The Language That Fuels Emetophobia and How to Change It

"Stop Talking To Yourself Like That." | Why Your Inner Voice Is Key to Beating Emetophobia

In this week's episode, host Michelle Johnson sits down with Theresa Saludo, an ex-emetophobe living in Sydney, Australia. Theresa shares the one thing that really changed things for her, and it wasn't more exposure to the thing she feared. It was learning to tackle the inner critic and get on her own team. Understanding the Critical Voice How many times a day do you think you put yourself down without even noticing? Not the big, obvious moments, the quiet ones. "I can't handle this." "I'm being ridiculous." "Everyone else can just get on the flight, why can't I?" For most emetophobes, that inner negative and judgemental commentary runs almost constantly. Theresa was no exception. She says she spoke down to herself all the time. She told herself she couldn't handle things like boats and flights and the people around her picked up on it too, quietly shielding her from anything that might scare her.  However well-meant this was from those people it sadly only confirmed Theresa's belief that she in fact couldn't cope.  In 2023, on holiday in Hawaii, the fear escalated further than it ever had before,  nauseous, anxious, and Theresa found herself completely unable to talk herself down. The Power of Self-Compassion Every time you criticise yourself for feeling anxious, every time you tell yourself you're "being pathetic" for panicking about nausea, you're lowering your self esteem. High self-esteem powers your ability to cope.  Theresa's explains her turning point, "I learned to be my own best friend and cheerleader," she says. She learnt to talk to herself  the way she'd talk to someone she actually liked. Here's the bit people get wrong: self-compassion isn't about wrapping yourself in cotton wool or avoiding discomfort. It's what actually gives you the resilience to face things head-on. "Instead of avoiding situations, I started to face them head-on, knowing I was capable of handling whatever came my way," Theresa says. Notice the order, the compassion came first, and the courage followed. Not the other way round. And crucially, she didn't need the fear to disappear before she could feel that way. "I realised that it was okay to feel scared, but I didn't have to let that fear control my life."  Being scared and being capable were never mutually exclusive. She just needed a voice in her own head that believed she was capable, instead of one telling her she wasn't. If Theresa had just white-knuckled more boats and more flights without touching how she spoke to herself in the process, she'd have been exposing herself to situations she found difficult while using a critical voice and telling herself she couldn't cope. That's not recovery, that's endurance and it doesn't hold. The self-compassion work is what changed the belief driving the fear in the first place, which is why she is now emetophobia-free and thriving! Find out more: https://www.emetophobiafree.org https://linktr.ee/emetophobia Connect with us at the links below: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emetophobiafree/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emetophobiafree TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@UCF6vCMhoF98TKKe7DKBlfgw  Thanks for watching :) ------------------------ Emetophobia is the fear of vomiting/sickness: either yourself, other people, or both. Research suggests 0.1 to 8.8% percent of the population have a fear of being sick (Hout & Bouman, 2011). Emetophobia is a debilitating phobia, which significantly impacts your life: sufferers are chronically anxious and go to great lengths to avoid encountering anything sickness-related, which provides temporary relief but often results in a rollercoaster of anxiety, fear and exhaustion. Issues associated with emetophobia include: OCD, eating difficulties, anxiety-related gastric problems, phagophobia, tocophobia and more. Our goal is to raise awareness of this severe phobia and provide a solution for sufferers and their families.   You do not need to live with Emetophobia - you can COMPLETELY overcome it. The Thrive Programme for Emetophobia (also known as Emetophobia-Free) is the single most successful and predictable method for getting rid of your emetophobia. It has helped over 20,000 emetophobes around the world overcome their phobia. You can study the programme at home by yourself wi...

