Lennie Sartin’s parents believe he acquired a phobia of foods
A schoolboy who was obsessed with jacket potatoes for seven years has been transformed through hypnosis. Lennie Sartin would demand a baked spud with beans and cheese for nearly every meal, consuming approximately 2,500 throughout his lifetime.
Mum and dad Kayleigh and Lewis were baffled when Lennie ceased attempting new foods at 18 months old. The idea of consuming any fruit or vegetables would often leave him feeling sick or queasy.
In desperation, Kayleigh sought help from cognitive behavioural hypnotherapist David Kilmurry. Following a two-hour hypnotherapy session, the eight year old has savoured his first summer fruits alongside other meals.
Kayleigh reports he has also grown considerably in height and his energy levels have soared. Kayleigh, 34, from Stanford-le-Hope, Essex, said: “Lennie was always so fussy about what he ate.
“Nine out of 10 times when I asked him what he wanted for dinner, he’d say ‘jacket potato’. He’d only ever have them with beans and cheese, never anything else. We weren’t too worried because we thought potatoes are quite healthy and he did loads of sport and was fit but he had low energy. He’d often go to bed at 7pm and he had a fidgety leg.”
Kayleigh, who also has another son Brodie, six, feared that Lennie might have inherited a family tendency from her brother. She added: “My brother, Connor, used to only eat KFC and a doughnut every single day so I thought maybe Lennie was just a fussy eater.
“I did take him to a paediatrician who said it was his diet but whenever I tried him on different foods he would gag. He would eat beige foods for lunch and sometimes potato waffles but his main dinner would almost always be a baked potato. I read about another boy David had helped with his food obsession and made an appointment to see him. David told me Lennie had a phobia of food. It totally made sense as he’s spent practically all of his life eating potatoes.
“He also said his fidgety leg was his body’s natural reaction to craving nutrients. It was amazing because after just one hypnotherapy session, Lennie was able to try more foods like strawberries and bananas.
“It was like his fear of other foods had gone. My dad who only sees him every few weeks even said that he’d grown and the other week Lennie completed the 5k park run. He even managed to shave two minutes off his best time.”
Lennie can now sample 24 different foods, including vegetables and fruit, and only has jacket potatoes a couple of times each week. Mr Kilmurry, who specialises in treating people with Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder, said: “It was a true honour to meet and work with Lennie, to watch him eat all these wonderful new foods is inspirational. I’m so pleased for him and his family.”
