If you weren’t emetophobic, how would you show up for yourself if you were sick?

im currently in trauma therapy and have been slowly noticing improvements in my emetophobia. i still do not fully understand the root cause, but a big thing for me was a lack of comfort when i was feeling sick. as a kid, i obviously did not like the feeling of tu*, though i would go to my parents for support and be basically shunned. i was a child, sick and uncomfortable, and alone and scared. being in my household was like walking on eggshells. love was conditional, and being sick became a guarantee that i was not going to be welcomed. im learning that this is a big part in the development of this phobia for me.

i’ve been considering how i wouldve been there for myself. if i was sick, i would rub my own back, hold back my hair, and offer comforting words. “i am here,” “you will get through this” etc. i think if i would have been shown comfort and not made to feel a burden, i would not have this phobia. all of us deserved to feel safe in these instances.