"When I first went to see David, I was at the point where emetophobia was affecting every part of my life. I was scared of eating because I thought food might be off even if I had just bought it. I would obsessively check sell by dates and I often missed out at social events such as barbeques and dinners out because I would order the ‘safe option’ of salad or soup while everyone else would go for the meat dishes. Chicken was off limits and before I started my hypnotherapy I had not eaten chicken for about 5 years. With David we worked on the fear that enveloped me whenever the thought of being sick or being around someone who had been sick recently would take over. Everything came to a head when a stomach bug was going around work and I was scared to even go into the office. With David, I learned so much. I gradually accepted what I never could before, that there was nothing to actually be scared of. I saw David for about 6 sessions.

When I arrived I was cynical, sceptical and I believed that this was the last straw and if this would not work, nothing would. He asked me if I believed that it would work and I said no. I was apprehensive about being under hypnosis and felt like I may feel I was out of control. But David talked me through every step. Under hypnosis, I discovered a number of things that had happened in my life that had contributed to my emetophobia. All of them were interlinked with fear for one reason or another, such as when I was eight and I had been sick in school. The teacher had not allowed me to go to the toilet and I had had to disobey her. My fear then was like my fear I was now fighting as a woman in my early twenties. I felt as if I was trapped and remembering under hypnosis the events that had led to my fears gave me the understanding of my phobia that I had needed.

A few weeks after I stopped seeing David, a close friend of mine was staying at my house and had food poisoning. Before my sessions I would have been terrified and stayed away; now I was close to him, offering him support and behaving the way I had always wanted to and that should be natural, to look after my friend. I now go out to restaurants and order whatever I feel like and I have a rational voice in my mind when I am not feeling well. I have accepted that illness is a part of life but not something that should take over. My life is so much freer now and I am lighter without this irrational fear taking me over."

O*****

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"I think I have made some good progress with many situations for example:

- I am not so anxious about going on a train late at night with the drunks
- I don't mind walking around hospital corridors
- I am calm and relaxed to give people alcoholic drinks if staying in my house and don't feel the need to water them down
- I am happy to travel in the back of the car (for a short time) sitting with other passengers even if the driver drives erratically
- I don't feel the need to have headphones and earplugs by my bed in case I hear something funny in the night (I will probably be asleep)

 

C*******

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LATEST NEWS ..... Due to the high volume of requests for information on the fear of sickness / emetophobia, David Samson will be running a series of lectures in Central London over the next few months. If you will like to attend, please click here. (Applications will be treated in the strictest confidence)