

This meta-analysis brought together findings from 31 research reports. It found that emetophobia commonly begins during childhood and often occurs alongside other anxiety or emotional difficulties.

Keyes, A., Gilpin, H. R. and Veale, D. (2018) Phenomenology, epidemiology, co-morbidity and treatment of a specific phobia of vomiting: a systematic review of an understudied disorder. Clinical Psychology Review, 60, 15-31.

This systematic review examined the features, associated difficulties and treatment of emetophobia. It described the condition as potentially persistent and disabling, with avoidance affecting eating, travel, relationships and everyday activities.

Riddle-Walker, L. et al. (2016) Cognitive behaviour therapy for specific phobia of vomiting (emetophobia): a pilot randomized controlled trial. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 43, 14-22.

Twenty-four participants were allocated to either 12 sessions of cognitive behavioural therapy or a waiting-list condition. The CBT group showed greater improvement than the waiting-list group.

Boschen, M. J., Veale, D., Ellison, N. and Reddell, T. (2013) The emetophobia questionnaire (EmetQ-13): psychometric validation of a measure of specific phobia of vomiting. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 27(7), 670-677.

This study developed and evaluated the EmetQ-13 questionnaire. The measure was designed to assess vomiting-related fear, avoidance and distress.

Veale, D. (2009) Cognitive behaviour therapy for a specific phobia of vomiting. The Cognitive Behaviour Therapist, 2(4), 272-288.

This clinical paper outlines a cognitive behavioural understanding of emetophobia. It discusses monitoring bodily sensations, frightening interpretations, avoidance, reassurance and safety behaviours.

Wijesinghe, B. (1974) A vomiting phobia overcome by one session of flooding with hypnosis. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 5, 169-170.

This early case report described hypnosis used alongside intensive imagined exposure.

McKenzie, S. (1994) Hypnotherapy for vomiting phobia in a 40-year-old woman. Contemporary Hypnosis, 11(1), 37-40.

This case report described the use of hypnotherapy with an adult experiencing vomiting phobia.

de Jongh, A. (2012) Treatment of a woman with emetophobia: a trauma focused approach. Mental Illness, 4(1), 10-14.

This case report described the use of EMDR to process distressing memories associated with emetophobia. Four sessions were followed by a reported reduction in symptoms that was maintained at a three-year follow-up.

Begum, M. (2023) EMDR therapy in specific phobia of vomiting. Journal of EMDR Practice and Research, 17(4), 239-249.

This paper discusses the clinical features of emetophobia and describes the use of the standard EMDR protocol with the flash-forward technique. It supports considering trauma-focused work when distressing memories or frightening predictions appear central to the phobia.