Over the years, I have seen many people with a fear of eating in public at my Leeds and Manchester Hypnotherapy practices. In many instances, the person eating begins to feel anxious as they imagine what other people are thinking about them. These internal suggestions, or “self-talk,” become automatic behaviour to the extent that even thinking about eating situations creates anxious feelings. My approach is to change this thinking process so each client can feel less self-conscious and instead feel totally at ease in such situations.
Before organising any appointment, I always ask clients to complete a full set of notes, so I have a clear idea of how they are experiencing the problem. I am especially interested in what they mean by “fear of eating in public”, as this can vary massively from one person to another. Many clients think nothing of eating in front of friends and family, but have a very different experience when doing so in other social situations. In these situations, there is a feeling of anxiety that occurs, which in many instances spirals out of control.
I have found the best way to address the fear of eating in public is not to analyse past events or speculate on why this may be happening, but rather to explore how a person is thinking. The way of thinking creates the feeling response. All feelings of being self-conscious in such situations are when a person feels too self-conscious to eat as they normally would among friends and family. Sometimes they feel they are being judged by others, which creates this particular fear. Often, they think to themselves in an unhelpful way, and this internal dialogue produces feelings of anxiety. Most clients experience benefits after a very short period of time, and by practising the exercises we cover during therapy sessions. All sessions are recorded on CD, so every client can listen back to what happened during the appointment and really develop a new feeling of greater self-confidence