Jane was a 30-year-old female with a severe anxiety around vomiting, particularly if someone was sick in front of her. This was a long-standing anxiety which had developed in childhood and had gradually impacted more and more on her daily life. When we met Jane, there were several elements of the anxiety that were affecting her and her Family.  

Jane worked in the healthcare sector and had to change jobs so that there was no possibility of her encountering vomit during her working day (moving away from a clinical role). She was hypervigilant when outside the house in case someone looked pale or ill or as if they were going to vomit. There were scenarios where this hypervigilance and anxiety were more pronounced. For example, when eating out in a restaurant with family she had safe foods she could eat to minimise the risk of herself being sick and she preferred eating out before evening time.  

In the evening, she felt there was more chance of people drinking alcohol and being sick. She also could not travel by public transport in the evening as again there was more chance of people having drunk alcohol and therefore more chance of them being sick. This had a big impact on her ability to socialise with friends and family. She would become extremely anxious if there was a sickness bug at her child’s school in case her child was affected. If there was vomiting involved, she could not take care of her daughter, and her partner would step in – this situation Jane found distressing. The worst situation would be to be trapped somewhere when someone was being sick. Therefore, being on public transport (buses, trains, underground) or particularly flying were huge trigger points for Jane. Her partner’s family lived a plane ride away so not being able to fly was a big problem, as well as curtailing family travel for holidays.  

Over her four sessions in the studio, she gradually worked through her four scenarios. Her therapist worked with her at all stages to help her to practice managing her anxiety and to talk through her thoughts in different scenarios. Her partner was able to watch the treatment taking place in an adjacent room. By the end of the fourth session, Jane was able to sit comfortably in front of the scenes, with an avatar being repeatedly sick on an airplane. She left the fourth session feeling confident that she could manage the sound and sight of someone being sick.  

We checked in with Jane 8 weeks after her last session. She described the treatment as having ‘changed her life’. She now felt she could travel freely on public transport and while not completely anxiety-free she was confident managing these situations using the techniques she had learned during treatment. She has been out to eat socially in the evening with both friends and family with minimal anxiety. She has been on a night out in a busy town environment in the evening which she could not have managed before.  

The family have booked two flights for two family holidays in the next few months. Jane feels confident she can manage these two flights, and it will be the first family holiday with grandparents they have had in many years. Her family too are confident she can manage these environments which she could not do in the past. 

*** when referring to our clients, we use the names Jane and John, these are not their real names, we do this to protect their identity and privacy.