Hypnotherapy has been proven to be effective in controlling weight. One study found that people who used hypnosis lost more than twice as much weight as those who followed a diet without it. It can also help with habitual and emotional eating problems and eating disorders such as bulimia nervosa or anorexia – although anorexia should only ever be treated in conjunction with and under the supervision of a psychiatrist.
Most people who want to lose weight find dieting difficult, as it requires a lot of conscious effort – willpower – in order to succeed. This is always a deeply negative process (‘I must not eat chocolate’, ‘I must not eat too many calories’, ‘I must not…’) and that is often the main reason for subsequent failure. A common, added frustration is not knowing the reason for the overeating or unhealthy eating. Sometimes it is just habitual such as a response to boredom or watching TV, but it can often be a deep-seated emotional reason that affects general eating patterns or manifests itself as ‘comfort eating’. In this case, the mind is controlling the eating habits instead of being driven by physical hunger.
The use of hypnotherapy leads to controlling weight naturally by identifying reasons for an unhealthy diet or overeating and developing healthy new eating habits. Hypnotherapy does not use diets. By first identifying patterns of inappropriate eating they can then be eradicated and new healthy eating habits installed. Motivation to exercise will also increase and self-esteem and confidence will grow, which will help maintain the momentum to achieve goals in weight or clothes-size.
The number of sessions required is generally one initial session, with one to two follow-up sessions over a period of months.
These hypnotherapy audio downloads by Professor Ursula James can help with weight loss and weight control:
The Power of Positive Thinking MP3
You Can Think Yourself Thin by Ursula James (book and audio)