Losing weight is often a challenging feat; everyone can attest to that. Many factors come into play regarding weight loss, such as a healthy diet and exercise, genetics, obesity, and people with health issues. A good example is people with medical conditions such as diabetes; losing weight may be rather difficult due to unstable blood sugar and related hormones.
Even though there isn’t enough data from research on the relationship between hypnosis therapy and weight loss, the data available proves that hypnotherapy may be a plausible approach one can use to lose weight.
How Does Clinical Hypnosis Work?
Hypnosis is a trance-like mental condition in which people’s focus, attention, and suggestibility are enhanced. People experience a state of intense concentration and increased suggestibility.
In a hypnotic state, people seem to be sleeping or zoned out, but they are still hyper-aware. Hypnosis is more like a state of deep relaxation where you seem asleep except your mind is awake.
Types of Hypnosis
- Guided hypnosis-to induce a hypnotic trance, this form of hypnosis employs instruments such as written instructions and music.
- Hypnotherapy -the application of hypnosis in psychotherapy and behavioral therapy to treat depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and various addictions including eating disorders by registered medical professionals.
- Self-hypnosis: -is a hypnotic trance that you learn to create on your own. It’s also used as a method for treating pain and stress management.
Important Elements in Hypnotherapy
- Induction
it’s a form of hypnosis in which patients are given a set of instructions to obey to help them achieve a hypnotic state. Hypnosis methods are designed to help increase concentration and immersion in the inner mental world.
- Suggestion
Suggestions are usually articulated as implications and evoke potentially involuntary reactions from subjects who do not feel they have any power (or agency) over the situation. The hypnotic state makes you more responsive to suggestions your hypnotherapist may provide.
A qualified clinical hypnotherapist will begin the session by learning about you and what you want to accomplish during your hypnotherapy session. This way, they’re able to find the best approach for hypnotherapy functions and what kind of therapy or treatment they recommend for your specific needs.
Hypnotherapy sessions are normally between 50 and 2 hours long. While specific techniques vary by therapist, often sessions begin with you settling into a relaxed posture with your eyes closed, either sitting or lying down.
How Effective is Hypnosis For Weight Loss?
Hypnosis for weight loss is effective but only when paired with a weight-loss plan that includes diet and exercise. Unfortunately, little research is available indicating the success of hypnotherapy when used exclusively for weight loss.
That being said, studies have shown that there is a relationship between weight loss and hypnosis when used in conjunction with exercise and diet plans. The use of personal-hypnosis techniques has proved to be successful in boosting control during diets.
- It boosts self-control
A clinical study conducted in 2018 had people with severe obesity divided into two groups, with one being taught guided hypnotherapy and self-hypnosis techniques by certified therapists. The results from the end of the trial showed that the group who employed hypnosis in their weight loss plan had lost more kilograms and reported seeing positive effects in their quality of life and their BMI.
- Lowers body mass
In a brief 2020 study, researchers followed hypnotherapy results on 32 participants in a professionally controlled program. The research subjects showed health benefits such as a lower body mass index (BMI) and lower leptin levels, an obesity-related hormone, in their blood after 10 weeks of supervised treatment.
- Combined intervention
Studies show that hypnosis combined with the right approach to diet and exercise could help you shed weight better than when used alone.
Can I Hypnotize Myself to Lose Weight?
Hypnotherapy sessions are normally between 50 and 2 hours long. While specific techniques vary by therapist, often sessions begin with you settling into a relaxed posture, either sitting or lying down. Hypnotizing yourself should take the same time; here is how to go about it.
- Believe
Before beginning, you need to believe in the power of hypnosis. You need to find a proper regimen. Hypnosis requires constant repetition to reprogram the mind. You should try to hypnotize for about twenty minutes daily.
- Eat healthily
One of the first stuff you can do whilst in hypnosis is persuading yourself that you don’t want to eat the unhealthy snacks you’re having difficulty dropping. Remember, a proper meal plan doesn’t need you to avoid eating; it simply requires you to consume less unhealthy items. Don’t try to talk yourself out of eating; instead, persuade yourself to consume less of the food you believe is bad for your health (see overeating hypnosis).
- Reprogramming
Write down your goal and develop a mantra you can repeat daily. The idea is that the mind can be influenced to change habits to adopt healthy eating habits. Besides hypnosis, you will also need to develop a good diet where you will be eating several meals a day, but in small portions. Ensure you have enough fruit and vegetables since they provide the necessary nutrients without putting on any pounds.
What is the Best Hypnosis for Weight Loss?
Suggestion hypnosis
During this time, the hypnotherapist will make suggestions to help you learn how to change your thinking patterns. This method is excellent for breaking bad habits, managing fear, and lowering stress.
Solution-focused
This kind of intervention focuses on the present moment, on how you feel right now, and how you want to feel in the future. It is client-centered, meaning you call the shots.
Hypnoanalysis
Hypnoanalysis uses analytical psychotherapy concepts to describe an “origin” or “trigger case” contributing to the current issue you’re dealing with. The therapist assists in reducing harmful associations and resolving problems by determining the root cause.
Hypnotherapy for Weight Loss: Does It Work?
More research is needed to fully comprehend how the mind-body relationship functions in weight loss hypnotherapy. Despite decades of research into the effects of hypnotherapy on weight loss, little is known about how hypnosis may affect your weight. That aside, here is what we experts have been able to find:
It helps resolve emotional conflict within
People who have previously endured depression, violence, or chaos may be unaware that their personal experiences influence their current efforts to maintain a healthier weight. Hypnotherapy can assist with the healing of the pain and painful emotions so that the individual can move on and lose weight.
The hypnotherapist uses a form of therapy called therapeutic regression, which helps patients uncover repressed memories that may be causing the individual to have a hard time leading a healthy life.
It may assist in the correction of cognitive biases, and negative behaviors
An excellent way hypnotherapy can help patients is by challenging negative beliefs and misconceptions about how one’s body should look. Today’s society idolizes a thin slim figure, especially in women. It’s especially hard for them after childbirth when they tend to gain a few pounds.
Individual or group hypnosis may assist individuals in revising irrational beliefs, such as associating food with self-reward. It helps you learn a better relationship with food and develop a healthy and effective alternative to reward yourself.
Reducing cravings
According to studies, guided visualization may be used to reduce problematic food cravings. If you’ve been taught, experts suggest you should use directed visualization and hypnosis to help yourself if you need it.
Take away
Some clinical studies have shown that many people exhibit a change in weight through hypnosis; scientists find that the amount lost is minor, making it hard to gauge how effective it is truly. While using weight-loss hypnosis as a stand-alone tool is unlikely to result in substantial weight loss, using it as part of a broader lifestyle plan could be worth considering for some people.