Hypnosis for weight loss

Hypnosis as a method to aid in weight loss has been very popular over the past few decades.  If you have ever tried to lose weight by dieting, you know the challenges you will face.  Sticking to a very restricted diet for a several weeks or months can be very difficult no matter how motivated you are.  Most diets require a limited number of calories, which often lead to battles with hunger throughout the day.  Other diets require that you eat only certain foods, which can lead to significant boredom after a short period of time.  It is no wonder that many people fail when it comes to dieting. 

Diets often fail because people rely on sheer determination and will power.  Will power is something you exert consciously.  When you attempt to use will power you are making a conscious decision to control your behavior.  Unfortunately, so many of our behaviors, such as eating and all the emotional dynamics that go along with eating, are unconsciously driven.  So by using will power you are trying to change an often deeply ingrained behavior (overeating) at a conscious level, when it is the unconscious which needs to be dealt with directly.  Will power simply doesn’t work for most people.  And that is where hypnosis comes in. 

Hypnosis for weight loss can be very effective because it taps into your unconscious.  This is where significant change can take place.  Hypnosis will generally be the most effective when you combine two things:  a highly skilled and knowledgeable hypnotherapist and a very motivated client.  It is important that you are motivated to lose weight, because you will be less resistant to the process and thus more likely to succeed. 

If you work with a hypnotherapist to help you lose weight, the first thing you will do is discuss your history with regards to issues about your weight and losing weight.  You will also discuss what your challenges are as well as the specific goals you want to achieve.  While there are some general aspects of hypnosis which may work to some degree for everyone when it comes to weight loss, the more the hypnotherapy is tailored to your specific issues and goals, the more effective it will be in the long run.

Initially the hypnotherapist will help you get in to a highly relaxed state.  It is this state which is the basis for hypnotherapy.  The more relaxed you are, the quieter your brain and the less inhibited you are.  You are still fully conscious, but you are very relaxed and focused.  It is in this state, referred to as a “trance” state, that you are the most open to suggestion.  Suggestion is the driving force behind hypnosis. 

Depending on your weight loss issues and goals, the hypnotherapist will make various statements to you.  These statements are usually made in the present tense.  For example, if you struggle with craving a lot of sweets, the hypnotherapist may say to you, “you have lost all desire for foods high in sugar and prefer only fresh fruit”.  Other statements which are more general may include “You make time for exercise every day”, or, “You enjoy foods which are highly nutritious and low in calories”.   Each of these statements is a way of guiding your subconscious in a new direction so that you will make choices which result in weight loss.   The more compatible the statements are with your issues and your goals, the more your subconscious mind will accept them and adopt them. 

It is not uncommon for the hypnotherapist to also continue to tell you that you are very relaxed throughout the session.  This will help maintain the relaxed state and the heightened suggestibility.  Keep in mind that you will be conscious during this relaxed state.  

While a single hypnosis session may be helpful in jump starting your weight loss journey, most people will have greater success with continued sessions or listening to the first session over and over.  Some hypnotherapists will tape the session for you so you can listen to it every day.  They may tell you that listening twice a day for the first week and then once a day for the next 3 weeks will provide the greatest benefit.  This allows the new messages to become more deeply imbedded in your unconscious mind.  In turn, the desired new habits and behaviors become a way of life for you, and you can lose the weight without the struggle.

A certified Hypnotherapist, a motivated client and you're well on your way to losing the weight you want, eating healthier and exercising more. Depending on the client, usually at least three sessions are recommended to achieve maximum benefit in re-programming old beliefs and making the new beliefs part of your everyday thinking and actions allowing you to become the person you want to be.