Hypnotheraphy for Weight Loss

Hypnotheraphy for Weight Loss
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Hypnotherapy induces relaxation and focus to help you overcome and change the way you think about problems like losing weight. According to an article in "U.S. News and World Report," fitness behavior changing programs such as hypnotherapy and motivational therapy are worth your investment. The article suggests that these programs may help you break bad habits and other behavioral issues that work against your ability to attain a healthy lifestyle.

Hypnotherapist

Hypnotherapists administer hypnotherapy for weight loss. Hypnotherapists help you achieve a hypnotic state to increase your motivation or alter your behavior. Your hypnotherapist may evaluate your physical and emotional suggestibility prior to the onset of hypnotherapy for weight loss.

Unsupplemented

Hypnotherapy alone may not provide optimal results for helping you accomplish your weight loss goals. Vanderbilt University's Health Psychology website references two studies conducted by M.S. Anderson in 1985 and G. Cochrane and J. Friesen in 1985, which suggest that you may lose weight by using only hypnotherapy. However, the Health Psychology website indicates that these studies contain methodological flaws that make it difficult to determine whether hypnotherapy is an adequate stand-alone weight loss tool.

Supplemented

Health Psychology suggests you may lose weight and maintain your weight loss by combining long-term hypnotherapy wither other behavioral weight management activities. According to a study published in the "Journal of Clinical Psychology," people that practiced a combination of behavioral weight management therapy and hypnotherapy showed more weight loss at eight and 24 month follow-up appointments than people that participated in just weight management therapy.

Scams

Avoid weight loss hypnotherapy programs that promise weight loss after a single session. Health Psychology suggests that hypnotherapy for weight loss is effective when you practice it on a regular basis and for a significant period. A credible hypnotherapy program for weight loss may include eight weeks of therapy with a hypnotherapist in addition to self-hypnosis that you perform on your own.

Objective

A hypnotherapist may make suggestions that change your perspective on yourself and your fitness or dietary habits. The hypnotherapist may make suggestions to try to alter your behavior in a way that supports weight loss. "The Daily Mail" reports that hypnotherapy for weight loss may aim to convince you that you have undergone gastric band surgery. Gastric band surgery reduces the physical capacity of your stomach and requires that you follow a strict diet to accommodate this size reduction. Hypnotherapy for weight loss may suggest that you only eat specific serving sizes and kinds of foods.

References

Article reviewed by GlennK Last updated on: Oct 29, 2010

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