Weight Issues… Hypnotherapy

You need to eat to live, however, when the amount of food consumed exceeds the correct requirement, it is considered as over eating or obesity.

Many people eat to reward or comfort themselves. As a child you received a treat for doing something good; psychologists will state that this is a form of conditioning. Positive action is rewarded with a positive stimulus. Hence we carry this message in our minds through into adulthood.

Therapy covers changing internal beliefs, increasing self-confidence and self-belief to become a happier person. I also offer an additional programme to support this work.

However, the mind will also regard food as a comfort; should something untoward happen, we feel upset, so we comfort ourselves with a desired treat. Should the emotional hurt be far more traumatic and deeply ingrained in the psyche then the desire for comfort increases and the impulse to eat may become compulsive.

Hypnosis can be used to change attitudes to food, so changing behaviour patterns, and eventually improve feelings of well-being. Hypnosis can increase the appeal of healthy eating, a more physical life-style such as enjoying sport, running, walking or exercise.

I combine hypnosis with a special eating plan (not a diet) and this has proved to be very effective.

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The opposite end of the scale is eating too little, in extreme cases it may be a type of eating disorder called Anorexia Nervosa. A person fears that they might become obese and therefore engages in self-starvation. There is a difficulty in maintaining a minimal body weight and even when in a state of emaciation the sufferer will still feel fat.

Anorexics, have a distorted body image, other symptoms include the need to be perfect in every way, or a need to be in control; poor self-esteem, low confidence and a desire to enter into their own world, affecting moods and personality.

Medical problems usually develop as a result of a starvation regime.

The psychological reasoning of an anorexic adult goes back to negative programming in childhood. The parents’ concerned reaction to his or her thinness and low appetite has created an association of anxiety with eating.

Treatment for this type of problem takes time and requires the skills and knowledge of an experienced therapist who will ascertain the reasons behind the negative self-beliefs – usually a ‘chain’ of events that seem quite minor but over a period of time culminate into severe complex self-beliefs.

Cognitive-behavioural therapy is a form of treatment that focuses on removing destructive or negative self-statements and patterns of behaviour that are neither rational nor helpful. CBT helps the client to replace this negative reasoning with more constructive thoughts. The introduction of hypnosis speeds up the whole process.

Success with eating disorders

The Daily mail recently reported on the efficacy of hypnotherapy for eating disorders. Its reporter, a long term sufferer of digestion problems, described how she visited a Harley Street Hypnotherapist. She wrote: ‘I noticed that my behaviour patterns had changed. I no longer wanted to eat relentlessly. And when I did eat, I wanted fruitier puddings, or tiny squares of dark chocolate, instead of fatty chocolate puddings. Our final sessions were more like an MOT. I was able to right myself. There are many therapists other than Susan out there, and hypnosis works for any kind of compulsive behaviour.’

For the full story go to: Cured of eating obsessions…by Lily Allen’s hypnotherapist

Should you have a problem you wish to discuss please contact me:
Angie: 01285 652773 Mob: 078 66 55 0479