Handle Emetophobia

Have you ever felt like saying the word  "throw up"  might somehow make it happen? Or found yourself typing  "unclaim"  in the comments of a TikTok, knocking on wood, avoiding certain words, or believing you've somehow jinxed yourself? If so, you're not alone. In this episode of  Handle Emetophobia , Katie and Ally explore  magical thinking —one of the most common (and misunderstood) compulsions i...

Traveling can be one of the biggest challenges for people with emetophobia. In this episode of  Handle Emetophobia , Katie and Ally talk all about traveling with emetophobia—from airplanes and airports to cruises, road trips, concerts, and vacations. They share the travel safety behaviors they used to rely on, how recovery has changed the way they approach trips, and why acceptance—not certainty—i...

What if people see? For many people with emetophobia, the fear isn't just vomiting—it's vomiting  in front of other people . In this episode of  Handle Emetophobia , Katie and Ally dive into the hidden relationship between emetophobia and social anxiety. They explore why public embarrassment feels so threatening, why many of us become hyperaware of what other people might think, and how fe...

What is it like to raise a child with emetophobia before you even know emetophobia exists? In this episode of  Handle Emetophobia , Katie and Ally welcome Ally's parents to share their perspective on her childhood, family life, and recovery. They talk openly about the early signs of anxiety, the accommodations they unknowingly made, the challenges of supporting a child with a phobia they didn&...

What happens when the people who love you most are accidentally helping your emetophobia stay alive? In this episode of Handle Emetophobia, Katie and Ally talk about family accommodations—the ways spouses, parents, friends, and loved ones can unknowingly reinforce emetophobia and OCD through reassurance, avoidance, other safety behaviors, and attempts to reduce anxiety. We discuss: • Reassurance-s...

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...

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 discu...

“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...

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, h...

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 bu...

The  waiting game  might be one of the hardest parts of emetophobia. You know the feeling— “Am I going to get sick?” “Is my kid going to throw up?” “How long until I’m in the clear?” In this episode, we talk about the anxiety-filled space in between—the  not knowing —and how it keeps so many of us stuck in the cycle of fear. We cover: Why countdowns and “safe timelines” don’t actually help The sub...

Welcome to  Handle Emetophobia  — a podcast about recovery, anxiety, OCD, and learning how to live without being ruled by fear. In this episode, we talk about the “Sunday Scaries,” the "Nighttime Scaries" (nighttime anxiety because of emetophobia), why anticipation often feels worse than reality, and community being a crucial component to recovery. We explore how fear builds, how safety...

In this episode of  Handle Emetophobia , Katie and Ally share some honest hot takes on recovery . From the pressure to “do ERP right” to the habits that quietly keep the fear going, this conversation gets into the real, messy side of emetophobia recovery. They talk about: why ERP can feel like it’s “not working” the difference between exposure and white-knuckling subtle safety behaviors that keep...

If you constantly think “am I gonna throw up?”… this is for you. This is the start of learning how to handle emetophobia—not avoid it. Welcome to Handle Emetophobia. This podcast is about recovery—not safety behaviors, not reassurance, and not finding ways to avoid getting sick. In this short intro episode, Katie shares what this podcast is all about and what you can expect moving forward. We’ll b...