Two thirds of Americans are overweight or obese, according to the National Institutes of Health. The resulting health risks range from cardiovascular disease to diabetes. Waging a losing war in the battle of the bulge, more Americans are seeking help in their efforts to lose weight. Some would-be dieters turn to hypnosis, but many vendors of this therapeutic intervention offer over-stated, if not fraudulent, claims about the effectiveness of hypnosis for losing weight.
Seeking Help
Americans have acquired a sedentary life style and a penchant for large portions of fast, prepared and high calorie foods. Their will-power is under constant siege from newspaper and radio advertisements, ubiquitous brightly-lighted fast food signs with a come-hither glow and easy access to ready-to-eat or easy-to-prepare foods. Just as the allure of will-power-in-a-pill attracts dieters to weight loss medications, many are drawn to the relatively passive intervention of being hypnotized into weight loss, especially if they have had multiple failed attempts to lose weight.
Hypnosis for Sale
Hypnosis appears to be a particularly easy approach to losing weight. You listen to some tapes, watch a DVD or go to a hypnotist, allow yourself to become subjected to hypnotic suggestion, and then, wham, you've lost your desire to gorge on Twinkies. Perusal of websites offering hypnotic weight loss programs reinforces this "losing weight can be easy" mentality. Many programs, even those purportedly designed by credible-seeming professionals supposedly associated with established universities or medical institutes, employ snake-oil type advertising campaigns, offering testimonials and simple shibboleths like, 'You can think thin" as proof of their efficacy. One-session and no-effort weight loss programs may sound great, but there is little evidence they are effective. Avoid these come-ons.
Does it Work?
There is limited high-quality, peer-reviewed research on the effectiveness of hypnotherapy for weight loss. The research suggests that hypnotherapy can help to produce modest weight loss, averaging about six pounds, according to the Mayo Clinic. Hypnotherapy is most effective when it is combined with a broader behavioral weight management program, reports the website Vanderbilt.edu.
How it Works
Hypnosis can work, but work is the operative word here. Hypnosis is not a passive process. It can be effective as one element of a comprehensive weight loss program, but the program takes work, and even the process of hypnosis involves commitment and effort. Most credible hypnosis programs require a minimum of eight to 12 hypnotherapy sessions, according to Vanderbilt.edu. During hypnosis, the person is induced into an altered state of heightened focus, relaxation and suggestibility by words and images, usually spoken by a hypnotherapist. During this trance state, the person is more responsive to suggestions, which, in the case of weight-loss hypnotic suggestions, focus on behaviors and attitudes that can enhance weight-loss.
Whom It Works For
Not everybody is hypnotizable. An estimated 15 percent of Americans are highly hypnotizable, and 10 to 15 percent are totally immune to hypnotism, reports ABCNews.go.com. People who are submissive are more open to hypnotic suggestion. If you are resistant to the notion of being hypnotized, you probably won't go into a deep hypnotic trance and won't be susceptible to hypnotic suggestion.
Whom To See
If you are interested in hypnosis for weight loss, find a hypnotherapist who is a licensed therapist who also is trained and certified in the use of hypnosis. The therapeutic relationship requires that you endow trust in the therapist, so you should find a credible practitioner who has credentials and with whom you feel rapport. One place you can start your search is at NatBoard.com. This website offers a partial listing of hypnotherapists who have been licensed by the National Board for Certified Clinical Hypnotherapists.
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