Although Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is a relatively new diagnosis for picky eaters with food phobia, ARFID is now seen in approximately 13-23% of new eating disorder cases. It’s characterized by a persistent disturbance in eating, leading to weight loss, growth disturbances, nutrient deficiencies, dependence on supplements, or impaired psychosocial functioning with the hallmark characteristic being a fear of food or anxiety around food. ARFID can occur in a child or family member with extreme picky eating for no real reason that can be pinpointed.  

People with ARFID tend to internally know that the rules they have about food are irrational. For example, a person with ARFID may be able to eat a plain piece of bread or peanut butter individually. But there is a voice in their head telling them that eating bread that is toasted is dangerous or unsafe. Or perhaps that eating bread with peanut butter ON it is not a safe food. While the person understands this is irrational, it is impossible for them to not feel a sense of dread or extreme panic when trying these “unsafe” foods. To parents or caregivers of people with ARFID, this can look like severe picky eating and be extremely challenging to deal with on a daily basis. Kids or teens may stop eating, give up food they once loved, or could have been extremely selective from early on in life. 

People with ARFID may report a fear of vomiting and/or choking and extreme aversions to a certain food or texture. They are often fighting with their own minds, and it’s a constant power struggle. Unfortunately, there are not a lot of great therapy techniques out there to treat this type of feeding disorder. Therapy may be long and frustrating.   But one such technique, hypnosis, may be right for you or your loved one. 

So, how does hypnosis help? 

Techniques such as hypnosis can help guide the individual to achieve their goal, typically in a quicker time frame. It can help calm or quiet the voice in their head that creates and makes them believe in these irrational food rules. This can help support the battle in their mind about eating certain foods so they can peacefully taste and try new foods without panic or anxiety. While hypnosis can have many positive effects for the person (and family!) with ARFID, it’s important to remember that hypnosis is not a magic bullet. The person with ARFID may still need other treatment or interventions after completion of hypnosis sessions to help them progress.  

What hypnosis CAN do: 

1. Help guide you to achieve things you already want to do
2. Give you confidence and strength to meet your goals
3. Help push you in the direction you already want to go
4. Make you open and willing to taste and try foods
5. Help calm your anxiety regarding trying new foods

What hypnosis CANNOT do:  

1. Make you do anything you don’t already want to do
2. Change your brain or how it works
3. Hurt or harm you in any way
4. Make you get “stuck” in a trance-like state
5. Put thoughts in your brain that you do not wish to be there
6. Make you like foods that you would not like in the first place

Who are the best candidates for hypnosis? People who truly want to change! Hypnosis will only work for people who have a deep, intrinsic desire for change in their lives. It will not work, for example, on a child who only wants to change simply because his or her parents want them to eat.