I suffered from emetophobia and health anxiety from the age of 13 following a traumatic experience. This affected my social life and my IBS. My preoccupation with this controlled a lot of my thoughts and my behaviours. Throughout the sessions with Sarah I have learned how to control my worry about this using metacognitive therapy (MCT).

EMDR helped me to unpick the traumatic experience in a subtle way and it didn’t feel overwhelming. I had initially felt hesitant about doing it for fears that it would rip a plaster off and open up lots of unpleasant memories in the session, which didn’t actually happen. The DBR was fascinating, gentle and calming. It helped me to process things in a subtle way. I want to say it felt “non-invasive” and unconscious.

Throughout the time I saw progress in my ability to travel, see friends and go out for meals. As I controlled my worry and managed my anxiety, my IBS symptoms eased.

(Female, aged 22, in person therapy, April 23)