'Being sick in public would be unbearable,' : Why social anxiety plays a huge part in Emetophobia

This episode highlights a common misconception around social anxiety. It is often thought socially anxious people are shy, reserved and likely to avoid public situations. When in reality social anxiety is often much more subtle.  Examples include: Dreading a phone call, rehearsing what you'll say at the checkout, worrying what others think of how you look, worrying you've said the wrong thing or come across incorrectly, tensing up before a meeting you've attended a hundred times... Social anxiety is overly worrying what other people think of you. Contrary to common belief you can be confident, bubbly and chatty but still have very high levels of social anxiety.  Todat's podcast guest Marta speaks candidly about how her social anxiety very much affected her emetophobia and how overcoming this fear of judgement, embarrassment and losing control in public allowed her to beat her Emetophobia. Alongside her coach Lisanne, Marta gives three clear pieces of advice for others tackling social anxiety when working to overcome emetophobia: 1. Challenge the belief before the situation. Interrogate the negative thought first. If you've told yourself 'People will think I'm weird if I have to leave early,'  Does it actually hold up? Where is the evidence? Do this work before stepping into the room. 2. Remember we focus on ourselves more than other people. When we're anxious, we can convince ourselves everyone noticed and everyone judged us. Practising the perspective of others (they're mostly thinking about themselves) quietly dismantles a lot of that. 3. Reflect on what went well.  Actively recall moments from the social situation that went well instead of focusing on what could have gone wrong shifts the evidence your brain is working with over time. The conversation also covers the link between your self-esteem and social confidence. If you build high self-esteem, you will by default lower your social anxiety. The concepts are inextricably linked and both are key building blocks of Emetophobia that need to be tackled in order to overcome this debilitating fear.  Huge thanks to Marta for taking the time to be with us on the podcast and share her valuable insights into an area of Emetophobia which has yet to be discussed in detail.  Find out more: https://www.emetophobiafree.org https://linktr.ee/emetophobia Connect with us at the links below: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emetophobiafree/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emetophobiafree TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@UCF6vCMhoF98TKKe7DKBlfgw  Thanks for watching :) ------------------------ Emetophobia is the fear of vomiting/sickness: either yourself, other people, or both. Research suggests 0.1 to 8.8% percent of the population have a fear of being sick (Hout & Bouman, 2011). Emetophobia is a debilitating phobia, which significantly impacts your life: sufferers are chronically anxious and go to great lengths to avoid encountering anything sickness-related, which provides temporary relief but often results in a rollercoaster of anxiety, fear and exhaustion. Issues associated with emetophobia include: OCD, eating difficulties, anxiety-related gastric problems, phagophobia, tocophobia and more. Our goal is to raise awareness of this severe phobia and provide a solution for sufferers and their families.   You do not need to live with Emetophobia - you can COMPLETELY overcome it. The Thrive Programme for Emetophobia (also known as Emetophobia-Free) is the single most successful and predictable method for getting rid of your emetophobia. It has helped over 20,000 emetophobes around the world overcome their phobia. You can study the programme at home by yourself wi...

I don't know who I would be without Emetophobia: Emetophobia and the Identity Crisis

