Does hypnosis help with weight loss? Or is it a mental obsession?
It is a much-debated topic, and there are several arguments for and against the effectiveness of hypnosis therapy for weight loss.
Hypnosis is the induction of a state of consciousness in which a person is made to lose the power of their natural reactions.
A person in a hypnotized state of mind becomes responsive to suggestions and directions.
Self-hypnosis, which makes a person highly focused and absorbed, can be an effective way to lose some weight. It’s more like a deep state of relaxation that helps you concentrate more on your goal.
Hypnosis is widely used as a therapy to recover suppressed memories or create a specific behavioral motivation for achieving a task or goal.
When someone is in a hypnotic trance, the mind goes into a short-term state of concentration and focus.
We will not go into all the specifics of hypnosis but focus on weight loss hypnotherapy.
Hypnosis And Weight Loss
The hypnotherapist mainly uses verbal repetitions and mental images to hypnotize a person.
A hypnotherapist, who treats obese patients, makes the person go into a hypnotized state of mind. The therapist makes the patient highly focused and responsive to the suggestions and recommendations for shedding weight. Each hypnosis session lasts about 20 to 25 minutes, and usually done once a week.
The hypnotist tries to motivate the patient to make the necessary behavioral changes to achieve the patient’s weight loss goals.
There are divergent opinions on the effectiveness of hypnotherapy in reducing weight. Most weight-loss experts agree that focused internal motivation can significantly impact weight-loss results.
Hypnotic procedures may work for weight loss when combined with a low-calorie diet and fat-burning physical activity.
There is no reliable scientific evidence to prove that hypnosis alone can help with weight management.
Going by the results of the “weight loss hypnosis” study, it can help with marginal weight loss results. Most studies showed weight loss results averaging 6 pounds in 8 weeks with hypnotherapy.
Early studies from the 1990s found that the effects of hypnotherapy on weight loss were more than twice as much weight as those of people who only dieted.
However, many studies reported weight loss with hypnosis, which is outside the scope of standard procedures. There is a need for further clinical research to establish the integrity and effectiveness of hypnosis for weight loss.
Hypnosis may help you lose weight when it is combined with a healthy diet and daily fat-burning activities.
How To Use Hypnotherapy For Weight Loss
Each person has a specific reason for wanting to lose weight. Here are some key suggestions to help you take full advantage of weight loss hypnotherapy.
- Have a clear purpose in mind for your weight loss needs and goals.
- Try to visualize the type of body figure or fitness level to be achieved.
- Think about the feeling of contentment you would achieve with a new look after weight loss.
- Imagine that you will achieve your goals quickly and effortlessly.
- Imagine how confident and energized you will feel soon.
- Think about how much improvement you will be achieving from today
- Try to realize how eagerly you want to do more and more exercise every day for healthy weight loss.
- Curtail your intake of unhealthy foods by imagining how they will prevent you from achieving your weight loss goal.
These are only a few examples of how you can visualize many factors that matter a lot to succeed in your weight loss strategies. This exercise will empower you with inner strength and determination to achieve the goal of fat-burning.
You will develop an aversion to foods and lifestyle habits that cause weight gain as you go through repeated sessions of weight loss hypnosis.
Hypnosis therapy makes you aware and conscious of the foods you should not eat and also helps you arrest your craving for sugary and fatty foods.
When you begin to admire your body, the anxiety over obesity begins to vanish.
The system of hypnotherapy weight loss aims to tackle the feeling and liking that has developed certain wrong diet habits in you.
You are internally motivated to follow a healthier lifestyle with a happy and relaxed mindset.
Effectiveness Of Clinical Hypnosis For Weight Loss
As we discussed above, the effectiveness of hypnosis therapy sessions for weight loss varies from person to person.
Its effectiveness depends greatly on the patient’s mental strength and the hypnotherapist’s ability to motivate the patient.
Most studies show that weight loss results from hypnosis therapy are poor.
Without the dietary supplement and exercises, the results from hypnosis therapy are found to be moderate, and that too only if rigorous attention to the methodology is strictly followed.
Hypnosis therapy is more effective as part of a behavioral weight loss management program.
The effectiveness of hypnotherapy in shedding body weight highly depends on the participant’s attention, ability to respond to the suggestions, and internal motivation.
Conclusion
Hypnotherapy for weight loss works best when it is tailored to each person’s needs to help them reach their own weight loss target. Those trying to lose weight could try using hypnosis therapy.
It works best with a healthy diet and exercise in combination with behavioral weight loss management.
It is a time-intensive program that requires considerable effort and consistency. One significant disadvantage of this weight loss system is its long-term retention and the consistent follow-up needed to achieve the desired result.
Hypnosis is often promoted as a safe and natural treatment system. However, it can also be potentially dangerous for people who are not sufficiently trained to utilize it correctly.
Many of the lofty claims made about hypnosis’ benefits to lose more weight on the internet and in the media are, at best, overly optimistic and, at worst, outright fraudulent.
In short, the weight loss effects of hypnosis are more of a facilitator than a precise treatment.
Fact Check: Researchers concluded that while hypnotherapy may enhance weight loss, more research must be conducted for it to be convincing.
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