Fear of Throwing Up.

I too spent my pubescent and teenage years terrified of vomiting and also of passing out. I went through a phase of fainting and it was usually preceded by intense nausea so I began to dread any situation which might cause me to faint (hot, stuffy places > crowded places > closed windows > closed doors = generalised anxiety and claustro/agoraphobia!) The next step is becoming reclusive and fearful of any social situation at all.

For years I could not go into shops, parties, restaurants, bars ... the crowds, the heat and the fear that I would not get out in time before I fainted / vomited precluded pretty much every kind of social activity that you are supposed to enjoy when you are a teenager. The thing was, I was not even aware of what was wrong with me - I believed that somehow it was my fault for having an overactive imagination and I did not discuss my fears with anyone until I had gone right to the brink and stopped eating, sleeping or going out at all.

Eventually, it began to recede but I would say I am still fairly phobic about crowds and enclosed spaces and as for being on a plane - the combination of factors there make flying an absolute torture for me!

Dave, up there, mentioned 'tapping': this does work if you put some faith in it. There is a good deal of information on it on the net so check it out. It helps calm me down before facing daunting hospital procedures or any kind of public speaking. And supkristen, you really need to try and keep up with your education, otherwise this phobia will have beaten you, and you don't want that. See if you can enrol in a small class eg adult evening class. Explain the situation to them - they are usually very keen, on adult learning courses, to help you overcome your particular problem.

I am so relieved by your responses. I did in deed look up emphotobia. As I read it tears streamed down my face. I finnally know whats wrong with me! What now? How do I overcome this?