Case Studies for phagophobia and other issues

To clarify about our case studies, these are where our clients have worked with us using mostly solution-focused hypnotherapy or Human Givens techniques.

With solution-focused hypnotherapy we scale the problem each session. 10 is the goal - what we want to achieve. Most people with swallowing problems will tend to arrive and score between 0 and 4. By scaling each week, we're helping them move towards the goal and help them understand their resources moving towards that goal. Each person's journey of change is different. Some will gain grounds quickly, others more slowly, it depends on many variables. Some get back to swallowing normally quickly then we work on their general anxiety. See FAQ for more details.

Phagophobia case studies

Client Location – Illinois, USA

Therapist – Penelope Ling

Therapy – Solution-focused hypnotherapy

Laura was a young woman from Illinois who contacted me about helping with her anxiety. She’d had standard CBT in her twenties, having admitted she had been a “worrier” since kindergarten. She was also under physicians for a rare condition called “Arnold-Chiari disease Type 1”[1], and I had to confess I hadn’t heard about it until our consultation.

The cerebellum and brainstem are misplaced in Arnold-Chiari syndrome. There is pressure which stops the cerebral fluid from flowing as it should. It can cause dizziness, tinnitus, and problems with swallowing.

Laura’s doctors had checked everything possible and assured her that her swallowing issues were stress-related and not Chairi syndrome related. She also smoked heavily, and another doctor who used a small camera to check out Laura’s oesophagus had picked up on abrasions, which he attributed to the hot inhaled smoke. He was concerned about this because if she carried on smoking, it could lead to throat cancer.

We worked during lockdown in 2020, and we both felt that it had contributed to her general anxiety. Business had to be carried out online and by delivery, not from the store her family ran.

She was part of the family business, so they were flexible with allowing her to take time out. We discussed whether her needs were being met and most of the time they were, but occasionally she had bursts of anxiety, usually related to personal relationships and customers. She’d had an unpleasant experience in her late teens in a relationship which had ended rather poorly. This made her feel she couldn’t relax around her partner, as she was always looking out for signs of disinterest.

We worked online for 12 sessions, the first 6 being weekly, then we spaced them out gradually, the last one we carried out a stop smoking session.

Each week we worked through tools which would help her refocus her thoughts from negative and threatening to more positive and helpful. Using a mix of solution-focused and CBT at times. She slowly ate more and enjoyed meals with her boyfriend and her family. When lockdown was over, she enjoyed a family reunion on the East coast at a large restaurant – something she would feel very anxious about before but now took it all in her stride. She gained eight pounds because of therapy, a weight gain that thrilled her.

https://www.brainandspine.org.uk/our-publications/booklets/chiari-malformation/

Speaking anxiety

Client location: London

Therapist: Penelope Ling

Therapies: Solution-focused hypnotherapy, Mindfulness, NLP & Human Givens

John is an experienced and respected sales manager for a large office development company based in London. For months, he had been having Indian head massages to help with his migraines until one day his therapist suggested he try to deal with the causes of his stress instead of dealing with the symptoms.

Finding us online, he attended one of our webinars and realised that how he thought about the sales talks he had to perform was at the root of the problem. When confronted by the gaze of his customers, John just froze, unable to speak. The weeks leading up to one of the conferences were fraught with sleepless nights, agitation, lack of attention and over-eating.

We worked online, his goal being that he felt in control and not worrying about sales conferences. Over 6 weeks, we covered all the tools which could help him visualise how the sales talks would be. We suggested to him to video and replay his preparation, by which time, he created a couple of strategies for channelling the nerves and using that energy to put into the talk. This proved an excellent strategy as he later reported back that he was being praised for his talks being so full of energy and not being dull. He also remembered that this all stemmed from being made to read out in class at school. His dyslexia made any kind of engagement such as this truly frightening.

Pseudo dysphagia and gagging

Location: Somerset

Therapist: Penelope Ling

Therapies: Solution-focused hypnotherapy and mindfulness

Sandra was mobilised by a serious stroke. The damage caused had paralysed her down her left-hand side. She had to go in for a deep brain operation, but couldn't swallow the medication. Doctors could tell by scans that the part of the brain which controls swallowing had been damaged during the stroke, but for some reason, could not administer the drugs she needed in liquid form.

