Sounds very puzzling and frustrating.

I agree it is unusual to have swallowing difficulties when awake and not when you sleep. It takes a very open minded and caring physician to try and figure it out. You clearly don't fit the "box".

Did you have a swallowing study? Where you seen by a speech therapist?
This could sometimes help in finding the cause of the problem and better directing your care (at least symptomatic).

It does sound like you may do better, when your muscles are relaxed (such as would happen when you sleep). Did you try any relaxation techniques to see if it could help?

Psychosomatic is basically what physicians can't explain (yet), so technically it is psychosomatic. Ulcer was psychosomatic until the discovery of the bug that causes it.

When physicians say something is psychosomatic they basically tell you that they do not have a clue of what is going on, don't see it as their job to try and figure it out and are not courageous and honest enough to say this to you. Blaming it on your "emotional problems" is a great way to deal with their frustration, but not very helpful for you.

This is very different from truly addressing your emotions ( I have yet to see a person who is ill, that does not have an emotional response to his/her illness, mostly if his physicians don't know what to do) and giving you emotional support. In fact, it is almost the opposite.

hope you feel better soon.