Healing and Hypnotherapy Volume 2, Special Mega Annual Issue, 15 June 2018 | Page 35

So how can we use hypnosis to lose weight? Well, the answer lies in
how the subconscious mind learns behaviors, which includes our eating
behaviors, exercise regimes or lack thereof.
Association
The subconscious mind learns through Association. When a baby is
born, it associates hunger with pain and feeling satiated with comfort.
When the mother holds the baby close to her, to feed the baby, food
gets associated with love, comfort and security. As the child grows, the
child starts to form many other associations to food. The child associates
food with celebrations, family gatherings and rewards. In some families,
the child learns that if he or she finishes all the food on the plate, he or
she is a good boy or good girl. An association is thus formed in the
subconscious, whereby finishing all the food on the plate gets
associated with being good. In some cultures, children are taught not to
waste food and that it’s a cardinal sin to throw food away. This forms
another association and children learn that even when they feel full, they
continue to eat as they must finish all their food. As a child grows, by the
time he/she reaches the age of 10, countless associations to food have
been formed and stored in the subconscious mind as “programs” or
“patterns” which will continue to unconsciously influence our behaviors
throughout our life. Some of the most common associations are listed
below:
Food is Love: When one feels lonely, rejected, hurt, undeserving, and
unlovable, the subconscious mind will signal you to eat and this will
automatically create cravings and without any conscious awareness,
emotional hunger signals in the body will make you eat.
Food is Entertainment: When one feels bored, and has nothing to
do, the subconscious mind will signal you to eat.
Food is a Distraction: When one is stressed and overwhelmed with
the pressures of work, managing finances and managing the home, the
subconscious mind will send a signal to eat as this acts as a temporary
distraction to alienate yourself from the emotional pain.