Hypnotherapy for Weight Loss & Weight Control

Causes of weight gain.

A common misconception is that overweight people are greedy and have no will power, or that their appearance is due to lack of knowledge or ignorance. Being overweight, at least significantly so, is almost never just a matter of not knowing better; it's far more complicated than that. There are often psychological problems associated with weight problems- depression, lack of confidence, low self esteem etc. Most psychological problems are resolved naturally once the weight has been lost. Often the anxiety and frustrations that cause people to over eat stem from being over weight... it's a vicious circle.

Dieting & weight loss in the UK is a multi billion £ business, there are literally thousands of diet books, exercise videos, food substitutes, weight loss drugs and weight loss clubs. The trouble is all these treatments rely on willpower, which is why they usually fail!

Generally if someone succeeds in losing weight using willpower alone, as soon as the weight is lost, they resume back to their old eating patterns and re-gain all the lost weight. Another common occurrence when using willpower alone is that as soon as other matters occupy the mind, or the main goal is removed i.e. slimming for a holiday, or an unexpected crisis arises, people have a tendency to slip back into their old habits. This compounds the problem because of the added disillusionment and discouragement. Therefore something more efficient and permanent than willpower is needed to enable clients to stick to their new healthy eating regime.

We offer individual weight loss hypnotherapy sessions with experienced female hypnotherapists or, if you prefer, all day group hypnosis sessions based in Harley Street, London, for information on the next available group session please see the group hypnotherapy page.

So how does Hypnotherapy/ Hypnosis help with weight loss?

Hypnosis bypasses willpower and changes the way the subconscious thinks. This allows eating healthily to become effortless, and is especially effective if self hypnosis is practiced alongside professional hypnotherapy sessions. This works by utilising the same psychological principles you employ when mastering a new skill. If you are not able to imagine that you are going to be successful, then you are defeated before you begin. This is what happens when people undertake diets & weight loss programs having previously failed many times before. No amount of willpower can surmount this feeling of defeatism.

Every successful person has had to be capable of visualising himself/herself as a success long before it becomes a reality. A physician for example could not undertake many years of study unless he/she was first able to 'see him/herself as a doctor. Any successful person achieves their goals by overcoming handicaps, which defeated those people who were less motivated.

Unfortunately, all negative opinions - true or not - filter into your subconscious mind, which does not question or analyse the many impressions it receives. People become so convinced that they are incapable of the strength necessary to maintain a diet that they eventually stop mentally picturing a healthy/more attractive body. Using hypnosis to create a positive self image is the key. Once a proper self image is generated people find they have the conviction to easily stick to a healthy eating plan. Therefore, the outcome of hypnotherapy for weight control is changing people's psychological mood.

It is the role of the Hypnotherapist to determine the most suitable treatment for each individual client but the following are examples of some of the benefits clients gain from hypnosis & hypnotherapy:

• Removes the desire to overeat
• Forms a positive self image
• Produces stronger feelings of strength and determination
• Improves self esteem, confidence and positive thinking
• Improves stress levels
• Occasionally weight gain is caused by a past event, uncovering this can help
• Occasionally hypnotherapy uncovers secondary gains (reasons to remain overweight) and replacing weight gain with something more beneficial can help

Other weight control treatments offered at the London Harley Street Practice include;

• Dietary analysis
• Muscle/Fat ratio testing
• Fitness testing
• Blood testing (for thyroid, diabetes, anaemia and cholesterol)