5 top tips for parents supporting a child/teen through the Emetophobia-Free Programme

Caitriona’s daughter, Cara, started showing signs of Emetophobia when she was just 8 years old. After trying multiple different therapies they came across the Emetophobia-Free Programme.

Caitriona got fully involved in her daughter's recovery, completing the programme alongside her so that she would support as much as possible. Caitriona was so blown away with the transformation in Cara she wanted to reach out to other parents currently supporting their child to offer advice and guidance on their journey to helping their young person overcome Emetophobia.

5 top tips for parents supporting a child through the programme.

1. Understand the Thrive Programme and how it works
Understanding the programme and how it works is vital. Cara’s whole family took the time to understand the programme fully and the skills were learned and applied by the whole family which enabled them to resonate with the entire process and model effectively for Cara.

2. Reassure your child that they are not alone, and that they have your full support
Emetophobe’s often feel isolated as a result of their phobia. Reassure your child/teen that their phobia will get better, and that they will return to/create a  'normal' life once she overcame it. 

3. Be patient and understanding
Emetophobe’s are often perfectionists with a number of unhelpful thinking styles. Cara was continuously reassured by her parents that overcoming this phobia wouldn’t happen overnight. She was reminded that repetition and consistency was key. 

4. Use the correct language 
Make sure the language you are using is empowering and not collusive e.g. ‘You know you’ll be okay, and you can cope even if you are sick!’ In Caitriona’s words, ’Learning the language was the one of most important parts of the programme’ 

5. Praise your child and acknowledge their progress, reminding them that they have done this themselves
Cara was consistently reminded of the effort she was putting in and the progress she had made. Her parents reminded Cara to process the positives, despite not necessarily feeling much achievement in herself. Every small step achieved by Cara was acknowledged by her parents, and they continue to do so to this day!

Find out more: https://www.emetophobiafree.org
https://linktr.ee/emetophobia

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Thanks for watching :)

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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 wit...