Weight Loss Hypnosis

In an age when there are more people who are overweight than are within a normal weight range, many will turn to adjunct therapies to help them lose those unwanted pounds. Hypnosis is one of those complementary therapies that can help you overcome your cravings and comfort eating.

In research published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology, researchers found that people who used hypnosis with their weight loss programs showed significant additional weight loss. The people who used hypnosis also maintained their personal weight loss goals. (1)

Hypnosis is an adjunct therapy, which means that it works with other dietary plans. However, there isn’t definitive research to show that hypnosis works as a stand-alone answer for weight loss.

Hypnosis is a state of concentration, almost like being in a trance. Achieving this level of concentration is usually accomplished with the help of a hypnotherapist or psychologist. During this state of concentration you are in a more suggestible state, or are more responsive to suggestions and directions.

Hypnosis has been used in the treatment of depression, smoking cessation, anxiety, stress, breaking habits and pain management. The concept is that during this highly responsive state you are better able to access areas of your brain to improve your overall success at what you are trying to achieve.

Real hypnosis bears little resemblance to the parlor tricks used by stage personalities to make their subjects act like tea-pots or act in ways that are otherwise out of character. The effects can be significantly different from person to person, depending upon their ability to be put into that suggestive state.

In a study of 60 women, treatment for weight loss included hypnosis in the plan. The women who used the hypnosis lost an average of 17 pounds vs. an average of 0.5 pounds lost by the control group. (2) Researchers who published another analysis of previous studies stated that hypnosis should be used by anyone who is serious about weight loss because of the degree of effectiveness of the process.

The increasing numbers of people who are obese or significantly overweight has put a strain on our medical system and increases the risk of diabetes, stroke and cardiovascular disease for the individuals who are obese. Because there are more people searching for an easier option to lose weight, the weight loss industry has grown exponentially in the past years. Hypnosis can be a cost effective and efficient method to add to your exercise and nutritional changes that will help you to lose weight.

References:

(1) Journal of Clinical Psychology: Effectivenss of Hyponsis as an Adjunct to Behavioral Weight Management

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3973038

(2) The Effectiveness of Hypnosis for Weight Loss: 3 Studies

http://static.vg.no/pdf/Three_Studies_WL_Hypnosis.pdf

(3) Hypnotic Enhancement of Cognitive-Behavioral Weight Loss Treatments

http://static.vg.no/pdf/Three_Studies_WL_Hypnosis.pdf

Resources:

Vanderbilt: Weight Loss and Hypnosis

http://www.vanderbilt.edu/AnS/psychology/health_psychology/hypnosis.htm

Psychology Today: The Trouble with Hypnosis

http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200910/the-trouble-hypnosis