FAQ

ARFID stands for Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder.  It is a diagnosis that is quite ‘new’, having first appeared in the 2013 DSM-V (The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition).  

But it is not ‘new’.  Sufferers and parents have been aware of the complex mix of behaviours and impacts on a person’s experience with food and eating, with knock-on effects on their family and other relationships.

It’s classification in the DSM-V talks about weight loss or being under weight, nutritional deficiency, dependence on enteral feeding or nutritional supplements and interference with psychosocial functioning.

It is not like other eating disorders.  It is not influenced by body image, it is rooted in anxiety (which can become phobic), oversensitivity to foods and avoidance of many foods and even entire food groups.  It can also involve distorted relationships to food such as an aversion of ‘green’ foods.  The foods commonly considered ‘safe’ often include highly processed foods, often carbohydrates and foods rich in processed sugar.  The term ‘the white diet’ is sometimes used.

It can involve physical symptoms (like gagging or vomiting), stress, anxiety and tantrums around food, a limited list of ‘safe’ foods, an inability to eat new foods, food rules and obvious or subtle nutritional deficiencies.  There is an intricate relationship between the development of ARFID and nutritional deficiencies, which are connected to digestive complaints and conditions and nutritional and developmental implications.  It can look like being underweight, being ‘normal’ weight or being overweight.

In the longer term, ARFID impacts a person’s health and wellbeing in profound ways.

This YouTube video is a helpful resource for ‘What is ARFID’. 

YouTube - What is ARFID? Information and details on ARFID behavior, causes and treatment.

For additional resources, feel free to reach out.

No.  Let’s be clear.  It is not just fussy eating or being picky.  While many children experience a period where they don’t want to try new foods (neophobic), this is different.

A simple ‘fussy’ or ‘picky’ eater, can be bribed to eat food.  They can be cajoled and encouraged without stress, anxiety and trauma. 

Pressuring someone with ARFID to eat a non safe food can feel like being asked to eat a stinky, mouldy worm sandwich.  Would you eat it?

It is in many ways, a phobic reaction and aversion to food and eating.  It can also be an exaggerated disinterest in food and eating.  It often develops in childhood.  And it often impacts or is correlated to digestive issues and experiences, sensory sensitivity, neurological development and anxiety.  The effect is, that a person seeks to control their food and eating.

See our FAQ on ‘What exactly is ARFID’ for more detail.

The proof is in the pudding.  90% of ARFID sufferers are able to try non safe foods after ONE session.  

In a hypnotic state (trance), you are guided to focus more on ‘what’ than ‘why’.  This is done in a state of physical and sensory relaxation.  Hypnosis has in fact, been used as a therapeutic tool (called Hypnotherapy) in treating traumatic experiences, pain and anxiety for more than 200 years.  

The effect of the hypnotic state is that you are able to interrupt and consciously contemplate the maladaptive patterns you have been running.  This opportunity soothes the sensory cortices that are triggered in an anxiety or trauma response, as well as the regions of the brain that are involved in context monitoring.  The effect is not only a space of conscious contemplation, but allows for alternative neural pathway development (neuroplasticity), meaning you start developing more productive, useful and effective patterns to deal with problems and situations.  (Spiegel, D., M.D. 2013)

Because it is able to soothe the sensory cortices and contextual neurology, it offers a powerful break from the sensory, anxiety-based and trauma response behaviours that maintain ARFID.

See our other FAQs to discover more about what is Strategic Hypnosis, Strategic Psychotherapy, NLP and the 4Rs Protocol.

Spiegel, D., M.D.  2013.  Tranceformations: Hypnosis in Brain and Body.  Depression and Anxiety 30:342-352. Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California.

Hypnosis refers to a state of ‘trance’.  It is a state of heightened focus that literally alters your brain wave frequency. 

The technical bit in plain language:  The experience of trance guides you from waking consciousness (Beta), to between a deep physical and mental relaxation like being in a daydream or light meditative state (Alpha) and a deep hypnotic state that is like a deeper meditative state  (Theta).  

You are likely to experience a deep sense of relaxation and comfort and be open to ‘aha’ moments and clear thought and realisations that can leave you feeling calm and peaceful and more confident in yourself and your experiences.

Strategic Hypnosis is an advanced model of Clinical Hypnosis.  Clinical Hypnosis is the use of advanced hypnotic techniques for therapeutic purposes.  It is used to treat a great variety of conditions and there is a vast body of evidence as to its efficacy.

