Abstract:

Choking phobia (or swallowing phobia) is a disorder which defined as a fear and avoidance of swallowing food, drinks or pills. his study includes the process of the case formulation and cognitive behavioural therapy supervision which is addressed at the end of 27 sessions of a patient with choking phobia and panic attacks. Patient is 25 years old, university graduated, female with a profession. Patient recoursed with the complaints of choking thoughts while eating, panic attacks and trust issues she experiences in her romantic relationships. During the therapy process which has been composed within the framework of cognitive behavioral therapy; cognitive restructuring techniques, relaxation exercises, systematic desensitization, coping cards and psycho-education methods were utilized. At the end of the process, it was observed that the patient is able to consume food and drinks that she could not consume before the treatment, her choking anxiety while eating and drinking has disappeared. Moreover, she is able to eat in different social environments which was not possible before, her panic attacks did not repeate and in particular the cognitive distortions which are affected her romantic relationships decreased. In the follow-up interview it was observed that well-being has maintained. It is thought that this case study will contribute studies about choking phobia which are few in the literature. The findings should be strengthened by applying appropriate cognitive behavioral techniques to other cases.

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