[mojo2]

In the film, "The Devil's Own," Harrison Ford's cop partner shot a guy and blew off half his face. It happened in the daylight. Later, after Ford and Brad Pitt are driving somewhere it is dark out and Ford is telling Brad about the circumstances of the shooting. He tells Brad, "Pull over, I think I'm gonna be sick..."

Ford has been a cop for 23 years and his getting sick was well after the event. I'm convinced it WASN'T due to the sight of the killing.

I've never been so affected by AN EMOTION that it caused me to vomit.

Is there a medical explanation of how and why a memory and/or an emotion can prompt vomiting?

Or is it just movie BS?

[RAzaRazor]

Yes.

[The iMac Man]

It's a movie....

[AB^2=BCxAC]

Were they just drinking? Maybe he's only queasy after a dozen pints.

[mojo2]

Originally Posted by AB^2=BCxAC

Were they just drinking? Maybe he's only queasy after a dozen pints.

<mojo2 thinks to himself, "but they are IRISH!!??!!">

[Pendergast]

Originally Posted by mojo2

In the film, "The Devil's Own," Harrison Ford's cop partner shot a guy and blew off half his face. It happened in the daylight. Later, after Ford and Brad Pitt are driving somewhere it is dark out and Ford is telling Brad about the circumstances of the shooting. He tells Brad, "Pull over, I think I'm gonna be sick..."

Ford has been a cop for 23 years and his getting sick was well after the event. I'm convinced it WASN'T due to the sight of the killing.

I've never been so affected by AN EMOTION that it caused me to vomit.

Is there a medical explanation of how and why a memory and/or an emotion can prompt vomiting?

Or is it just movie BS?

It actually depends of several factors.

1) What he ate before.
2) The stress level he is at
3) A combination of both.

A human being can take only so much tension. There will be a contraction of the muscles, and the higher the stress level, the mor overwhelming will be the contraction. There is also a need for the body to evacuate stuff that is ion the way. In situations of extreme intensity, the food cannot be processed because energy has to be diverted to other body areas; what you would spend on digestion is required elsewhere. On the otherhand, vomiting requires a lot of energy as well.

See this pdf document.

Also:

Home -> Management Resources -> HR Articles -> Stress Management

What is Stress?


We generally believe that the stress is caused by the external events and the dynamics of the environment. But we need to emphasis the fact that the Stress is caused by our reaction to the external environment. The manner in which we perceive and understand the changes or the particular event creates same event can bring happiness and cause Stress in two different people depending upon how they react to it. When students are asked to prepare a presentation, some may take it to be an opportunity to reveal their talents and to improve upon their weakness while the other students may be perturbed by it for the fear of his weakness. So, Stress is our reaction to external events and it can be positive or negative depending upon how we react. It is the general wear and tear of the body machine that takes place due to extra demands put on it.

We can define Stress as “ body's non-specific response to any demand made on it”. Stress is not by definition synonymous with nervous tension or anxiety. On one side Stress provides the means to express talents and energies and pursue happiness on the other side it can also cause exhaustion and illness, either physical or psychological.

Symptoms of Stress

As stated earlier Stress is caused by or reaction to the external events and bring about changes in our response and our general behavior. The presence of Stress can be estimated by the analysis of certain symptoms an individual shows. These symptoms can be divided into three different categories. They are Feelings, Behavior and Physiology. When the individual experience Stress, one or more of the following symptoms can be exhibited.

Feelings

The individual becomes anxious about the outcomes and is scared. The person feels that he has got something to loose or something wrong will take place.
In an anxious state the person does not want to be corrected or interrupted. He looks out for other areas where he can forget about the stress-causing event for a while. The person becomes irritable and moody.
During high level of Stress the individual develops a negative frame of mind and suffers from low self-esteem. The person loose faith in his capabilities and is afraid of the failures. The individual does not have a focused approach and is not able to concentrate and is involved in his own plans and thoughts.
Physiological and Behavioral Changes

Speech problems.
Impulsive Behavior
Crying for no apparent reason.
Laughing in a high pitch and nervous tone of voice.
Grinding of teeth
Increasing smoking and use of drugs and alcohol.
Being accident-prone
Perspiration /sweaty hands
Increased heart beat
Trembling
Nervous ticks
Dryness of throat and mouth.
Tiring easily
Urinating frequently
Sleeping problems
Diarrhea / indigestion / vomiting/ nausea
Butterflies in stomach
Headaches
Premenstrual tension
Pain in the neck and or lower back
Susceptibility to illness
Loss of appetite or over eating

In the case of Ford, the reaction came later because he realized then what happened, for reasons of his own, and then went completely stressed out.

So yes, it is really possible.

[ghporter]

I HAVE had emotional flashbacks that have come close to making me physically ill. It happens-and to people you might not expect to be affected. Most specifically, it can happen to people who have been overloaded by numerous and extreme emotional impacts over a long period of time. Being a cop for 23 years could certainly do that.

Further, in the situation described, the officer was not acting in the heat of the event. Instead, he was recounting a memory in enough detail to accurately explain the event. In other words, the second time around he was processing the situation instead of just living it-a VERY different thing indeed.

[mojo2]

Originally Posted by Pendergast

It actually depends of several factors.

1) What he ate before.
2) The stress level he is at
3) A combination of both.

A human being can take only so much tension. There will be a contraction of the muscles, and the higher the stress level, the mor overwhelming will be the contraction. There is also a need for the body to evacuate stuff that is ion the way. In situations of extreme intensity, the food cannot be processed because energy has to be diverted to other body areas; what you would spend on digestion is required elsewhere. On the otherhand, vomiting requires a lot of energy as well.

See this pdf document.

Also:


In the case of Ford, the reaction came later because he realized then what happened, for reasons of his own.

Pendergast, I must admit, I am absolutely impressed. Maybe, with this, I see your
'yin" where in the P/L only your "yang" shows.

[Pendergast]

Originally Posted by mojo2

Pendergast, I must admit, I am absolutely impressed. Maybe, with this, I see your
'yin" where in the P/L only your "yang" shows.

ghporter made a nice post as well. I could emphasize it further, but what is the point if you understand already?

[mojo2]

Originally Posted by Pendergast

ghporter made a nice post as well. I could emphasize it further, but what is the point if you understand already?

A second post which makes me wonder, "Who is the Pendergast who posts in the P/L? It must be a different bloke using his sig!"

[RAILhead]

[mojo2]

Originally Posted by RAILhead

[Fred_Cokebottle]

You can rule out BP impregnating HF.

[mojo2]

Originally Posted by Fred_Cokebottle

You can rule out BP impregnating HF.

Now that you've brought it up I find it difficult to rule it out.

[freudling]

I love the Ha! guy. He always peers out somewhere.

[Mister Elf]

It's great, isn't it?

[GranolaBoy]

And while we're on it, what's the science behind the 5 second rule? And does it apply to vomit?

[JoshuaZ]

Maybe he had just taken some bad drugs, and that made him sick. Or maybe he had some bad doughnuts.