Her husband contacted us because they didn't know what else to do, and armed with the knowledge at how the brain can change by visualisation, Penny took on the challenge.

Over 3 weeks, we just focused on visualising swallowing, whether it was her favourite milkshake or the medication, we went over and over it time and again during relaxation and trance for confidence building. By week 4, she was practising swallowing small pieces of food, and by week 5, she was taking her meds. After a few more weeks of taking the medication, she had achieved enough for her doctors to operate. When they scanned her brain again, they were amazed at how that part of the brain had changed. The power of visualisation had been a lifesaver.

Choking during change

Location: Devon, Greece & France

"Penny changed my life. When I developed phagophobia, I was terrified and felt alone, until I found Penny’s website. It made me feel reassured that there was an expert out there who specialised in this, and knew how to help me. After 5 sessions, I was better. Hypnotherapy is an incredibly powerful tool, and Penny helped me get back to eating all foods, eating normally, and eating out with people again, and she has done the same for countless other people. She’s incredibly talented, skilled, and kind, I highly recommend you work with her if facing any phobia or similar issue."
E-Devon.

E - 's story

E is a PR consultant down in the West Country. A few weeks before she contacted me, she had choked on some food. Then nearly choked later that week, and had her first panic attack ever, and since could not eat solid foods, and sometimes liquids.

She was about to go travelling with her partner to Southeast Asia, and this had severely dented her confidence in travelling. Her mind kept focusing on worrying about what she could eat.

E had tried a variety of other therapies, including CBT and EMDR, but they had made little difference. She was about to leave her job to travel and move in with her partner, so general background stress was quite high.

In our first session, E rated her problem 2 or 3 out of 10. Having tried so hard to stop this from happening made her feel frustrated. She said a score of 4 would mean she’d stop having moments where her body refused to swallow. She was desperate to eat again and wanted pasta, rice, chicken, and pizza .

The weekend after I received a message saying that E had eaten some pizza. By our next session, she scored herself as a 5. Her partner had made a large batch of macaroni cheese, and she’d eaten the pizza with no hitches. She was more self-aware about the times when eating was a problem and was now practising the tools to help herself calm down.

At session 3, E scored herself at a 6. They had cancelled going to Southeast Asia and travelled in Europe instead. She realised that tiredness was a problem for eating, so realised that the time of day was important for meals. She’d eaten udon noodles, which pleased her as they were one of the dodgy foods she was apprehensive about trying.

She had been to ENT, and they had given her the all-clear. She was looking forward to going away.

Session 4 took place whilst E was in Greece. Now at a 7, she felt that she had made lots of progress and instead of feeling apprehensive; she was feeling adventurous.

She was now realising that certain restaurants made her feel anxious, so finding a quiet, comfortable spot away from other people helped her relax and be able to enjoy meals in public.

Session 5 took place whilst she was in France and scoring herself an 8, she was eating well and ate a tortilla without thinking about it at all. At this stage she admitted to me that a blip she’d experienced a few weeks ago was because she had spoken to a counsellor who specialised in phagophobia, but the experience left her feeling worse and it had taken a few days to get back on track again. She found a solution-focused way of working much more optimistic in approach.

In the last session, we also examined E's general outlook on life. She achieved high scores in all areas and expressed optimism for the future. Although she still had a few issues with other health problems, her eating was more or less back to normal, and she was looking forward to tackling some unhealthy habits and getting fit again. A few weeks after our last session E reported that she had tried steak and it had been fine.

Location: Greece

"I started hypnotherapy sessions with Penny Ling to address my phagophobia, which stemmed from the stress of an abusive relationship. From the first session, it was clear that she had empathy and was willing to help me overcome my trauma and phobias. Penny is an expert hypnotherapist who skillfully handles anxiety, depression, and phobias. She aided me in finding my way during sessions, enhancing my self-trust and confidence and diminishing work-related anxiety. I recommend Penny highly. Despite us working online, myself in Greece and Penny in the UK, it was like we were in the same room."

KK - Greece

Like we were working in the same room

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disclaimer

Therapies available include hypnotherapy, mindfulness and meditation, which are effective; however, results may vary, and success is not guaranteed. Full client commitment is important, and the client will want to make changes.

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Scared2swallow is not a crisis service, if you are experiencing life threatening condition please contact your emergency services.