Woman Says Hypnotherapy Cured Her Fear of Fruits and Vegetables
A Coventry, England, woman says hypnotherapy cured her of her fear of fruits and vegetables after eating little more than cheese, chips and pasta for over 20 years.
Jenny Edgar told SWNS that she would gag if she ate anything other than her diet of dry cereal, cheese, cookies, pasta and french fries. Her Christmas dinner consisted of macaroni and cheese.
“When I was a child I would eat raisins and grapes but hated vegetables,” Edgar said.
“As I got older I didn’t touch greens at all and would just eat cheese and pasta because I knew I liked them. I had a real fear of not liking fruit and veg so didn’t even bother putting them in my mouth in case I had to spit them out.”
The 32-year-old health center receptionist also would avoid eating out because of her fear.
“I also stopped meeting friends in restaurants or going out in case I didn’t like the food,” she said.
She didn’t have a problem with weight during her teen years, but once she went to college and had her son, she noticed she was gaining weight.
Her 8-year-old son, Kian, is one of the driving forces behind her desire to try to change.
“Kian is of an age where he needs to try different foods and I didn’t want him to be affected by me,” she said.
“Because I don’t like fruit and veg, I’ve only been buying him strawberries but I want him to try lots of different things.”
She also was embarrassed when she went to her fiancé’s house for dinner and had to bring her own meal of macaroni and cheese.
“I just thought to myself that if I don’t sort it out now then I never will,” Edgar said.
Additionally, she wanted to lose weight before her wedding next March.
So Edgar went to visit hypnotherapist Russell Hemmings who used cognitive behavioral therapy and hypnotherapy to help her overcome her fear.
“The first session I had was amazing. He just talked to me in a really relaxed way and got me to try five different fruits,” Edgar said.
“I put a piece of pineapple in my mouth and just couldn’t believe the flavor. It was delicious and I said I couldn’t believe I’d waited so long to eat it.”
After six sessions, Edgar is more willing to try different foods and is looking forward to cooking more and even growing her own vegetables.
Hemmings explained that “eating anxiety” is usually tied to childhood and certain foods can trigger emotions and negative responses. In order to help, he said he had to “re-wire Edgar’s responses so she no longer feared certain foods.”
“I was delighted to see Edgar try so many different fruits and vegetables which she hadn’t tried for more than two decades,” Hemmings said.
“She has made incredible progress and she motivated to enjoy a healthier, more balanced and exciting diet which will improve her and her family’s lifestyle.”
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