The Total Approach
The effectiveness of the self hypnosis techniques of the past was limited, while the newer techniques such as NLP and Ericksonian hypnotherapy seem to be much more powerful. When it comes to losing weight and keeping it off, self hypnosis is only one of the many tools out there to help you modify the underlying behaviors that result in being overweight. Starting with a sound diet strategy and supplementing it with self hypnosis, creative visualization, affirmations, self talk and meditation is a slam dunk approach to achieving your weight loss objectives. The main advantages with self hypnosis are in cost, convenience and rapid return on investment.
Weight problems like any other problems we encounter in life are the result of the activities of our mind and the dynamics of consciousness. Those dynamics include the powerful processes by which we are able to establish thinking and behavior patterns that become habits through conditioning, and in time become unconscious and automatic behaviors. These processes are not bad in themselves, they are just processes and actually are part of our personal power structure. They become a problem only when we are not consciously aware of them, and as a result, are unable to manage them in a purposeful manner.
The Tools Of Personal Power
The tools of personal power are the tools of personal improvement, they are the techniques we use to help us change or modify our lives by adjusting or completely rebuilding thinking and behavior patterns that we have identified as negative, unconstructive and or unhealthy, that we have allowed to become established as unconscious and automatic behaviors. An overweight condition is no different than any other problem as far as dealing with the underlying thinking and behavior patterns are concerned. However, these tools are only as affective and powerful as the extent of genuine desire and intention that drives them.
A genuine desire to change will be reflected in the choices you make, such as when someone decides to take on a diet strategy without addressing the appetite cravings and the behaviors that are associated with those cravings. Genuine effort rarely results in instant gratification, only token efforts have such results. Tools like creative visualization and meditation are not things you can buy, assemble and use immediately. These are skills that are developed over a lifetime and used over a lifetime and require a personal investment of commitment, perseverance and patience.
For The Instant Gratification Junky
The good news is that while you are developing the more difficult and time consuming tools such as meditation and to some extent creative visualization, the other tools like affirmations, self talk and self hypnosis can be put to use right away. The newer versions of self hypnosis are good tools to start with, they are cost effective, convenient and produce fast results, but this doesn't mean that you don't have to bring something to the table. As I mentioned earlier, the first ingredient is always a genuine desire and if you find this step difficult to realize, then this may point to another issue that needs to be addressed first. For example; in the case of being overweight as part of a larger strategy to avoid something you may fear like personal relationships or extreme cases of low self esteem.
Exploring our weaknesses and dysfunctional behaviors can be a little upsetting but the rewards are huge and we must explore them in order to identify the areas that need our attention. In the case of weight loss, it is not always the act of eating or what we eat that is the issue, these are basically straight forward behaviors that have become habitual. Sometimes the overeating has deeper origins and for that we need to bring the heavy hitting tools like hypnosis in conjunction with meditation and creative visualization into play.
Robert Darby is a self change and personal development specialist who writes for many organizations including The Agenda Of Life Foundation He focuses on developing personal power since that is usually the cause of all Human problems. Largely due to his fearless exploration of the true nature of our inner reality, R.E. Darby is emerging as an important writer of our time.
Get the free e-book that explores hypnosis and weight loss here.