The causes of nausea and vomiting are varied. From overindulgence in alcohol, motion sickness or viral infections. Nausea almost always precedes vomiting, followed by dry heaving and projection. The process of vomiting is the bodies’ indication to avoid any known substance or situation that may have caused it in the first instance.
1st stage: Nausea
The rear of the brain houses the vomiting centre and receives messages from the stomach, gag reflex and others organs. The brain then takes the data and prepares 
the body to react to the toxin or other external event.
Stage 2: Dry Heaving
Retching, or dry heaving, is that horrible feeling where it seems you might want to vomit but don’t always pass any contents of the stomach. It is nearly impossible to have any control over the body’s effort to dry-heave. Your abdominals and respiratory system continually contract, forcing gastric acids into the esophagus.
Stage 3: Expulsion
It is not until your body rests during the dry heaving stage, where the acids are refluxed back into the stomach, that the contents of the stomach are able to be expelled through the mouth.
Projectile Vomiting
Occasionally the body won’t go through these three stages, but rather straight to what is called “projectile vomiting”, with no prior warning. This can often occur after witnessing a tragic event or after ingesting a highly toxic substance.
Why you should never prevent your body from vomiting
When you vomit, it is your bodies’ natural cleansing process of trying to eliminate unwanted matter from its system. There is no use in fighting your body against vomiting and the best advice is to let the contents of your stomach come up. It is much easier to vomit when you have a full stomach. Drinking a glass of water can help your body to expel the unwanted material in your stomach. If you have vomited before (it would be very uncommon if you haven’t in your lifetime) then 
you would be familiar with the feeling of relief that accompanies expulsion. If you experience vomiting symptoms for more than two days then it is recommended you consult your general practitioner as it could be a sign of a more serious illness.
There are many over the counter medications that claim to prevent nausea and vomiting, which are called “antiemetics”. They operate by blocking messages to the part of the brain that controls nausea and vomiting. The problem with this type of medication is that it will simply mask the symptoms which is good for short term relief, but certainly shouldn’t be relied on long term. There are also side-effects to consider when taking certain types of medication to prevent nausea such as drowsiness and dry mouth and eyes. It is much better to focus on the reasons why you body is reacting the way it is and to take preventative measures to avoid this feeling.
Resources: Frequently asked questions about vomiting: www.emetophobia.byethost15.com/vomiting.html?ckattempt=1
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