Hypnotist cures Cov woman who lived on chips & cheese
HYPNOTISM has cured a Coventry woman whose phobias forced her to live on a diet of chips, cheese and pasta for two decades.
Jenny Edgar, 32, would gag as the prospect of eating fresh fruit and veg and survived on bland foods including dry cereal and biscuits.
Dinner every day consisted of either pasta or chips.
Even Christmas dinner was a bland affair of macaroni cheese with a glass of water.
The health centre receptionist, avoided eating out as any fruit, vegetables or fish would leave her heaving.
As a result of her limited diet, the mum-ofone piled on the pounds and now tips the scales at 17st 9lbs. But after getting engaged she decided to face her life-long fear of healthy grub to lose weight before getting married next March
Incredibly, after six hypnotherapy sessions, Jenny can now tuck into some of her most feared foods. She said: “When I was a child I would eat raisins and grapes but hated vegetables.
“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.
“I really hated the texture on some fruits like the fuzz on peaches or the juiciness of tomatoes so just didn’t eat them.
“When I was in my teens it wasn’t really a problem because I was quite slim but after going to college and having my son I really noticed the weight going on.
“I also stopped meeting friends in restaurants or going out in case I didn’t like the food.
“One Sunday I went for dinner at my fiance’s house and I had to take my own ready meal of macaroni cheese.
“It was very embarrassing and it was getting me down. I just thought to myself that if I don’t sort it out now then I never will.”
Jenny, who lives with fiance Mark Lancashire, 37, who works in datainput, decided to tackle her fears to help her eight-year-old son Kian have a healthy diet.
She added: “Kian is of an age where he needs to try different foods and I didn’t want him to be affected by me.
“Because I don’t like fruit and veg I’ve only been buying him strawberries but I want him to try lots things.”
Jenny visited hypnotherapist Russell Hemmings who coached her, using cognitive behavioral therapy and hypnotherapy, to overcome her phobia.
She said: “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.
“I put a piece of pineapple in my mouth and just couldn’t believe the flavour.
“It was delicious and I said I couldn’t believe I’d waited so long to eat it.
“I also had mango and apple although I’m not as keen on apples but at least I’m giving them a try.
“After a few more sessions, Russell cooked up fresh fish and vegetables which tasted great.
“I was worried to try them at first but then of different after a few nibbles I was hooked.”
Now Jenny is looking forward to expanding her cooking skills and is even planning on growing her own veg at home.
Self-help guru and author Russell Hemmings who specialises in treating anxiety disorders, depression and weight, said: “Eating anxiety is often deep seated in childhood and certain foods can trigger emotions and negative responses.
“When working with food aversion, the phobic response when food is introduced may also induce a feeling of revulsion.
“Food aversion can grow very strong, and can also unfortunately last a life-time.
“Usually food textures have been limited or not experienced whilst growing up as the fussy eater limits their choice foods so a fresh tomato for instance can be overwhelming.
“Trying to cope with the seeds, flesh, juice and skin can be simply too much for a fussy eater to handle.
“By using a threepronged approach of coaching, hypnotherapy cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), I was able to re-wire Jenny’s responses so she no longer feared certain foods. I was delighted to see Jenny try so many different fruits and vegetables which she hadn’t tried for more than two decades.
“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.”
For more information on treating food and anxiety disorders visit: www. russellhemmings.co.uk