Hello everyone. I have anxiety and terrible emetophobia, which my daughter (age 11) has also had since the age of 4. We have struggled for years with the waxing and waning of anxiety - school is particularly hard for her because that is when kids are getting sick and she is afraid she will get it too. Summer is a great relief for her. Aside from feeling nervous all the time and panic attacks out of no where, she eats very little food out of fear of being sick and this has greatly affected her weight.
Anyway, after years of searching for alternative therapies and techniques, we have FINALLY found some success! (I am not a fan of antidepressants in kids as there are no long term studies of their effects and I didn't want her to learn coping skills in the presence of additional chemicals affecting her brain. We tried Prozac once with variable results.)
1. EFT - Emotional Freedom Technique, also called the tapping method. You look silly doing it, but it really works. Here is a link to the video that I learned from. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9l-VDOGqmd4
2. Counseling - This is something we have tried in the past a couple of times without success, but this time our new counselor has taught my daughter some breathing techniques and ways to control her thoughts. The breathing technique is simple - breathe in 4 seconds, hold 4 seconds, breathe out 4 seconds. She also taught her (us) to think of anxiety like a wave in the ocean - you think it will never settle out when it knocks you down, but it always does. She also suggested that she deal with it in 5 minute increments, meaning tell herself that all she needs to do is get through 5 minutes. Then another 5, and so on. I found this technique to be especially helpful for both of us. Anybody can get through 5 minutes. In fact, she used it in school one day and when she looked back at the clock to see if it had been 5 minutes, 20 had gone by and she was no longer anxious. She is also learning to differentiate her physical feelings as being anxiety or real illness.
3. Bach's Rescue Remedy Spray - This has been a LIFESAVER!!! All natural, OTC, even comes in little pastille candies. We tried similar homeopathic sprays in the past, without a lot of luck. This WORKS. Period. She keeps one at home, one at school in the nurse's office, and one in her bag. Two sprays and she is almost instantly better.
4. Hydroxyzine - My fellow nurses and medical professionals may know this is as Atarax, which is used to treat itching. Hydoxyzine is like an antihistamine that also works as a strong anxiolytic. We reserve this for when she is really having a hard time, but again, it WORKS! Bonus that it is not a controlled substance and non-habit forming. She is sleeping better, eating more and has improved in general. Her pediatrician prescribed it after I was reluctant to resume Prozac and it has been such a help. I wish she would've given it to her sooner.
5. Sitting outside - I know this sounds weird, but going outside to walk and get fresh air, or even just sitting in the garage helps take her mind off of it. We may look weird pacing in the driveway late at night, but hey, when you're desperate, you'll do it.
I hope these suggestions help you or your children as much as it has helped us. Nothing is perfect, nor will it "cure" her, and she still has bad days, but now we have ways to deal with it. We are looking into hypnotherapy and Reiki as well, as I have had some success with that in the past too. Every little bit helps!
~Kelly 