The Goal Is Not to Stay Safe | Emetophobia & Safety Behaviors | Handle Emetophobia Ep. 7

I Didn't Want Kids! | Being Afraid Of Having Kids Because Of Emetophobia | Emetophobia Recovery | Handle Emetophobia Ep. 8

Can you be a good parent if you have emetophobia? In this episode, Katie and Ally tackle one of the biggest questions many people with emetophobia quietly wrestle with: pregnancy, parenting, and raising children while living with a fear of vomiting. They discuss fears around morning sickness, labor, stomach bugs, sick kids, and the reality of how emetophobia can affect family life. They also share personal stories about pregnancy, motherhood, safety behaviors, mom guilt, recovery, and what happens when the thing you're most afraid of becomes part of everyday life. This is an honest conversation about fear, values, uncertainty, and why recovery matters—not just for you, but for the people you love. If you've ever wondered whether emetophobia should determine whether you have children, this episode is for you. Topics discussed: * Pregnancy and emetophobia * Morning sickness fears * Parenting with OCD * Stomach bugs and sick children * Safety behaviors in motherhood * Mom guilt and anxiety * Exposure and response prevention (ERP) * Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) * Recovery while raising kids Because the goal isn't to stay safe. The goal is to learn that you can handle life—even when it's uncertain. 💛 Join the HANDLE Community: https://handle.mn.co/ Dr. Max Maisel on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drmaxocd/ OCD SoCal: https://ocdsocal.org

The Goal Is Not to Stay Safe | Emetophobia & Safety Behaviors | Handle Emetophobia Ep. 7

In this episode of Handle Emetophobia, Katie and Ally talk about one of the biggest things keeping emetophobia and OCD alive: safety behaviors. From chewing gum, taking Zofran, avoiding situations, distracting ourselves, mentally preparing for worst-case scenarios, and trying to prevent nausea at all costs — we unpack the many ways fear convinces us we need these behaviors to stay safe. We discuss: * Safety behaviors and compulsions * Acceptance vs. control * Exposures vs. “experiments” * Parenting with emetophobia * Fear of airplanes, stomach bugs, and public vomiting * The placebo effect and anti-nausea medication * Why recovery requires willingness instead of certainty The conversation is honest, funny, emotional, and deeply relatable for anyone struggling with emetophobia, OCD, panic, or health anxiety. The goal of recovery is not to stay safe. The goal is to learn that you don’t need to be.

How To Start Recovery From Emetophobia | Episode 6

“How do I actually start recovery?” We’ve been getting this question constantly lately, so in this episode we sat down and talked honestly about what beginning recovery REALLY looked like for us. Katie shares what it was like realizing she’s now weaning off therapy after a year of ERP work, while Ally talks about just beginning OCD therapy and feeling completely overwhelmed by how big recovery can seem at first. We walk through: • the OCD/emetophobia cycle • triggers, feared stories, and safety behaviors • reassurance seeking and mental compulsions • why exposures aren’t usually the first step • how delaying compulsions helped us • the importance of values and finding your “why” • acceptance, uncertainty, and willingness • why recovery is uncomfortable… but worth it We also get very real about parenting with emetophobia, health anxiety, avoiding discomfort, and the fear of vomiting itself. And maybe most importantly: The goal of recovery is not to stay safe. The goal is learning that you don’t need to. If you’re feeling hopeless, overwhelmed, or unsure where to begin, we hope this episode helps you take your first step.

Emetophobia Got Me Fired! feat. Karl from Ireland | Episode 5

In this episode of Handle Emetophobia, we sit down with Karl from Ireland — one of the members of the HANDLE community — to talk about what recovery actually looks like in real life. Karl shares how emetophobia led to years of isolation, job loss, panic, avoidance, reassurance seeking, and dependence on anti-nausea medication. Then he walks us through a major turning point: starting a new job, hearing that multiple coworkers had been “wiped out” by the stomach bug, and choosing to STAY instead of RUN.  We discuss: * Cost-benefit analysis in recovery * Why avoidance doesn’t actually keep us safe * The hidden costs of safety behaviors * Acceptance, uncertainty, and values-based living * Recovery wins that feel impossible… until they happen We also laugh a lot about magpies, movie triggers, weird OCD logic, and why emetophobes somehow become experts at detecting when someone might throw up. If you’ve ever felt trapped by emetophobia or OCD, this episode is a reminder that recovery is hard — but staying stuck is harder. You can handle it.

You've Been Lied To! It's Not JUST Vomit! | Episode 4

There are a lot of misconceptions about emetophobia—and some of them might actually be keeping you stuck. In this episode, we break down the most common myths about emetophobia and what’s actually true when it comes to recovery. From the belief that it’s “just a fear of vomiting” to the idea that safety behaviors help or that you need a therapist to even begin healing—we’re unpacking it all. We bust some of the most common (and frustrating) myths about emetophobia, including:“It’s just the fear of vomiting”“Exposure therapy makes it worse”“Safety behaviors help”“You need a therapist to start recovery”“If you don’t eat, you won’t throw up”“You have to throw up to recover”“Emetophobia is rare” We also talk about why emetophobia feels like a constant, 24/7 fear, how nausea anxiety plays a bigger role than people realize, and what exposure therapy is really supposed to do. If you’ve ever found yourself avoiding foods, constantly preparing “just in case,” or feeling like you’re always waiting to get sick—this episode will hit home. The goal isn’t to stay safe. The goal is realizing… you don’t need to be. The OCD Stories - Doing an Exposure (ERP) vs. being exposed:https://youtu.be/UMGEfuOUs-w?si=ifj9-ibbMXm93lmsYour Anxiety Toolkit - Acceptance with Jonathan Grayson:https://youtu.be/8FTewvlg0TU?si=-WGtDSoKWslbdF0iKimberley Quinlan and Nathan Peterson - Recovery Without Therapy:https://youtu.be/GqwzgxUMVdE?si=mQ9IV7w31IyH7r7M