Goal 15: Be okay seeing vomit or thinking about vomiting
Does your child worry that they or someone around them might vomit?
Choose this goal to help your young person learn to overcome their worries about vomiting.
Challenges in this goal:
Imagine yourself seeing some vomit
Look at photographs of people feeling sick and of vomit
Watch a video of somebody vomiting
OUT OF GAME:
Practise making dry heaving or retching noises
Make fake vomit (sour milk + vinegar + chunky soup)
Pour fake vomit into the toilet or rubbish bin
Watch someone else pour fake vomit into the toilet or rubbish bin while making retching noises
Pour fake vomit into the toilet or rubbish bin while making retching noises
If your child is struggling with out of game challenges:
The early / easier challenges are just as important as the later/harder ones. Don’t be tempted to overlook them as too easy. Doing those challenges sets children up to believe they can do this.
Ask your child how they think they could customise these. They often have creative ideas!
Don’t worry if one of the earlier challenges seems harder for your child than some of the later ones. All children are different.
As a parent, have a think about the ultimate goal, and whether you’re happy for your child to get most of the way through and anything extra is a bonus. For example, you might be happy to see your child stay at home while you nip to the shops for an hour, or perhaps being able to go places where there might be insects but not necessarily needing to hold a big spider.
Children often benefit throughout all the challenges by using the breathing techniques they’re taught in the “imagine” challenge. Remind them to relax and take slow, deep breaths at the start of each challenge.
Make it fun! For example, if your young person is worried about being in the dark, let your child put you in a dark room for a bit and see how you cope.
Customising out of game challenges
CHALLENGES: 4-8
4. Practise making dry heaving or retching noises
Ways to customise this challenge: Start quietly for a short time.
If your child is finding this challenge worrying, ask them to start by coughing quietly.
Then encourage them to make one short, quiet retching noise. Gradually increase the time until they can make noises for a minute or two.
You can encourage your child by saying:
“I know you’re worried, and that’s ok. I think you can do it anyway!”
“I’m proud of you for giving it a try. You’re being really brave!”
Tips: Modelling positivity about vomit can be really helpful for your child. Try to stay calm when they feel anxious. Be sure to hide your own anxiety or disgust about vomit whenever possible. Avoid constantly reassuring your child - if they ask you if something will make them vomit, it’s ok to tell them “I don’t know!” and encourage them to try it anyway. And if you are ill and vomiting, try not to make a big deal about it. Help your child understand that vomiting is their body’s natural way of getting rid of something it doesn’t want or need. It’s actually quite healthy!
5. Make fake vomit (sour milk + vinegar + chunky soup)
Ways to customise this challenge: Start with just 1 or 2 ingredients.
If your child is finding this challenge worrying, start by just dumping soup in a bowl and having them look at it.
When they’re ready, they can slowly add other ingredients and build up to mixing them together.
You can encourage your child by saying:
“It’s normal to be worried. You can be brave enough to do this!”
“Vomit is a totally normal thing. I know you’re worried, but I know you can do it anyway!”
Tips: Modelling positivity about vomit can be really helpful for your child. Try to stay calm when they feel anxious. Be sure to hide your own anxiety or disgust about vomit whenever possible. Avoid constantly reassuring your child - if they ask you if something will make them vomit, it’s ok to tell them “I don’t know!” and encourage them to try it anyway. And if you are ill and vomiting, try not to make a big deal about it. Help your child understand that vomiting is their body’s natural way of getting rid of something it doesn’t want or need. It’s actually quite healthy!
6. Pour fake vomit into the toilet or rubbish bin
Ways to customise this challenge: Start with a small amount.
If your child is finding this challenge worrying, start by asking them to quickly dump a small spoonful of fake vomit.
Gradually increase the amount until they can more slowly dump a whole bowl into the toilet or bin.
You can encourage your child by saying:
“Vomit is gross, but it’s actually a healthy thing for your body to do and it can’t hurt you!”
“I know you’re brave enough to give this a try. You can do it!”
Tips: Modelling positivity about vomit can be really helpful for your child. Try to stay calm when they feel anxious. Be sure to hide your own anxiety or disgust about vomit whenever possible. Avoid constantly reassuring your child - if they ask you if something will make them vomit, it’s ok to tell them “I don’t know!” and encourage them to try it anyway. And if you are ill and vomiting, try not to make a big deal about it. Help your child understand that vomiting is their body’s natural way of getting rid of something it doesn’t want or need. It’s actually quite healthy!
7. Watch someone else pour fake vomit into the toilet or rubbish bin while making retching noises
Ways to customise this challenge: Don’t make retching sounds.
If your child is finding this challenge worrying, ask them just to watch you pour the fake vomit first. They can start by standing far away and making very quiet retching sounds.
Gradually ask them to get closer to you while you pour the vomit and to make louder retching sounds.
You can encourage your child by saying:
“Let’s think about all the progress you’ve made already. You’re doing such a great job!”
“I’m proud of you for giving it a try. You’re being really brave!”
Tips: Modelling positivity about vomit can be really helpful for your child. Try to stay calm when they feel anxious. Be sure to hide your own anxiety or disgust about vomit whenever possible. Avoid constantly reassuring your child - if they ask you if something will make them vomit, it’s ok to tell them “I don’t know!” and encourage them to try it anyway. And if you are ill and vomiting, try not to make a big deal about it. Help your child understand that vomiting is their body’s natural way of getting rid of something it doesn’t want or need. It’s actually quite healthy!
8. Pour fake vomit into the toilet or rubbish bin while making retching noises
Ways to customise this challenge: Make quiet retching sounds with a small amount of vomit.
If your child is finding this challenge worrying, ask them to start by quickly dumping a spoonful of vomit into the toilet or bin while they make a very quiet retching sound.
Gradually increase the amount of vomit and the volume of the retching sounds until they can more slowly pour the whole bowl while making loud sounds.
You can encourage your child by saying:
“It’s ok if you still think vomit is gross and worrying. You’re brave enough to face your fears!”
“Think about how much you’ve learned from these challenges. Even if it feels bad, you know you can do it anyway!”
Tips: Modelling positivity about vomit can be really helpful for your child. Try to stay calm when they feel anxious. Be sure to hide your own anxiety or disgust about vomit whenever possible. Avoid constantly reassuring your child - if they ask you if something will make them vomit, it’s ok to tell them “I don’t know!” and encourage them to try it anyway. And if you are ill and vomiting, try not to make a big deal about it. Help your child understand that vomiting is their body’s natural way of getting rid of something it doesn’t want or need. It’s actually quite healthy!
Common questions
How much anxiety should I expect?
It’s normal for your child to feel worried - it’s important for them to try each challenge anyway.
Your child should do each challenge until their anxiety goes down by half. If they start at 8/10 worried, they should keep at it until they only feel 4/10 worried.
You can ask your child how they’re feeling and to rate their level of worry throughout each challenge. Encourage them to keep at it until their worry goes down so they learn how to cope!
What if my child is too worried to do a challenge?
It’s normal for your child to feel worried - remind them you believe they can do it anyway!
If your child experiences physical symptoms of anxiety (fast heartbeat, sweating, tummy ache), take a break and remind them to take deep breaths.
Praise your child for being brave enough to try a challenge!
Tell them you can try again tomorrow - it’s important to try this challenge again soon. If they keep avoiding the same challenge, they will learn that their anxiety is too scary to overcome. Encourage them to give it another go soon so they can learn how to cope with feeling worried.
If your child needs to keep practising to build their confidence first, they can choose previous challenges to repeat.