Does hypnosis work to lose weight?

 I'm sure this is a question that many people have asked themselves and that even some like you who are reading this needs to answer: Hypnosis to lose weight… does it work?

Lose weight with hypnosis?

The other day I was driving and at a crossroads, when the traffic light turned red, I looked out the window and a huge poster hanging from a billboard caught my attention, which read in very large letters "HYPNOSIS TO LOSE WEIGHT."

The first thing that came to mind is… what a business. It happens that I am a psychologist and I have trained in clinical hypnosis in the master. Also, I am a nutritionist and Keto Coach. Therefore, I want to give you my personal opinion about it: is it possible to lose weight with hypnosis?

WHAT IS HYPNOSIS?

From how this article has started, surely you can get the idea that I am not very in favor of this type of service. Although it is so, do not think that I have something against hypnosis, on the contrary, it is a technique that I use in consultation often.

Hypnosis is simply a way to work with the representational and symbolic of each person. That is, with emotions.

When we argue: we argue, we seek information, that is, we work on a cognitive level. This does not mean that emotion is not worked in this way. For example, if I realize that I have been telling myself something in an equivocal way for years, my emotion also changes. This, after all, is because, through reason and objectivity, my way of perceiving things has changed.

How does hypnosis treatment work?

Techniques like hypnosis do not promote change through reason, but rather the work that is done is through meaning. I'll give you an example: The case of a person who, when she was little, suffered a violation and kept the belief that what happened, in part, was her responsibility.

Adelaide Naturopath helps us to "return" to the memory and to be able to live it from a different emotion. In this case: being able to forgive yourself, make peace with your inner child, etc.

It would be a mistake to think that hypnosis is a treatment in itself, it is simply one of the many tools that professionals have to promote change.

WHAT IS HYPNOTHERAPY FOR WEIGHT LOSS BASED ON?

I am not aware of all the hypnotherapy services and plans for weight loss that exist in the world, but I would dare to say that most are based on illusion and despair.

When you have been trying to lose weight for a long time and you cannot, have tried thousands of diets or others, it is easy to fall into the temptation to resort to something that is seemingly magical, immediate, and painless (except for the price).

In fact, and I really think so, I think the reason why hypnosis is effective for weight loss is because of the high cost it has. These are usually a few sessions, even just one. However, this service usually costs between 500 and 1,000 euros.

 I think that the weight of having spent so much money and that it is useless is capable of generating such dissonance in people that it acts as a motivator to lose weight.

In addition, with this issue, the degree of professional intrusion is very high. Many centers or professionals that advertise on this service are not even licensed, psychologists. It is important that whenever you choose a professional, regardless of the treatment you need, you make sure that you follow the scientific method.

Hypnosis to stop eating

I have decided to update this post due to the consultation of a person who contacted me asking for services as a specialist in psychontutrition. He asked me if I practice hypnosis to stop eating.

My first reaction was fright .. how to stop eating ?. Then I understood what he was referring to, achieving satiation through hypnosis.

Honestly, I doubt very much that this can be achieved beyond the suggestion itself, but even if it were, it would never work.

The appetite or hunger is a natural response of our body that should not be inhibited if we have problems of emotional lack of control that leads us to eat, we will have to work on that, but not cancel our hunger.

I know that there are pharmacological treatments that precisely enhance the loss of appetite. I would only recommend treatment of this type in very specific situations, such as a pre-operative period where it is necessary not to eat before or a serious obesity problem where weight loss is urgent.

Can hypnosis helps you lose weight?

Not that it doesn't exactly work. What is clear is that a hypnosis session is not going to make you suddenly lose 6 kg or 10 or anything. I think that sometimes it can work for the reasons I have explained to you.

However, I also believe that these changes are weak in time and that when you don't really learn to change your relationship with food, everything returns to the point of origin sooner or later.

I'm sure you will nonetheless find opinions of all kinds of whether hypnosis works for weight loss. My advice is to base yourself on the opinions of documented professionals and their research .

WHAT IS HYPNOSIS FOR?

Hypnosis is useful and it is a good means, but it is a technique, not the definitive remedy or a panacea. To be completely honest with you, I have never worked hypnosis on a weight-loss case. It occurs to me, like this early on, that for example, it might be useful as a visualization exercise.

There is a reality that is true: we are only capable of doing what we are capable of imagining. For example, we could use hypnosis so that a person who is not able to imagine controlling his emotional hunger can imagine how he would do it and thus, paradoxically, be able to do it before giving up.

As you see; it is a technique, a resource. Psychological therapy is also often important in a weight loss process. Psychonutrition is this, matching the emotional and mental part with a greater food education.

If you have tried several diets or specialists and they have not helped you, it may not be your method. I'm sick of seeing people fail, due to being put on or prescribed super restrictive diets. Perhaps by trying in a more coherent and serene way, you can achieve it.

OTHER MAGIC REMEDIES?

On that poster, I saw the phrase "hypnosis to lose weight", but it is not the only one I could have seen. In my time practicing and working with people who have tried various things, I have discovered:

Weight Loss Meditations: I consider this to be the same as hypnosis. Meditation can be a very useful technique to implement in order to regulate ourselves emotionally and thus control anxiety about eating. Again, a meditation by itself will not achieve magical results.

Music to lose weight: I have been looking for information about this and anyway… I have found everything. If someone thinks that music makes you thin ...