Does Hypnosis Work for Weight Loss?

 

Written by Jenny Catton

 

Hypnosis is becoming an increasingly popular therapy for helping to control appetite and encourage weight-loss. But does it work?

 

Yes – Kim

I’d tried every diet under the sun in my attempt to lose weight but nothing worked. Then a friend suggested hypnotherapy. I was sceptical at first but couldn’t face another year of being overweight and decided to give it a go. I looked online and found a hypnotherapist in my area who specialised in weight loss. I went for three sessions in total but found that it was easy to change my eating habits after just one session.

Before trying hypnosis, I constantly craved foods that were high in sugar and fat. During the sessions, my hypnotherapist reprogrammed my brain so that I wanted to choose healthy foods rather than unhealthy ones. She also helped my unconscious brain realise when I was full so that I would stop eating once I’d had enough food.

The results have been amazing. I really haven’t felt like I’ve been on a diet at all – I just naturally crave the foods that are good for me and find it easy to eat in moderation now. As a result, I’ve lost four stone in six months. I feel happier and more positive about life in general and get so many compliments about my new shape.

I thought hypnotherapy would be expensive but it’s a small price to pay compared to all the money I’ve spent on books, gym memberships, and diet drinks over the years.

I’d definitely recommend hypnotherapy to anyone who needs to lose weight but finds that traditional diets just don’t work.

 

No –Frankie

In my opinion, hypnotherapy is a lazy and expensive way to try to lose weight andthere is no proof that it actually works.

People who undergo hypnosis for weight loss may find that they lose weight in the short-term but from my experience, the results don’t last.

My friend tried hypnotherapy to lose weight because he had struggled to stick to a healthy diet. For a couple of weeks after the session, he did eat less and lost a few pounds but his old habits soon returned and he put the weight back on. I don’t think the hypnotherapy actually worked, I think he just started eating healthily because he was trying to convince himself that he hadn’t wasted his money.

There is no quick fix for losing weight – you have to change your entire lifestyle and take responsibility for losing weight yourself. My friend finally lost the weight after changing his diet completely and taking up exercise. You have to look at why you’re overweight – the underlying causes, rather than thinking that lying back and being hypnotised is going to help. At the end of the day, you will always need willpower if you want to lose weight and you can only supply that yourself – you can’t expect a hypnotherapist to find it for you.

Categories: diet, hypnosis, Hypnotherapy, Lose, Lose weight, Losing Weight, weight, Weight Loss, work nbsp

How Can Hypnosis Help You Lose Weight and Keep it Off?

To lose weight, you need to eat less and move more – you don’t need a wellness expert to tell you that! So why, then, are we Brits not in amazingly good shape? Often, it may be a sign that you mental wellbeing is plagued by subconscious baggage that’s weighing you down. Clinical hypnotherapist Belinda Hulstrom explains, ‘There are a couple of things that need to happen for us to make changes: we have to want the benefits of that change, and we have to want them enough that we’re prepared to do whatever it takes to get them. We also have to believe that change is possible and that often involves overcoming the obstacles that our mind has set up for us.’

 

This is where hypnosis comes in. You spend your life surrounded by negativity, be it from the media, or even your family and friends. According to clinical hypnotherapist Mark Stephens, creator of the Think Slim programme, this then creates a self-fulfilling prophecy which prevents you from losing weight on a permanent basis. ‘People use a lot of negative self-talk,’ says Stephens. ‘They’ll say, “I’m a yo-yo dieter”, or “Diets don’t work”. But hypnosis can take away the mental prison bars they’ve made for themselves.’ You often eat for the wrong reasons because of your negative emotions. Stephens points out, ‘People will eat when they’re sad, lonely, bored or angry – and then they’ll feel guilty and beat themselves up afterwards, creating a downward spiral.’

 

In order to lose weight, then, you need to make a change to the way you think. ‘No amount of emotional eating will help repair yourself,’ Stephens warns. ‘We need to get on top of the negative emotions and learn how to feel happy.’ With the help of a hypnotherapist, you can break the negative cycle and replace these thoughts with positive ones. Stephens comments, ‘With hypnosis you’re bypassing the analytical and reasonable part of the mind and going straight to your subconscious, where all your memories are, and feeding it with positive suggestions. Hypnosis can help by changing people’s mindsets.’ The mindset you need to adopt is one of a long-term goal, rather than a short-term obsession.

 

It’s easy to lose weight on a short-term basis; what’s tricky is keeping it off – and that’s how hypnotherapy can help. In 1995, a study published in the Journal Of Consulting And Clinical Psychology showed that ‘the addition of hypnosis substantially enhanced treatment outcome’ in six studies relating to obesity and weight loss. The patients who underwent hypnosis continued to lose weight, even after the treatment had ended. Hulstrom echoes the fact that you need to change the way you think about weight loss. She notes, ‘It’s not about losing weight but about getting rid of something we no longer need or want and about creating a whole new relationship with food and our bodies.’

 

You also need to train your brain. Hulstrom concludes, ‘Probably the most powerful message hypnosis can get across is that you always have the power to choose. You can have that piece of chocolate cake, but you don’t have to have it. Hypnosis can help create a relationship with yourself that’s more honest.’ This is why the Think Slim programme gives participant the following verse to memorise:

 

I am tomorrow what I eat today, before each meal that’s what I say.

 

The more water I drink, the more inclined I will feel to only eat a nourishing, healthy, slim meal.

 

Between main meals I drink water or tea, between each meal I stay snack-free.

 

Excess fat I burn with every step I take, I have no desire for chocolate, ice-cream or cake.

 

Whether it’s a walk, a swim or a sport I play, I aim to be active twice every day.

 

I stay focused on my goal and the body I deserve, and it all boils down to each meal that I serve.

