Food phobia

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Ray on October 11, 2010 at 11:10am

A good starting point is to ask her which types of food she dislikes and what it is in that food that make her feel somewhat uneasy and why. Then relativate her perception. For example my girlfriend couldn't eat a meatball, or a steak but yet she ate hamburgers. I explained that proper good hamburgers are made from minced steak and that a meatball in theory is a rolled up steak with different spices. She then explained that meatballs were covered in gravy and steaks bled. I rolled of the gravy from the meatballs and voila she ate it, we asked for a steak well done and she was not fond if it but ate it without becoming "sick".

Also do keep an eye on any potential anorexia bolemia responses in such a case. Also let her look up what malnutrition does to her body (great homework assignment) -- it will probably scare her and become more malleable the next time, to push her to eat something (nutricious) you can let her write 6 letters to good friend/family explaining that she will eat at least 3 bites from every food on her plate, within (ask her when she thinks she will be ready for that after 4 weeks or a month?). This will push her morally also to commit. *When I read that method from Wisemann and Cialdini I used it and it works wonders. (People want to be consistent).

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Michael Ellner on October 12, 2010 at 6:32am

Hi Michelle,

I am going to suggest a two pronged approach


1. During your hypnotic ritual -- have her imagine that her mind and brain are ready and able to make peace with food and she is watching herself overcome her old silly fears as if she was watching a movie. The coolest thing is her mouth and tongue have become open and friendly to new textures and tastes. Have her imagine and feel all the benefits and advantages of developing a taste for a wide variety of different foods- AS NATURE INTENDED... Give her a post hypnotic cue so that she can slip into a mature state before eating and then she can ENJOY taking a bite out of life....


An Ellner/Barsky detox can be helpful as soon as you make it reasonable to believe that going through the process will resolve her unwanted fears about food, The key elements to the guided "detox" below are Anchoring -- Breaking State - and Firing the anchors
FYI - I am creating a negative anchor by having the person make a fist with their right hand while in touch with negative feelings and emotions - Breaking state is opening the first, taking a deep breath and closing and opening the eyes - We create a positive anchor by having the person make a fist with his left hand while be in touch with positive feelings and emotions. We break state - opening the fist, taking a relaxing breath and closing and opening their eyes. We then ask the person to make a fist with both hands at the same time with the suggestion that doing so will neutralize the negative charge and allow us to recondition their minds and brains to react in new and improved ways...





2. Teach her a hand warming exercise as an induction for her daily self-hypnosis practice with the suggestion that practicing the exercise can prevent and/or reduce the migraines. She should practice the exercise for 3 to 5 minutes at a time 3 to 5 times a day for 30 days....

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Kathleen Hanover on October 12, 2010 at 7:43am

Here's my totally different take, as a client and former extremely picky eater.

Virtually all of my issues with food were related to power struggles with authority figures who forced me to "clean my plate" or other nonsense. Strong preferences about food were turned into aversions because of these power struggles.

At least in my case, I'd venture to say that it's not about the food per se. It's about feeling powerful when you control the food (and by extension, control the person who's trying to force you to eat "their way.")

I think the fact that the father initially contacted you could be a clue about what's going on. Just sayin'.

And if the issue is power, and not food, then giving her homework like reading about the effects of malnutrition would only be counter-productive.

Good luck,

Kathleen
Marketing and PR Opinionist

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Michele Merrick on October 12, 2010 at 12:26pm

Hello Ray,Thank you for sharing your experience. I will definitely take it into consideration. In my research I did read where the condition is more of an anxiety disorder rather than an eating disorder. But the texture issue is one that she definitely has difficulty with. Did you work with your girlfriend while in hypnosis?

Ray said:

A good starting point is to ask her which types of food she dislikes and what it is in that food that make her feel somewhat uneasy and why. Then relativate her perception. For example my girlfriend couldn't eat a meatball, or a steak but yet she ate hamburgers. I explained that proper good hamburgers are made from minced steak and that a meatball in theory is a rolled up steak with different spices. She then explained that meatballs were covered in gravy and steaks bled. I rolled of the gravy from the meatballs and voila she ate it, we asked for a steak well done and she was not fond if it but ate it without becoming "sick".

Also do keep an eye on any potential anorexia bolemia responses in such a case. Also let her look up what malnutrition does to her body (great homework assignment) -- it will probably scare her and become more malleable the next time, to push her to eat something (nutricious) you can let her write 6 letters to good friend/family explaining that she will eat at least 3 bites from every food on her plate, within (ask her when she thinks she will be ready for that after 4 weeks or a month?). This will push her morally also to commit. *When I read that method from Wisemann and Cialdini I used it and it works wonders. (People want to be consistent).

