Children with emetophobia often experience panic attacks due to their phobia. As a parent, it can be worrying seeing your child go through such intense distress, and you may feel like whatever you do is futile. In this week’s podcast, Rob and Michelle, who was a primary school teacher and assistant headteacher for many years and is now a Thrive Programme Coach, discuss steps you can do when your child with emetophobia experiences a panic attack. Understanding Panic Attacks and EmetophobiaPanic attacks are intense episodes of anxiety characterised by physical and psychological symptoms. For individuals with emetophobia, these attacks are almost always related to a belief they’re going to be sick.What causes panic attacks and how can you prevent them?The biggest misbelief is that panic attacks come out of nowhere and happen TO you, which only leads people to find them more terrifying. In actual fact people inadvertently ‘create’ panic attacks due to several factors: lack of coping skills, poor emotional management, a perceived threat and tunnel vision, all of which Michelle and Rob discuss in this podcast.5 Steps to help your child with a panic attackHere are Rob and Michelle’s practical tips for managing a child when they’re having a panic attack:1. Be a Calming Presence: When your child experiences a panic attack, it's crucial to remain calm. If you're feeling stressed or anxious, it will only exacerbate their panic. This can be hard to do - especially if they’re afraid of going to school and you’re going to be late for work, but the best thing you can do is stay calm. Imagine you’re on a bumpy flight and start to feel a little anxious - as soon as you see the flight attendants are calm you immediately feel calmer. 2. Avoid Invalidating Their Feelings: It’s easy to feel stressed and express that by being cross with your child, but telling them off will only make things worse. Avoid saying things like "you're being silly" or "it's not real." While the threat is indeed perceived and not real (they WOULD cope if they were sick), it's essential not to invalidate their feelings.3. Help them calm down: help them take deep breaths, suggest going outside in the garden or for a walk, or tell them a joke to distract them and make them laugh - for example, ‘oh look I did a silly thing I put my jumper on the wrong way,’ which momentarily distracts them from their panic.Find out more: https://www.emetophobiafree.orghttps://linktr.ee/emetophobiaConnect 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 wit...

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