Anywhere your emotions and thoughts play a part in suffering, there is a place for Clinical Hypnosis to help, including mental, emotional and physical conditions.

It is a powerful therapeutic tool.  When coupled with Strategic Psychotherapy, it becomes Strategic Hypnosis and is an extremely effective model of treatment.

Visit College of Strategic Hypnotherapists to read more about why you should choose a Strategic Hypnotherapist.

Modern Strategic Psychotherapy reflects the beneficial principles of a number of specific therapeutic models, including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Interpersonal Therapy (ITP), Person-Centred and other Psychodynamic models.

It is future and goal oriented.  It is a form of brief therapeutic intervention which seeks to disrupt patterns that are holding you in suffering or stasis.  It is an empowering approach which teaches you to identify the patterns for yourself, and provides you with the skills to create positive patterns in order to achieve your goals.

Visit College of Strategic Psychotherapists to read more about why you should choose a Strategic Psychotherapist.

NLP stands for Neuro Linguistic Programming.  As the name suggests, it encompasses our neurology, language and programming.  That is, how we perceive the world (neurology), how communicate with others and ourselves (language) and our habitual patterns and behaviours and how we operate in the world (programming). 

The interplay of our mind and language influences our physical state and our behaviours.  NLP is based on the study of how the most effective people operate in the world.  It is the blueprint of success.

From an NLP perspective, each of us are far more resourceful than we give ourselves credit for.  And we are capable of more.  NLP taps you into those resources and helps you take control of your own success.

Visit College of Strategic NLP Psychotherapists to read more about why you should choose a Strategic NLP Psychotherapist.

The Gordian Pillars were developed by Gordon Young.  

Gordon is the founder, director and lead trainer of the Institute of Applied Psychology, president of the Hypnotherapy Council of Australia and Vice President of the International Strategic Psychotherapists Association.  

The Gordian Pillars is a Strategic Psychotherapy framework for treating everything from anxiety, depression, addiction, and trauma to perfectionism, lack of self-esteem, procrastination and weight loss.  

Accredited Gordian Pillars Strategic Psychotherapists are trained to identify, disrupt and provide skills training that address the underlying cognitive patterns, themes, perceptions, values and beliefs that maintain psychological conditions.

Visit College of Gordian Therapists to read more about why you should choose a Gordian Pillars Strategic Psychotherapist.

The 4Rs stand for Rapport, Reconciliation, Responsibility, Rewire.

It is a ‘cut to the chase’ therapy developed by British Psychologist, Felix Economakis, who is acknowledged as a world leader in ARFID treatment.  Throughout his career, Felix Economakis has learnt to utilise the best of many models of therapy and has created his own framework.  

The 4Rs Protocol is strategic in nature.  It is focussed on the goal of disrupting the unconscious sensory, mental and emotional patterns and beliefs around food and eating.  And rebuilding the perception and relationship someone is able to have with food and eating. 

It is also adaptable to treat depression, chronic anxiety and phobias which share unconscious patterns that with ARFID, are focussed on food and eating.

The use of Clinical Hypnosis is popularly called Hypnotherapy.

Anywhere your emotions and thoughts play a part in suffering, there is a place for Hypnotherapy to help, including mental, emotional and physical conditions.

Besides the many forms of anxiety, Hypnotherapy can be effective in treating conditions including stress, low self-esteem, procrastination, addictions/dependencies, pain management, fears and phobias, insomnia, depression, eating disorders and much more.

On average, a treatment plan involving 6 sessions is recommended.  Depending on the individual, more or less may be needed.

For some people, they may not be able to articulate a goal much beyond, to feel better, or to stop feeling ‘like this’.  You’ll no doubt find, after 3 weekly sessions, you are much clearer and more focussed on your ‘where to from here’.

We can discuss this in your discovery call or your initial session.   

You will likely feel like a lot has changed even after one session, especially because of the 4Rs Protocol which targets the fear factor that maintains ARFID in the first session.  But my aim goes beyond helping you FEEL better.  I want you to DO better.  And this is a process and takes time.  Although, as mentioned above, much less time comparatively than other therapeutic models.

Yes, of course.

This type of therapy does seek to help you DO better in the longer term, rather than being a single session model. In as little as 3 sessions, you can start to make significant changes with ease.

Initial session (1.5 hours) $250 +GST

Standard session (1 hour) $200 +GST

Several private health insurers cover hypnotherapy.  You will need to check with your health fund to ask them directly.