Danielle had a problem that she suffered from her entire life. When she would hear anybody eating or drinking around her she would get physically sick. It forced her to have to sit alone at restaurants and she could not eat meals near anyone else.
If somebody were to even drink a cup of coffee in the same room, it would affect her negatively. She found it necessary to sit alone at family meals and eventually, her mother, Jayne Beaufoy took her to the doctor to see what was going on.
Danielle, who was 14 at the time was told that the doctors could do nothing for her. That is when her mother turned to cognitive hypnosis to help cure her daughter of this problem.
Amazingly, only one hour of hypnosis was necessary to completely remove the phobia from Danielle. She can now eat and drink with her family and friends without any problem.
Jayne said: “Since she was younger she would always complain about the sound of people eating or drinking.
“If she was stood in the kitchen and you were drinking a coffee, she would get very distressed and leave the room immediately.
“Any time we would try to have a family meal at the dining table, she would make an excuse to leave and eat by herself.
“When it came to family occasions, she would make sure she was sat separately in the restaurant when she would eat, or would just refuse to go.
“But luckily since she has had her hypnotherapy, Danielle has been able to go out for family dinners and sit around the table with us.”
Daniel had been experiencing the phobia since she was a young child but her mother said it began to be more noticeable when she turned nine.
She said: “Danielle would always have issues with other people eating, but it wasn’t until she was nine that I knew she needed help.
“We had visited a family-friend’s house and she had refused to sit at the table, and got very agitated and upset when they tried to encourage her to join them.
“So when we got home from the trip, I decided to take her to the GP where she had hearing tests – but there was nothing that could be done to help her.
“I initially thought she was just being an awkward pre-teen and thought she would grow out of it, but she was very stubborn about the fact it wasn’t just a phase.
“So when I read about hypnotherapy on social media, I knew we had to give it a go – and luckily after one session she gradually started to become less bothered by the sounds.”
David Kilmu, her cognitive behavioral psychotherapist diagnosed her with ‘misophonia’ – a hatred of sound.
David said: “Danielle was very sweet and sensitive – the family had almost completely lost hope.
“Cognitive behavioural therapy in a light manner is powerful and can help a child question abnormal discomfort and fears.
“Misophonia, having said that, is very different. It is real. You can hear it and it triggers painful nausea so in this case it’s a major psychiatric breakthrough.
“It has been life changing for her. Socially, she can now eat out and hear others. It’s been dismantled and I cannot be happier for this lovely, kind, hard-working family.
“I’m excited for Danielle and honoured to be part of her personal development. A young person needs doors opened and misophonia had closed many of them.”
After having the hypnosis a year ago, Danielle is eating with her family at the dinner table and enjoying eating out with others at restaurants.