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Michele Merrick on October 12, 2010 at 12:32pm

Hello Michael, I replied to this once before but I'm uncertain why it didn't take. Anyway, I really liked both of your suggestions. Thanks for sending the You Tube video, as well. I'm a visual learner so, it pulled the technique together nicely for me. I intend to share it with my client. I especially liked the verbiage regarding the mature aspect since she is concerned with being able to take care of herself. Great stuff! Thanks again.

Michael Ellner said:

Hi Michelle,

I am going to suggest a two pronged approach


1. During your hypnotic ritual -- have her imagine that her mind and brain are ready and able to make peace with food and she is watching herself overcome her old silly fears as if she was watching a movie. The coolest thing is her mouth and tongue have become open and friendly to new textures and tastes. Have her imagine and feel all the benefits and advantages of developing a taste for a wide variety of different foods- AS NATURE INTENDED... Give her a post hypnotic cue so that she can slip into a mature state before eating and then she can ENJOY taking a bite out of life....


An Ellner/Barsky detox can be helpful as soon as you make it reasonable to believe that going through the process will resolve her unwanted fears about food, The key elements to the guided "detox" below are Anchoring -- Breaking State - and Firing the anchors
FYI - I am creating a negative anchor by having the person make a fist with their right hand while in touch with negative feelings and emotions - Breaking state is opening the first, taking a deep breath and closing and opening the eyes - We create a positive anchor by having the person make a fist with his left hand while be in touch with positive feelings and emotions. We break state - opening the fist, taking a relaxing breath and closing and opening their eyes. We then ask the person to make a fist with both hands at the same time with the suggestion that doing so will neutralize the negative charge and allow us to recondition their minds and brains to react in new and improved ways...





2. Teach her a hand warming exercise as an induction for her daily self-hypnosis practice with the suggestion that practicing the exercise can prevent and/or reduce the migraines. She should practice the exercise for 3 to 5 minutes at a time 3 to 5 times a day for 30 days....

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Michele Merrick on October 12, 2010 at 12:35pm

Hi Kathleen,
Thanks for your very personal reply. These are the most insightful. I will definitely keep this in mind when doing my initial intake. Thanks again.

Kathleen Hanover said:

Here's my totally different take, as a client and former extremely picky eater.

Virtually all of my issues with food were related to power struggles with authority figures who forced me to "clean my plate" or other nonsense. Strong preferences about food were turned into aversions because of these power struggles.

At least in my case, I'd venture to say that it's not about the food per se. It's about feeling powerful when you control the food (and by extension, control the person who's trying to force you to eat "their way.")

I think the fact that the father initially contacted you could be a clue about what's going on. Just sayin'.

And if the issue is power, and not food, then giving her homework like reading about the effects of malnutrition would only be counter-productive.

Good luck,

Kathleen
Marketing and PR Opinionist

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by John Cleesattel on October 12, 2010 at 1:28pm

Michele,

As one who specializes in fears, I find that it is best to wait until you can talk to the client before determining a direction to go with them.

Find out as "exactly" as you can what they are afraid of. (i.e. is the hamburger going to hit me when I'm not looking?) If you have difficulty determining that, I would suggest a parts therapy session to have the part of her that protects her from food give you its purpose for doing so.

If it is really a fear, just treat it as one and get rid of it.

Some people overstate fears into the phobia class. To my understanding, a phobia presents a life threatening situation that the client will avoid at all costs, and when presented with the situation they will vacate the vicinity of the threat with extreme prejudice because they think if they don't they will die.

If it is necessary to remove anxiety before hand; Michael's detox technique is a good one to use, or maybe the core dump technique.

I hope this helps you
John

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Kelley Woods on October 12, 2010 at 2:20pm

Hi Michele,

I have worked with several clients who had similar food issues, all young women in their twenties, btw. In each case, helping them learn they could control their emotional state through techniques such as Michael's Emotional Detox or other positive resource tools was invaluable.

In a couple of the cases, Parts work satisfied their confusion as to why they had these food aversions and allowed them to move past them. In another case, regression revealed a gestalt of near-choking incidents that manifested into an inability to swallow any solid foods as life's stress levels heightened. Resolution occurred within a few sessions, allowing the client to resume normal eating habit.

Like John suggests, listen to what your client brings to you; her behavior suits a purpose and once you discover what that is, the solution will become apparent.

