Did You Say “Vegetable Phobia?”

Up until a few months ago, when a woman approached me about treating her vegetable phobia, I had no idea that Lachanophobia (fear of vegetables) even existed.   When I agreed to take her on as a client, I knew that I could help her get past her fear, but I had no idea how much the session would impact her life!  My client’s phobia was precipitated by a traumatic event in childhood, where she was left in a highchair all night staring at a bowl of peas.  After the incident, she developed an extreme aversion to vegetables, which lasted into adulthood.  Whenever she was faced with the prospective of having to eat any kind of vegetables, she would start to feel panicky, her throat would close up and she would feel very nauseous.

Being significantly overweight, my client’s weight loss goals were constantly being undermined because of her fear of vegetables.  When she came into my office the first time, she was practically in tears as she described her frustration with not being able to lose weight.

I treated her condition just like I would treat any phobia, by rewiring her memories of the traumatic event and desensitizing her to the fear.  After only two sessions, she’s now eating most vegetables (except for the ones which we agreed she never had to eat, like Brussels sprouts).  Not only does she feel comfortable around cucumbers and asparagus, but she’s lost 20 pounds in one month and she’s feeling great!

The moral of the story?  There’s no such thing as a weird phobia. If you’re legitimately afraid of something and its negatively impacting your life, maybe it’s time you faced your fear.

Are You Living in Fear?

Most people are afraid of something.  They spent countless hours avoiding this, that or the other.  But, alas, the more you avoid something, the more it shows up in your life.  (What you focus on expands).  I’ve been avoiding snorkeling and scuba diving since I was 10 years old because I’m too scared of fish! It may sound absurd, but to me it makes perfect sense.  I developed ichthyophobia when I was around 9 or 10, after a certain incident where I was chased with a fish (no kidding!).  Since then, I’ve been scared to go anywhere near them.  But now that I’m going to Hawaii for my honeymoon (and my husband wants to go scuba diving), I feel that it’s time to finally confront my fear.

This topic has really got me thinking about the importance of overcoming fear.  Fear can be so debilitating and so wasteful.  It prevents people from living their lives to the fullest and inhibits them from pursuing their greatest passions.  After five miserable years as a courtroom litigator, I overcame my biggest fear of switching careers and now I help others conquer theirs.  If I hadn’t been willing to tackle my fear, I’d still be sitting at a desk sorting legal documents.

I help people release all types of phobias, including flying, elevators, animals, public speaking, doctors/dentists, closed spaces, etc.  One of my clients avoided elevators for nearly 20 years until I gave her a hypnotic suggestion that every time she saw an elevator, she would be reminded of the glass elevator from Charlie and The Chocolate Factory and the little child in her would feel compelled to explore the possibilities of where the elevator could go.  I had another client who was deathly afraid of birds until I gave her a hypnotic suggestion that every time she saw a bird, she would think of a chipmunk.  (In her mind, chipmunks were safe and cuddly).

I’m so passionate about helping people overcome their fears/phobias, that I’ve developed a TV show around this topic and I’m pitching it to Oprah!  If you want to learn more or you just want to see me being chased around by a fish, please click on the link and VOTE: www.tinyurl.com/AyeletsOprahVideo (Don’t be confused- Ayelet is my Israeli name).