Hypnotherapy is the use of hypnosis to treat anything from bad habits like smoking to stress, insomnia, and phobias. Hypnosis is also a great tool to deal with weight loss. An addiction to food, for example, is usually nothing more than a habit that has gotten out of conscious control of the person, who no longer can use willpower to control it. Using hypnosis, a therapist can access the unconscious mind and create change without much resistance.
Patients who are overweight share some common characteristics, such as not listening to what their bodies are telling them and choosing non-nutritional foods, even when they know it is not the best choice for them. When using hypnosis for weight loss, the therapist first works on self image and ego boosting, and only later on approaches the main habits that are causing the patient to be overweight. More often than not, overeating has emotional links, so dealing with these topics first will allow the person to get past the problem faster and more effectively.
Understanding what the body needs rather than succumbing to an abrupt urge is key in changing habits for life. The body deserves to have high quality nourishment, and by understanding what each compulsion means it becomes possible to encourage changes you can actually live with. Hypnosis can be an effective approach to weight loss, but it often needs to be reaffirmed, at least during the first few months after the initial sessions. After the initial visits to a hypnotherapist, using self-hypnosis, listening to tapes, or talking to the expert on the phone may be enough to maintain the desired level of mental resilience.
The main advantage of using hypnosis to deal with weight loss issues is the fact that hypnosis offers a permanent solution by dealing with the core problem. Once the person has learned the new mechanisms to get through cravings, emotional eating, and low self-esteem issues, the changes usually stay for the long run, and being thin becomes the natural state of life.
