Emetophobia UK - David Kaneria

17/04/2026

There are three main ways we can react to a trigger. Two feed our emetophobia, one makes it better.

1) We can try and avoid it. This gives relief from anxiety in that moment. But it also stops us from seeing what would have happened if we faced our fear. So, we assume the worst would have occurred and feel we dodged a bullet. This only reinforces that the tigger was dangerous and so we remain afraid of it in the future.

2) We can use a safety behaviour. This again stops us from seeing what would have happened if we did nothing to prevent our fear. So, we assume that nothing bad occurred due to our safety behaviour. The trigger remains a threat and so we remain afraid of it in the future.

3) We can face our fear and do nothing to prevent our fears from occurring. This allows us to see if the trigger is in fact dangerous or safe. If nothing happens, we learn the trigger is safe and we are less afraid of it in the future. On the rare occasions the outcome is not positive, we can then learn to cope getting through hard times, rather than relying on avoiding them as a coping strategy. Either way, it allows us to change how we think about sickness and triggers.

Follow me for regular emetophobia content and check out my blog -> https://emetophobia.uk/blog

16/04/2026

Many of those with emetophobia also have OCD. Learn all about how ERP can help your OCD with my self-help guide. This book is based on my experience working in the NHS offering therapy for those with OCD. I have made sure it is incredibly easy to read, understand and provides a step by step guide on how to make sure ERP works for you. It contains information, tools, worksheets and a relapse prevention plan.

It can be found on amazon https://amzn.eu/d/09COHklM or if you prefer an e-copy you can get this from my webstore at a discount https://emetophobia.uk/store

15/04/2026

Weekly Q&A. Drop any questions you have emetophobia in the comments below.

14/04/2026

Why does it feel like you’re nauseous all the time?

It’s often due to a behaviour called Body Scanning. When we focus intensely on a sensation, the brain turns the volume up, making it feel way more intense than it actually is. This creates an anxiety loop that keeps the nausea coming back and makes your emetophobia worse.

The goal this week:

Notice the sensation but then
• Don't "zoom in."
• Get back to your life.

Your brain needs to learn that discomfort is not the same thing as a threat. You’ve got this!

If you want more tips on overcoming your phobia, check out my free emetophobia blog at www.emetophobia.uk

13/04/2026

Monday motivation time - Your weekly emetophobia task:

Going back to the purpose of anxiety, anxiety acts like a warning system of potential danger. Once a potential danger has been identified, our anxiety system is designed for us to fight or run away from the danger.

This makes a lot of sense for physical threats. For example, if you see a wolf, you have two options. running away or trying to fight it.
The problem is that humans have developed the ability to think about things that could occur in the future. This has allowed to us to extend this fight and flight response to future based threats. This comes in the form of avoidance (flight) or to try and “fight” the danger in advance by planning, preparing or taking steps to prevent it or reduce the consequences if it was to occur. We call these actions “safety behaviours”.

Safety behaviours are any action we take when anxious to prevent our fear from occurring.

So if safety behaviours are designed to prevent our fear happening, isn't that a good thing?

NO! They are the worst thing possible for your anxiety.

Safety behaviours act like a safety net to prevent your fear. While they seem harmless or even helpful, these behaviours actually feed your Emetophobia. This is because they can convince you that the worst would have happened if you did nothing to prevent your fear. This can create a never-ending cycle of fear and trying to prevent that fear.

Plan for the week: Test out 1 safety behaviour:

-Steps 1: Select one small thing you use as a safety behaviour that you can work on this week.

-Step 2: For that safety behaviour, reflect on how you think it is helpful (i.e. What it is preventing or doing for you). Write that down (e.g. Taking mints with me prevents me from being sick).

-Step 3: We can then test out how true that reason is by not using that safety behaviour is this week. This is important to see if the safety behaviour is actually working or lying to you.

-Step 4: Reflect on what happened and what that says about how needed the safety behaviour is.

PS. Expect a little bit of anxiety. You are dropping a safety net. It is okay to feel nervous.

12/04/2026

You’re not alone in your recovery. Everyone else is having both wins and struggles. Let’s check in to support, encourage and help each other.

Each week I’ll post this “Weekly Struggles” thread so you can:
• share what’s felt hard
• celebrate what’s gone well (even small wins count)
• choose one thing to try differently next week

If you feel comfortable, comment below and support each other with tips, praise or empathy.

Ps. Please don’t promote safety behaviours.

12/04/2026

What is emetophobia? Fear of vomiting explained

Emetophobia is a fear of vomiting that can affect every part of your daily life. Learn symptoms, causes, and how CBT treatment can help you recover.

11/04/2026

This week’s 'Monday Motivation' goal was to work on reducing body scanning.

I said how this behaviour only makes nausea worse, cause more anxiety and more thoughts about being sick.

So what have you learnt from trying to reduce this? What went well? What didn’t?

10/04/2026

The more you avoid ‘trigger content’, the scarier it starts to feel.

This starts to lead to a downward spiral:

•‘Trigger content’ → disgust → nausea → panic → more nausea.

Over time this can spread to ‘trigger content’ in your mind:

•‘Thoughts about being sick → disgust → nausea → panic → more nausea.

This makes both the world and your mind a scary and stressful place. However, this can quickly be undone with some practise.

Check out my free self-help page on how to do this: kaneria-cbt.com/self-help

09/04/2026

Children with emetophobia can find it hard to go to school or try new things. This book brings these fears to life with the story of Sophie, a girl scared of going on a school tip. The book contains advice, tips and a guide to overcoming your fears. All written to be understood for children aged 8+

Amazon Link -> https://amzn.eu/d/0g1bZbdx