Healing and Hypnotherapy Volume - 4, issue 9 1 March 2020 | Page 23

HYPNOSIS FOR WEIGHT LOSS
In the first article in this series we discussed the epidemic
proportions of obesity and overweight in most developed countries
throughout the world. The statistics are frightening! According to the
National Centres for Disease Control, 73% of Americans are overweight
and 34% of them are classified as clinically obese. I'm sure this problem
is not isolated to the USA but is epidemic in all industrialised nations
world-wide.
These ever increasing rates raise concern not only for reasons of
vanity but because of their implications for people’s health. Being
overweight or obese increases the risk of many diseases and health
conditions, including: Hypertension, elevated cholesterol and
triglycerides, Type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, gallbladder
disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea and respiratory problems, and certain
cancers.
We also considered the efficacy of Hypnotherapy for losing weight
and looked at various studies which bear this out. These include the
Journal of Clinical Psychology, the Journal of Consulting and Clinical
Psychology, and a special challenge featured on NBC’s DATELINE
where hypnosis proved to be the most effective of all major weight loss
methods tested.
We also introduced the concept of “Overeating Triggers” or cues
saying that eating is regulated by both physiological mechanisms and
behavioural processes. By learning how these interact, you can better
understand the forces that influence how your client (and you) behave in
regard to overeating to and thus assist you in modifying their (or your)
behaviour.