Hypnotherapy for eating?

[Munter]

Nicol@ said:

nasty food

Interesting choice of word. I don't believe you'll ever "like" anything you've already labelled as "nasty". (To me you're being foodist if that's possible!)

I'd try and avoid thinking of foods as "nasty" or "nice".

Possibly look at them as foods you have a preference for and foods you don't.

[drivin_me_nuts]

Nicol@ said:

drivin_me_nuts said:

Your answer lies more in finding the reasons why you refuse to eat certain foods and that answer lies somewhere in the deeper recesses of your mind. Start there.

My fussy eating started before I can remember. Starting with not liking milk as a baby and progressed from there.
There are lots of things I don't eat, I just wanted to tackle the two biggest ones.

I am going to give the small amounts of nasty food a try as it might work. If not, then I might start adding small amounts in my food (or maybe at the same time).

Nicola, good luck, but even in this post I really think you are going to struggle with this, the reason being think about how you describe your food - even in this post.

'Nasty'. Is that how you really see it? There are reasons behind this. To be perfectly honest what are doing to yourself sounds to me like self torture. Forcing yourself to eat these foods at the moment is little different to throwing a non swimmer into a swiming pool in the vain hope they like the taste of water. By subversively adding the nasty food to your diet all you've done is take the same swimmer, blindfold them and throw them in a deep bath! It won't work in the way you want it to and in the process it will simply reafirm your belief that it's nasty.

Some people will say otherwise, but honestly I think the least painful way to deal with this is one of two approaches.. Go see someone who specialises in helping people overcome their phobias or go see someone who can help you specialise in overcoming eating disorders.

There is a gentle and less stressful pragmatism to overcoming this, you don't have to do it the hard way, there are easier

This really is a matter of control, and the very last thing you want to do is break the control you are currently exhibiting by not eating certain foodstuffs with lying to yourself. It is really not a good thing to do to yourself.

[ShadownINja]

What the man with the steering wheel down his pants said.

[HundredthIdiot]

I complete disagree with DMN. It's not something governed by higher level brain functions, or your subconscious, or any of that crap. Your thoughts and feelings are just reacting to what's going on in the more basic parts of your brain.

Therefore you don't need to see a therapist, you just need to reprogramme the part of your brain that deals with taste, by repeated exposure.

This is a completely straightforward process, which I have successfully done with all sorts of food. Carrots were a big one early one. I was initially compelled to eat them (as a young adult) by avoiding appearing rude when people cooked carrots for me. I'd just think positive thoughts and get them down me. It only took a few repeats of this until I stopped almost gagging and began to like them. Now I find glazed carrots genuinely delicious.

You need to be realistic, and there are some foods that are unavoidably challenging. You'll possibly never love them, but you will at least be able to eat them without feeling like you're slurping down cold sick.

[Mrs BlueCerbera]

HundredthIdiot said:

you just need to reprogramme the part of your brain that deals with taste, by repeated exposure.

This is a completely straightforward process, which I have successfully done with all sorts of food. Carrots were a big one early one. I was initially compelled to eat them (as a young adult) by avoiding appearing rude when people cooked carrots for me. I'd just think positive thoughts and get them down me. It only took a few repeats of this until I stopped almost gagging and began to like them. Now I find glazed carrots genuinely delicious.

It might be as simple as this Nic, although some of the posts above are very interesting. I used to detest olives until a hunky Mallorcan waiter offered me some so I felt I had to eat them in order show some willing (ooo-errr). I grew to like the taste and adore olives now ... or maybe just the memories

Sometimes things taste awful to us but due to the situation we're in we feel we have to eat them and eventually find they're not as bad as we'd believed. Like you say though, your experience goes back a very long way to the beginning of your childhood so I guess its not very easy for you.

[drivin_me_nuts]

HundredthIdiot said:

I complete disagree with DMN. It's not something governed by higher level brain functions, or your subconscious, or any of that crap. Your thoughts and feelings are just reacting to what's going on in the more basic parts of your brain.

Therefore you don't need to see a therapist, you just need to reprogramme the part of your brain that deals with taste, by repeated exposure.

This is a completely straightforward process, which I have successfully done with all sorts of food. Carrots were a big one early one. I was initially compelled to eat them (as a young adult) by avoiding appearing rude when people cooked carrots for me. I'd just think positive thoughts and get them down me. It only took a few repeats of this until I stopped almost gagging and began to like them. Now I find glazed carrots genuinely delicious.

You need to be realistic, and there are some foods that are unavoidably challenging. You'll possibly never love them, but you will at least be able to eat them without feeling like you're slurping down cold sick.

Yery interesting reply.

I think you and I will have to disagree on this.

Perhaps there's something we can both agree on...




Cheers

[Maxf]

HundredthIdiot said:

Therefore you don't need to see a therapist, you just need to reprogramme the part of your brain that deals with taste, by repeated exposure.

Does repeated exposure always cure? Or can it cement the problem?

I'd go and see a decent hypnotherapist. What have you got to lose? I'd pay £100 or whatever, to not have to go through the obvious trauma of forcing yourself to eat 'nasty' food.

[HundredthIdiot]

http://www.adultpickyeaters.co.uk/

Including a reading list, on which there is the Steingarten book I mentioned earlier. A great read.

Edited by HundredthIdiot on Wednesday 10th February 16:05

[Nicol@]

Thanks for the advice and links (and confusion )