This episode centres around the concept of Emetophobia forming part of a person's identity. Identity as defined by Erikson, E. H. (1968), is a coherent sense of self that develops over time.  Once a person has created Emetophobia, it can become all consuming very quickly so that many people start to identify as 'an emetophobe' and then struggle to understand or ever imagine who they could be without it. Research suggests the mean onset of Emetophobia is age 11 and, if left untreated, almost always continues into adulthood. Meaning by the time they seek treatment, many people have suffered for many years of their life and the fear becomes part of who they identify as.  As humans we have around 50,000 thoughts a day and for an emetophobia sufferer, around 45,000 of those thoughts are directly or indirectly linked to Emetophobia. This means that they start to perceive the fear as part of themselves; they are someone with Emetophobia or 'an emetophobe' rather than seeing the fear as simply something they are currently creating. Erin describes her journey with Emetophobia and how her identity was shaped by her struggle. Her parents introduced her as 'shy' and in her younger years she became friends with another girl who also suffered with Emetophobia and they created a shared sense of humour around their phobia.  At one point Erin struggled to foresee a version of herself without Emetophobia. However, as she worked through the Emetophobia-Free programme, she began to understand that her identity wasn't linked to Emetophobia.  Erin has now liberated herself from her 'emetophobe' identity.  Erin describes her identity now is an ex-emetophobe, a dance teacher and a thriving person! She now sees her identity as something that is never static, something to nurture, develop and grow and something she excited to keep exploring! She knows she can create whatever identity she wants for herself - she is the author of her own narrative! Find out more: https://www.emetophobiafree.org https://linktr.ee/emetophobia Connect with us at the links below: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emetophobiafree/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emetophobiafree TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@UCF6vCMhoF98TKKe7DKBlfgw  Thanks for watching :) ------------------------ Emetophobia is the fear of vomiting/sickness: either yourself, other people, or both. Research suggests 0.1 to 8.8% percent of the population have a fear of being sick (Hout & Bouman, 2011). Emetophobia is a debilitating phobia, which significantly impacts your life: sufferers are chronically anxious and go to great lengths to avoid encountering anything sickness-related, which provides temporary relief but often results in a rollercoaster of anxiety, fear and exhaustion. Issues associated with emetophobia include: OCD, eating difficulties, anxiety-related gastric problems, phagophobia, tocophobia and more. Our goal is to raise awareness of this severe phobia and provide a solution for sufferers and their families.   You do not need to live with Emetophobia - you can COMPLETELY overcome it. The Thrive Programme for Emetophobia (also known as Emetophobia-Free) is the single most successful and predictable method for getting rid of your emetophobia. It has helped over 20,000 emetophobes around the world overcome their phobia. You can study the programme at home by yourself wi...

Emetofobie overwinnen zonder exposure: hoe Sophie en Lisanne dit deden en nu anderen helpen

In deze eerste Nederlandstalige podcast over emetofobie delen Thrive Programme coaches Lisanne Prooij en Sophie Hintzbergen hun inspirerende verhalen over het overwinnen van hun extreme angst voor overgeven. Zij weten als geen ander hoe het is om met emetofobie te leven en niet volledig begrepen te worden door je omgeving. Lisanne ontwikkelde emetofobie op haar 15e. De constante angst voor buikgriep en voedselvergiftiging, overmatig handen wassen, en obsessief op letten bij eten maakten dat ze nooit echt kon genieten. Bij Sophie kwam de angst in vlagen vanaf haar 7e, maar pas tijdens haar studententijd - na een paniekaanval waarbij ze dacht te moeten overgeven - speelde emetofobie een steeds grotere rol in haar dagelijks leven. Sophie probeerde verschillende vormen van emetofobie therapie: cognitieve gedragstherapie (CGT), EMDR en zelfs exposure therapie, maar niets hielp echt. Reguliere emetofobie behandeling schoot tekort. Lisanne durfde niet aan haar ouders te vertellen over haar angst en zocht zelf hulp. Beiden vonden uiteindelijk The Thrive Programme en gingen er vol voor.  Sinds het volgen van The Thrive Programme zijn Lisanne en Sophie hun emetofobie helemaal overkomen. Niet meer nadenken over eten, rustig met het OV kunnen, op vakantie durven en ervan genieten, hoe het leven bedoeld is! Het leven zonder emetofobie is vrij van die constante zorgen en angsten die je stoppen om je leven te leven op de manier die je graag zou willen.  Kom met ons in contact: https://www.thriveprogramme.org/coaches/ [https://www.thriveprogramme.org/coaches/] Find out more: https://www.emetophobiafree.org https://linktr.ee/emetophobia Connect with us at the links below: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emetophobiafree/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emetophobiafree TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@UCF6vCMhoF98TKKe7DKBlfgw  Thanks for watching :) ------------------------ Emetophobia is the fear of vomiting/sickness: either yourself, other people, or both. Research suggests 0.1 to 8.8% percent of the population have a fear of being sick (Hout & Bouman, 2011). Emetophobia is a debilitating phobia, which significantly impacts your life: sufferers are chronically anxious and go to great lengths to avoid encountering anything sickness-related, which provides temporary relief but often results in a rollercoaster of anxiety, fear and exhaustion. Issues associated with emetophobia include: OCD, eating difficulties, anxiety-related gastric problems, phagophobia, tocophobia and more. Our goal is to raise awareness of this severe phobia and provide a solution for sufferers and their families.   You do not need to live with Emetophobia - you can COMPLETELY overcome it. The Thrive Programme for Emetophobia (also known as Emetophobia-Free) is the single most successful and predictable method for getting rid of your emetophobia. It has helped over 20,000 emetophobes around the world overcome their phobia. You can study the programme at home by yourself wi...