Best wishes,

Kelley

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Michele Merrick on October 13, 2010 at 5:33am

Hello John,
It's always great to hear from someone who's expertise is in the specialty area in question. Thank you. I did do a telephone interview with clt . it sounds as though she's obsessive in avoiding most foods. irrational fears... the condition is starting to jeopardize her health . Not sure I'm clear on when it becomes a phobia. However, the option of using Parts therapy was good to hear.

Also, not sure what the core dump technique is? My husband uses that terminology for something associated with the computer. Would you be kind enough to direct me to where I might be able to get a general idea of what the core dump technique is?
You have been very helpful and thanks again.
John Cleesattel said:

Michele,

As one who specializes in fears, I find that it is best to wait until you can talk to the client before determining a direction to go with them.

Find out as "exactly" as you can what they are afraid of. (i.e. is the hamburger going to hit me when I'm not looking?) If you have difficulty determining that, I would suggest a parts therapy session to have the part of her that protects her from food give you its purpose for doing so.

If it is really a fear, just treat it as one and get rid of it.

Some people overstate fears into the phobia class. To my understanding, a phobia presents a life threatening situation that the client will avoid at all costs, and when presented with the situation they will vacate the vicinity of the threat with extreme prejudice because they think if they don't they will die.

If it is necessary to remove anxiety before hand; Michael's detox technique is a good one to use, or maybe the core dump technique.

I hope this helps you
John

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Michele Merrick on October 13, 2010 at 5:40am

Hi Kelley,
Thank you for your response. It was especially helpful to know that it may take a few sessions for the client to move forward. I realize that it is an individualized process but it's nice to have some general idea to base number of visits on. The client doesn't remember having any of the near choking incidents but maybe it would come up in a regression. So, thank you for giving me more options to explore with this young lady.

Kelley Woods said:

Hi Michele,

I have worked with several clients who had similar food issues, all young women in their twenties, btw. In each case, helping them learn they could control their emotional state through techniques such as Michael's Emotional Detox or other positive resource tools was invaluable.

In a couple of the cases, Parts work satisfied their confusion as to why they had these food aversions and allowed them to move past them. In another case, regression revealed a gestalt of near-choking incidents that manifested into an inability to swallow any solid foods as life's stress levels heightened. Resolution occurred within a few sessions, allowing the client to resume normal eating habit.

Like John suggests, listen to what your client brings to you; her behavior suits a purpose and once you discover what that is, the solution will become apparent.

Best wishes,

Kelley

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Kelley Woods on October 13, 2010 at 6:06am

Hi Michele,

My examples were just that: examples of how anything can come up. Be careful not to ask leading questions; I find it's best to merely ask the client, "What do you wonder might be the cause of this problem?" And, of course, the answer often is: "I don't know." Parts is the powerful venue for helping to discover the answer and can also be the natural conduit to the past...

:) Kelley

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by John Cleesattel on October 13, 2010 at 8:32am

Michele,

The core dump technique accomplishes the same thing as the Ellner/Barsky detox technique but via a different method. While the detox method utilizes a collapsing anchor technique, the core dump utilizes guided imagery and is a mini-induction in its own right.

Here is the technique:
I use a D-Cell Battery as a prop for this because it is the right size, and is very durable. Have the client take a D-Cell battery in their dominant hand, arm outstretched, shoulder locked, elbow locked, then close their eyes and begin squeezing it as hard as they can.

Explain that by design, a battery is a storage device for energy. Tell them that they can take all of their unwanted stress, anxiety, fear, rage, etc. and put it into the battery. The harder they squeeze the battery, the more negative energy they can store in it.

Have them visualize the negative feelings they want to get rid of flowing down their arm and into the battery. The harder they squeeze, the faster the flow.

Have them keep it up, explain that this is their one chance to get rid of it...all...so keep going until it is all in there, all the hurt, all the fear, all the pain, all the rage.

Once they are sure that all their negative feelings have moved into the battery, and they are ready to let it all go.. tell them to just open their hand...and let it go.

When they open their hand and drop the battery, have them open their eyes and ask them how they feel.

I hope this was understandable in the way that I said it.
John




Michele Merrick said:

Hello John,
It's always great to hear from someone who's expertise is in the specialty area in question. Thank you. I did do a telephone interview with clt . it sounds as though she's obsessive in avoiding most foods. irrational fears... the condition is starting to jeopardize her health . Not sure I'm clear on when it becomes a phobia. However, the option of using Parts therapy was good to hear.

Also, not sure what the core dump technique is? My husband uses that terminology for something associated with the computer. Would you be kind enough to direct me to where I might be able to get a general idea of what the core dump technique is?
You have been very helpful and thanks again.

• ▶ Reply

▶ Reply to Discussion

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• Next ›
• Page