Hey guys, I hope you’re having a wonderful day! Today, I want to explain something important about why a simple incident — like feeling a pop in your throat or a brief choking episode while eating — can trigger a lasting fear of swallowing or choking.

How Does One Incident Turn Into a Big Fear?

Imagine this: you’re eating some bread or a potato, and suddenly you feel a bit choked or a strange pop in your throat. That moment may have seemed small, but for your mind, it can be huge. Instead of calmly processing that fear and moving on, your brain may get stuck. It might panic or feel like it almost “choked you to death.”

When that happens, your nervous system doesn’t reset to normal afterward. Instead, it develops a protective mechanism — a fear response that sees swallowing, chewing, or any action involving your throat as a potential threat. Essentially, your mind thinks, “If swallowing almost killed me once, I need to protect myself by being afraid of it.”

Why Tests Don’t Always Find the Problem

This is why many people go through extensive medical tests — endoscopies, barium swallows, scans — and everything looks fine physically. Because the problem isn’t physical. It’s psychological.

That original choking incident created an unresolved fear that now runs behind the scenes every time you try to eat or swallow. This fear keeps your throat muscles tight, your nervous system on high alert, and your mind in a protective mode.

The Problem With Holding On to Fear

Over time, avoiding eating to stay safe leads to real consequences — weight loss, reduced immunity, and other health issues. But the mind, having gotten used to this fear, won’t just let it go. Why? Because the familiar feels safe, even if it causes problems.

This is why you can’t simply talk yourself out of it or reason your way past the fear. The mind has built layers of anxiety and protection around that one incident, making it feel like swallowing is dangerous.

Healing Is About Rewiring Your Mind

Healing involves gently rewiring your mind to return to a baseline — a place where swallowing feels safe again. This means going back to that initial incident, processing it fully, and telling your mind, “It was just one incident, and I’m okay now.”

It’s important to remember, too, that many times before that big incident, you may have had small episodes of choking or swallowing the wrong way — and you didn’t panic. For example, I recently drank water that went “down the wrong way,” but I didn’t overthink it. That’s your mind processing fear in real time, rather than storing trauma.

How Do You Overcome This Fear?

You overcome it by identifying and resolving the unresolved fear that your mind holds onto. When you do this, you can start enjoying meals again without anxiety, without needing to blend food, or constantly worrying about choking.

Final Thoughts

A small incident can build into a big fear — but the good news is, healing that root fear can have a huge positive impact on your life. If this resonates with you, take a moment to reflect on your own experience:

• What incidents do you think triggered your fear of choking?
• What steps are you taking to help yourself heal?

I hope this makes sense and helps you understand your fear a little better. Until next time, take care and have a great day!