The Language That Fuels Emetophobia and How to Change It

How often do you tell yourself: “I can’t handle this” or “That would be absolutely awful”?  Once a day? Ten times? Every time you feel slightly nauseous? In this episode, Michelle Johnson and Samantha Marker explore how language quietly fuels emetophobia and how changing your words can begin changing your fear. Because your inner voice isn’t just background noise… it’s running the whole show.  Emetophobia isn’t maintained by physical sensations; it’s maintained by the meaning we attach to them. When nausea is labelled as “dangerous,” “unbearable,” or “a catastrophe,” the brain and body react accordingly. Over time, those repeated phrases become beliefs and beliefs shape behaviour. 👉 The Catastrophic Language Loop Many emetophobes don’t realise how extreme their internal dialogue has become. Words like 'always, never, unbearable, dangerous, worst-case scenario' creep in automatically. The brain hears those cues and responds with urgency. Anxiety rises. Physical sensations intensify. The language becomes more dramatic. And the cycle continues.The first step? Self-awareness. Noticing what you’re saying to yourself without judgement. Because you can’t change language you’re not conscious of. 👉 The Influence of Media & External Voices It’s not just your inner voice. Headlines, social media posts, and dramatic storytelling often distort and amplify perceived risk. Words like “outbreak,” “spreading rapidly,” or “highly contagious” can create disproportionate fear. When you’re already sensitive to sickness-related cues, this language hits harder. Learning to question these messages - and to respond with balanced, critical thinking -  reduces their emotional impact. 👉 Rewording for Resilience Rewording doesn’t mean forced positivity. It means accuracy. Instead of: “This is unbearable.” Try: “This feels uncomfortable, but I can cope.”Instead of: “I'd rather die than be sick.”Try: “Being sick is unpleasant and uncomfortable but it is temporary and it would pass.”  Your words shape your beliefs. Your beliefs shape your reactions. Change the language first - and the mindset will follow. Find out more: https://www.emetophobiafree.org https://linktr.ee/emetophobia Connect with us at the links below: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emetophobiafree/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emetophobiafree TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@UCF6vCMhoF98TKKe7DKBlfgw  Thanks for watching :) ------------------------ Emetophobia is the fear of vomiting/sickness: either yourself, other people, or both. Research suggests 0.1 to 8.8% percent of the population have a fear of being sick (Hout & Bouman, 2011). Emetophobia is a debilitating phobia, which significantly impacts your life: sufferers are chronically anxious and go to great lengths to avoid encountering anything sickness-related, which provides temporary relief but often results in a rollercoaster of anxiety, fear and exhaustion. Issues associated with emetophobia include: OCD, eating difficulties, anxiety-related gastric problems, phagophobia, tocophobia and more. Our goal is to raise awareness of this severe phobia and provide a solution for sufferers and their families.   You do not need to live with Emetophobia - you can COMPLETELY overcome it. The Thrive Programme for Emetophobia (also known as Emetophobia-Free) is the single most successful and predictable method for getting rid of your emetophobia. It has helped over 20,000 emetophobes around the world overcome their phobia. You can study the programme at home by yourself wi...