How Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy Works with Weight Loss

Most people over eat and eat unhealthy types of food because it gives relief of stress, anxiety, emotional distress, agitation or boredom/restlessness, depression and loneliness which becomes a habitual.

Just about everybody has a nervous habit and choosing food to relieve anxiety or boredom is also down to our personalities and character traits, mainly the Loving Caring personality (click on; personality types)

Automatic Thoughts

Sometimes it is our habitual thinking that causes snacking and can make it hard to change.

For example, if we are nervous, upset, or worried, past experience tells us that eating “comfort food” will help us feel better. Then after indulging we might think, “Well, I’ve blown it, I may as well give up the diet and eat what I want.” We can also think, “I am weak and useless because I can’t control my eating.”

More realistic thoughts, that are more productive would be, “So what, I had some chocolate. It tasted good! Just because I had some chocolate doesn’t mean I can’t continue on with my healthy diet and doesn’t make me weak or useless.”

The latter thoughts are more helpful and encouraging to continue with the healthy diet. It may seem like you can’t control your thoughts that is because we have little if any awareness of many of our thoughts.

We call these “automatic thoughts.” They are less conscious and we tend to be especially deaf to our thoughts that lead to habitual behaviours. It appears that we just act, but in reality, we think and then we act. If you stop and listen, you’ll find that you can change them. Listen and you will become aware of what you are telling yourself.

External or Environmental Triggers

Another automatic trigger to eat can be from an external form. Example, television is loaded with cooking programmes and while watching them we can become hungry. However, unconscious triggers can come from being in a certain place at a certain time.

Emotions and Compulsive Eating

The compulsive part of eating comes from our personality the Loving Carer side of our nature. Where we often feel very strong emotions and regularly struggle to express these emotions to others, therefore resulting in feeling depressed.

Living life in the moment and wanting to feel loved and happy - right now, and not spending too much time thinking about tomorrow, next month or next year. Consequently, finding it difficult to defer the pleasure for more than a few hours results in the compulsive drive and having the snack and feeling happy, safe and relaxed.

Treatment Program

The weight loss treatment program focuses on:

4Detecting automatic thoughts and emotions you want to change
4Noticing external trigger situations
4Building self-esteem and using hypnosis for self-confidence
4Hypnosis to consciously develop your body image
4Learning self-hypnosis to lower anxiety and stress
4Learning about your personality and character traits
4Discovering and challenging negative beliefs around food
4Building a positive belief system
4Clearing negative emotions and learning new responses
4Exercise and motivation
4'Portion distortion' the name being applied to our lack of awareness of correct portion sizes in our 'super-size' culture.

Length of Treatment

The length of treatment varies from person to person and the mind set of the habit. Usually, four to six sessions.

E-mail: stephen@spalding-hypnotherapy.co.uk