Hypnosis?

dinoskycm

Has anyone ever been (or thought about being) hypnotized with the goal of weight loss in mind? I'm just curious as to what the public opinion is because I don't really know how I feel about it, but every year, a hypnotist comes to our college for entertainment purposes and the last time he was there, he said that people actually got hypnotized for three main purposes: to avoid procrastination, quit smoking, and weight loss. Those were the top three reasons.

So, I'm just curious, what do you guys think about hypnotism and weight loss? Do you think it could actually work to keep someone motivated?

ZugTheMegasaurus

There's a big difference between the sort of hypnosis seen in the movies or in a stage show and hypnotherapy. It's not like magic or that you'll suddenly do something different (like running around barking like a dog would be). Instead, the hypnotherapist works to put you into a very relaxed state in which you are able to work through your issues without the normal anxiety or fear response. For example, if someone has a bad relationship with a parent and they binge on sweets in order to push those bad feelings away, hypnotherapy is meant to create a nonthreatening environment where they can focus on those issues and see them objectively, thus making the unhealthy response unnecessary and ineffective over time.

My aunt is a hypnotherapist (or was until she was diagnosed with terminal cancer earlier this year) and has helped a lot of people. From my experience (she worked with me for my numerous anxiety disorders when I saw her), it really is just a way to confront your triggers without allowing them to, well, trigger anything. Like any other therapy, you get out of it what you put into it. If you expect it to solve your problems for you, it won't work. If you take it seriously and do any take-home work the hypnotherapist advises and give it time, then you very well could see an improvement.

dinoskycm

Interesting! That's so cool that your aunt was a hypnotherapist. I was looking at the appworld on my phone and found some voice recordings that help you get into that relaxed state of mind. I haven't tried it yet, but I've thought about it. I'm still tossing around the idea to see if it would help. And you're right, as with anything, you get out of it what you put into it.