According to the National Center of Health Statistics over 30 percent of U.S adults are currently obese. In order for an individual to be considered obese, one must be roughly 30 or more pounds over a healthy weight. A government study conducted by Oxford University estimates that by the year 2032 over half of the population will be obese. The study found that in less than 15 years 86 percent of men will be overweight, and in 20 years, 70 percent of women will be overweight.
The Department of Health and health care professionals are warning that people need to use active coping strategies, day-in and day-out, to prevent weight gain, but unfortunately, most do not succeed. People struggle with weight loss because they are using strategies that do not promote or create long-term, healthy behavior and mental changes. In order to lose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle we must change the way we act and change the way we think. Hypnotherapy is a tool people can use to create this positive change.
Hypnotherapy is a proactive, beneficial tool that can help people lose weight and accomplish their goals. By using verbal suggestions during a hypnotic state of heightened awareness, hypnotherapists are able to reinforce positive thinking, address conflicts, and encourage mental rewiring. Mental rewiring is creating or changing neurological pathways in our brains to help change the way we respond to or view a situation.
A typical hypnotherapy session begins with the client becoming relaxed and comfortable. The hypnotherapist then further guides the client into a hypnotic state of deep relaxation through a series of suggestions and guided imagery. From there, the hypnotherapist provides the client with specific suggestions, these suggestions, if accepted by the client, will help to create positive rewiring. For example, if client is bored or upset they may eat or snack in search of activity or comfort. To help change this behavior the client could be told a suggestion that upon feeling agitated or bored, instead of going to the refrigerator, to take three deep slow breaths. The therapist will tell the client that these slow breaths will quell their hunger and trigger a brief state of relaxation. The client accepts this suggestion in their subconscious. Now, when the client feels agitated, instead of directly going in search of a snack, they will remember to take three deep breaths. The three breaths act as a trigger for the mind and the more this action is repeated and the behavior practiced, the more the brain is rewired.
Hypnotherapy sessions are always tailored to the individual to meet their needs and address their concerns. By reinforcing their goals and thought processes, hypnotherapy can help people make healthy choices every day. With practice, individuals are able to calm their mind, relax their body, tune-out distractions, and keenly focus on specific behaviors and thoughts.
Hypnotherapy is a healthy alternative that can be used as an additional reinforcement strategy to go along with other healthy weight loss tactics. It is important to note that hypnotherapy is not an over-night miracle solution. An active effort is required by the client to modify their own behavior and way of thinking. However, by accessing the subconscious, people can create lifelong behavioral changes that become part of day-to-day decision making ultimately helping people lose weight and keep the weight off.
Alicia D. Cramer C.Ht. is a the author of Losing Weight Through Hypnosis and the developer of a hypnotherapy based weight loss program. She is the owner of Wausau Hypnotherapy and works one-on-one with clients in her Hypnotherapy/Coaching Practice. You can read her full biography at http://www.wausauhypnotherapy.com.