my first cbt on friday

I'm happy about the support you guys have given me. I've been having a fear of choking for a week.no more panic for me a week was enough. I choose to live life with out fear....I'm an obsisseve thinker. I worry about things people do naturally. My pychologist called me yester and we talked for a while...she explained my fear like a sad movie...when we see the people crying over the death of a loved one we cry with emotion...even though we know its a movie....my anxietys like that too...its like a sad movie inn my life right now....only thing is its just a movie...my emotions that is...if that makes sense. She told me this anxiety is normal... a week or so on meds sense they are highly addictive and two weekly meetings with her....she has a great sucsess rate. I saw her 6yrs ago with my fear of dying and I've beeen anxiety free til now....I just hate getting scared of food...I still push my self to eat solid foods I geyt panic like I can't swallow but I push it cuz I don't want to rely on soup forever...I've always been a hypo so that's why I worry....my questions is has anyone had this fear...and good sucess though cbt and a dose of anxitey meds? Thanks
$nowflake-

Hey, snowflake!

Good luck with the CBT - if you had a good experience before with this therapist, I'll sure you'll feel fine after this round of treatment too.

I had the choking phobia for months and months. It took me a lot of meetings (but only as-needed meds) to address it, but then, we were treating a LOT of other issues besides just that one. I do know that what worked for me wasn't our discussion of that phobia, but rather when I finally felt more able to handle my anxiety in general. Then I was willing to challenge my phobia by eating the frightening foods, and with the challenging, especially trying to do it often, I got over the phobia for a good bit.

It's come back some in the past 2-3 months, but not like it was. I can also stand back from myself and realize that I am frightened again because I didn't keep practicing facing it. So part of me realizes that it truly is a fear that's separate from the food, if that makes sense, when I was never quite able to think that clearly about it before.

Whenever your throat feels scary, try to remind yourself that you ARE breathing. Think about how it would feel different if you were truly choking on something, as opposed to how it's feeling then, and really, really trying to pin down a DIFFERENCE between how you feel , and the actual choking you fear would feel.

That has helped me on several occasions.

Good luck on Friday - I expect you'll have a wonderful session.

percycat