Categories: clinical hypnotherapist, emotional eating, hypnosis, Lose weight, Losing Weight, nbsp, negative emotions, short term, slim programme, Weight Loss

Can Alternative Therapies Help You to Quit Smoking?

If you’ve quit smoking successfully, the chances are you’ve used complementary wellness methods to help you do it. Many a successful quitter has gotten through the pangs of cigarette withdrawal using techniques such as hypnosis, acupuncture, or meditation, as these therapies address all the areas in which smoking affects your wellbeing and develop a healthy balance between your physical and mental wellness. There are many doctors who recommend alternative approaches, but they do also encourage patients to try them in conjunction with other quitting methods such as the patch or nicotine gum.

 

Amit Sood, MD, director of research for the Mayo Clinics complementary and integrative medicine programme, asserts, ‘People shouldn’t think that alternative modalities will help alone; they should be combined with other treatment. Smoking is a serious problem and should be treated like a real chronic disease.’ While it’s difficult to measure the success of alternative approaches to quitting smoking in a clinical setting, you cannot doubt the popularity of alternative medicine overall, with regards to smoking cessation or not. In the US, a 2002 government survey estimated that 36% of Americans had used some form of complementary or alternative therapy within the previous 12 months – clearly, something was working for them! Let’s take a look at some of the alternative therapies that may help you to quit smoking, once and for all:

 

1. Hypnosis: This therapy can relax your mind so that you identify the things that subconsciously trigger you to smoke. Alan B. Densky, a certified hypnotherapist who specializes in smoking cessation, explains, ‘Hypnosis is nothing more than the alpha state—a state of mind that we pass through as we fall asleep at night, go deep into a memory, or as we watch television.’ A hypnotherapist will take your case history of past attempts at quitting, and then induce you into a state of relaxation—often through the methods of guided meditation or visualization. Your hypnotherapist will then ask begin a conversation to explore what might motivate the patient to quit. According to the preliminary results from a small 2007 study of smokers hospitalized with cardiopulmonary diseases, hypnotherapy increases your chances of quitting in six months than if you choose nicotine-replacement therapy (NRT) alone.

 

2. Acupuncture: A technique derived from traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture uses tiny needles to stimulate certain points on your body. When it comes to smoking, acupuncturists generally insert the needles on and around your ears, feet and top of the head in order to reduce your cravings and ease the withdrawal symptoms throughout the body. However, it’s important note that the needle placement varies depending on who you are, and the acupuncturist will evaluate you to determine your physical weaknesses. Through a reading of your pulse and the colour of your tongue, your acupuncturist can work out which needle points to address. While acupuncture is the most extensively studied among the alternative therapies used to quit smoking, you need to bear in mind that the research is mixed here too and the best results come from a combination of acupuncture and education.

 

3. Meditation:  Not only does meditation soothe your wellbeing and refocus your thoughts, but a 2002 study showed that it releases dopamine in your brain, which is a similar process to how nicotine triggers that relaxing feeling. ‘There is an element of neurobiology behind it,’ says Dr. Sood, adding that meditation can also be a way to replace the stress-relieving qualities of cigarettes. Try breathing in and out slowly through your nose while sitting in a comfortable seat. Do this for five minutes, simply refocusing your thoughts back to your breathing whenever your mind wanders. Gradually work up to 20 minutes of mindful breathing a day.

Categories: acupuncture, Alternative, alternative therapies, hypnosis, meditation, quit, quit smoking, quitting smoking, Smoking, smoking cessation

Could Your Diet Plan Do With a Boost? Try Hypnosis!

If you’ve ever tried to lose weight, you’ll know that half the battle is in your mind. This is where hypnosis weight loss programmes come in. When you’re under hypnosis — a state of inner absorption and concentration — you are highly focused and more responsive to ideas about behavioural changes that might benefit your wellbeing, such as your eating habits. But what makes the hypnosis weight loss diet different from any other diet?

According to Nancy B. Irwin, PsyD, CHt, a speaker and author who uses hypnosis to help people become aware of why they overeat, ‘My premise is that there is positive intent behind every bit of human behaviour. No one ever does anything to deliberately be bad or wrong, or even evil…similarly, no one chooses to be obese.’ Clinical experience has taught Irwin that the positive intent behind overeating comes down to numbing emotional pain, thwarting unwanted sexual advances or to literally stand out/be seen.

A University of Connecticut study, published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, found that hypnosis weight loss programmes can provide a healthy way to address these needs without damaging your wellness. When participants took part in cognitive-behavioural treatments for weight loss reduction, they lost an average of 6lbs. However, when others added hypnosis to this treatment, the average weight loss was 12lbs. Irwin explained that hypnotherapists can reprogramme dieters to follow proper nutritional habits so they are able to commit to an ‘appropriate exercise regime, and most importantly to manage their thoughts, which are self-hypnotic suggestions 24/7.’

Bob Choat, fitness trainer and author of Mind Your Own Fitness, added that hypnosis can offer support to healthy eating and an exercise plan — but it’s not a magic pill. ‘What I’ve discovered regarding weight loss is that simply using hypnosis alone is not enough,’ he said. ‘Immediate action after a hypnosis session is important. Also, special suggestions, such as eating healthy veggies or increasing walking, is part of the solution.’

You can try hypnosis at home using books, videos, or audio recordings and your own voice to form a close connection between your body and mind for a specific reason. Make sure you find a quiet, distraction-free place for five to 30 minutes, making sure you’re as relaxed as possible. Breathe in and out deeply to release any negative energy in your body and mind, and imagine overcoming your weight loss goal. Repeat the statement to reaffirm your confidence in accomplishing your goal, and slowly locate your body and mind back to reality and open your eyes.

Categories: hypnosis, positive intent, Weight Loss