Hypnosis for weight loss

If you want to change your lifestyle for the better, try hypnosis for weight loss – it’s easier than you think.

Can you think yourself thinner? The obvious answer is: ‘no’. If we only had to concentrate really hard to drop a dress size, then we’d all look like Katy Perry. However, while it’s not possible to simply imagine the pounds away, it is entirely possible to use the power of your mind in another way to shrink your waist size.

Hypnosis is a bit of a scary concept to many. But if you can get over Derren Brown-worry that you’ll be brainwashed into robbing a bank, it’s a really powerful tool to help you shrink your muffin top. This is because hypnosis allows you to access the hidden part of your brain (the unconscious) that can drive weight gain.

The unconscious mind is the source of many bad habits, stress and emotional eating and food cravings for things like chocolate, cake or bread. In normal, day to day life, it’s diffficult to change unconscious behaviour. But under hypnosis, which is really just a word for deep relaxation, even the most ingrained negative habits can be shifted. Hypnosis also helps reduce stress, which ‘feeds’ over-eating and drinking, and can be used to build motivation to stick to healthy eating and exercise.

I’m a specialist in weight loss hypnosis, helping many clients to use it to shrink their muffin tops. Still, you can also try some DIY hypnosis techniques at home. Here are my favourites.

Create a positive resource anchor

What is it?

This is based round the idea that when you’re feeling good, you tend to eat well. When you’re feeling bad, you stuff yourself with chocolate. Feeling good can be ‘triggered’ by a happy memory and you can ‘anchor’ this happy memory to a sound, sight or even smell, so you can instantly snap yourself out of feeling rubbish (and eating it).

How to do it:

• Choose your anchor. This can be visual i.e. a photo of you looking happy and healthy on holiday; auditory, a song that makes you feel happy; or even smell, a perfume that calms you. How do you do it?
• Look at the picture, or start the song or spray the perfume around you and concentrate on the happy memory/feeling. Really absorb the great sensation as you ‘anchor’ it to your picture, song or smell. Stop and repeat three or four times.
• When you feel yourself getting into a bad mood, take out your photo (carry it in your purse), switch on your song or spray your perfume and feel your mood lift. This should short circuit any desire to comfort eat.

Rehearse your success

What is it?

This is a visualisation technique that’s really useful for motivating you to stick to a diet. Many people fail to lose weight because they don’t really believe that they can achieve the body they’re after. This trick helps you make your goal real.

How to do it:

• Create an image in your mind of how you’ll look when you’ve lost your muffin top. Decide what you’ll be wearing, what you’ll be doing and where you’ll be. Add lots of detail – the weather, if there are sounds (maybe other people saying how fantastic you look), even smells.
• Every morning take a couple of minutes to close your eyes and run your little movie in your head. You can also do this if you’re having a weak moment. At the end, take a deep breath and breathe the image inside of yourself.

Your life at a crossroads

What is it?

This is another visualisation technique. Many people drift into diets not really making a commitment. ‘I’m trying to lose weight’ is normally what’s said, which allows for the possibility of failure right from the start. This technique helps you solidify your decision.

How to do it:

• Imagine you’re standing at a crossroads. In your mind’s eye, see a road to your left which is cold, grey and dreary. The trees have no leaves, it’s raining and it looks thoroughly unpleasant. Tell yourself this is the road of the unhealthy eaters.
• ‘Look’ to your right and see another road. This one is lined with lush trees and flowers and the sun is shining. Tell yourself this is the road of the healthy eaters.
• Now imagine yourself beginning to walk down the right road. Look at the flowers and trees, feel the warmth of the sunshine as you stride ahead. Breathe in the confidence and health of this road.
• Tell yourself, ‘I’m now walking down the road to a happier healthier life and it feels good.’

Lowri Turner is a clinical hypnotherapist and nutritionist. She is hosting an intensive hypnosis for weight loss weekend retreat at Champneys in Hertfordshire on 23rd – 25^th March 2015. For more information, click here.