While you might associate hypnosis with making people do funny things without being aware of it, many people turn to this treatment to improve their health. According to the Mayo Clinic, research has shown it might bolster weight loss efforts when used as an adjunct to other activities. No shortcuts exist when it comes to weight loss and while hypnosis might encourage you to make healthier choices more easily you must still make the effort to stick to these choices long-term for permanent weight loss. "Effortless" weight loss does not exist.
Action
Hypnosis puts you in a relaxed state through the use of techniques like repetition and mental imagery. During hypnosis, you become more open to suggestions and these ideas are supposed to permeate your subconscious, the part of your mind that operates without your conscious awareness. When it comes to something like weight loss, the hypotherapist usually implants ideas regarding behavioral changes. She might say something like "you no longer eat sugary foods" or "you love to eat fresh, unprocessed foods."
Research
Registered dietitian Katherine Zeratsky, writing for Mayoclinic.com says that numerous studies have found hypnosis does help you lose more weight but results have been modest, about an extra 6 lbs. She notes however, that some studies have not been well-designed.
Considerations for Use
Hypnotherapy will usually work best when combined with other weight loss strategies. You still need to eat healthy and exercise; hypnosis can only alter your mental state, it cannot cause physical changes in the body that will make it burn fat. Zeratsky says many people combine this treatment with cognitive behavioral therapy, a type of therapy that focuses on identifying negative behaviors and their root and replacing them with more constructive ones. Choose practitioners with health care credentials such as a licensed psychologist.
Effectiveness
Hypnotherapy might not work on everyone says Dr. David Katz, ABC News medical correspondent. It tends to work better in people with more submissive personalities and while you might have a bit of skepticism going in, a strong belief that it will not work will probably result in just that. He says a study at Stanford University found that about 15 percent of Americans are highly hypnotizable while about 10 to 15 percent do not respond to the therapy at all.
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