I have a serious fear of peanut butter getting stuck on the roof of my mouth

Hi. It’s Jenny at AnxietyBoss.com. Our question today is from Brian in Frankfort, Illinois. Call me crazy, but I have a serious fear of peanut butter getting stuck on the roof of my mouth. Help!

Well, believe it or not, you’re not alone. The fear of peanut butter is called arachibutyrophobia. Some people are deathly afraid of the sensation of having peanut butter stuck on the roof of their mouth. That sticky and sometimes chunky texture may add to this fear. This may be due to a childhood experience, a fear of choking or other reasons that may vary person to person.

You may find yourself with a dry mouth, an inability to speak, or shortness of breath. As a result of feeling these symptoms, you may find yourself in a midst of a panic attack. When this happens, trying to calm yourself down may be even harder than you thought. Irrational thoughts will rush through your mind and you may even find yourself choking back tears so that you don’t accidentally swallow the copious amount of peanut butter and suffocate.

Well, here’s the good news. The chances of that happening are extremely slim. The not so good news; this type of fear takes a while to go away and may be a tedious and painful process to overcome. Many people stop eating peanut butter completely because of this fear. If this happens, your fear has become so intense that it’s affecting your daily life. No more peanut butter and jelly. What kind of life is that?

Well, fortunately, there are, in fact, ways to overcome this. One may find it helpful to drink fluids while consuming peanut butter so that the chances of it getting stuck to the roof of your mouth are less likely. Also getting into the habit of brushing your teeth or even carrying a portable toothbrush after consuming peanut butter can assist in overcoming your phobia as well as gradually helping you to whiten your teeth.