Hypnosis for weight loss?

I hope you all enjoyed the long weekend and paid tribute to those who have served or are currently serving our country.

Today's notes from recent studies focus on hypnosis for weight loss…fact or fiction.

A city known for its decadence and excess might seem like a strange place to learn restraint and good health habits, but people flock to Las Vegas to seek help for their weight issues. Qua Spa, tucked amid Caesar's Palace's sprawling casinos, opulent show rooms and five star restaurants, offers appointments with Michael Smith who is perhaps the city's only hypnotist dedicated to helping people improve their lives rather than making them cluck like a chicken on stage.

Smith, a licensed clinical psychologist and a member of the National Guild of Hypnotists, works with as many as two dozen clients a week at Qua Spa. They flock to him from all over the world for help with everything from coping with cancer to getting their weight under control. During a session, Smith spends time helping his client into a relaxed state so together they can tap into the unconscious mind and "plant" positive suggestions about making life better. He might, for instance, suggest slowing down, being more mindful during meals and slowly savoring every bite of food. He often encourages his client to view the process of weight control as a joyful, lifelong weight maintenance project versus a painful, quick fix weight loss endeavor.

Smith believes positive suggestions are much more readily accepted by the mind and therefore have the potential to last a lifetime. "Your mind tends to reject negative suggestions," he said. "They may stick for a while but they generally wear off in about eight weeks."

All this may sound too good to be true, like the once all too common multi-antidote elixir, but there is a smattering of scientific evidence in favor of hypnosis for weight loss. When hypnotherapy was combined with sound dietary advice (imagine that), one study published in the journal Nature, found it produced a small but statistically significant result in favor of hypnotherapy. (The authors speculated that more intensive hypnotherapy might have produced even better results.) Other studies have shown that the use of motivational suggestions while under hypnosis -- exactly the technique advocated by Smith -- produced an average 17 pound weight loss after six months compared to only half a pound weight in a similar group who didn't undergo hypnosis. Some small studies show that participants who undergo hypnotherapy can lose as much as 12 to 15 pounds. And studies where subjects received follow up hypnosis sessions after their initial weight loss were able to double their weight loss over time.

There's nothing magical or mystical here. Hypnosis is simply a tool that helps you focus on your goals and then allows you to harness the power of your mind to achieve them. You still have to do the work of getting your body moving, eating less and making better choices but, as Smith pointed out, "Hypnosis is like an accelerated form of meditation. When you relax the mind and body, it's more receptive to the suggestion of making changes, especially when you've already made up your mind to make those changes."

"Clinical hypnosis can be quite useful for people to get at psychological barriers of weight management, but it must be conducted with a qualified, licensed clinician. It's important to realize that hypnosis used for clinical reasons isn't the same hypnosis used to entertain people on stage," said Jeff Brown, a licensed cognitive behavioral psychologist. When asked of his opinion on the topic, he stated "It can be a valuable tool for bettering your life and working on reducing factors that otherwise block progress in life."

To find someone who is a qualified hypnotherapist and not a quack looking for you and your money to part ways, Smith recommended looking for someone who is a licensed psychologist or therapist and a member of a respected organization such as the National Guild of Hypnotists or the International Medical and Dental Hypnotherapy Association. Many states have laws that only allow licensed therapists with specialized training to use the title hypnotherapist while others do not, so be sure to check the specific rules and regulations in your state.

I'd be interested in hearing from anyone out there who has tried hypnosis to help lose weight and whether or not it has worked for them. Smith claimed he's had tremendous success, even after just one session (though he suggests three to four) and sites examples of clients who have lost more than forty pounds. Has anyone else had such great results? Post your comments here. Either way, I'd love to hear your opinion

Until Tomorrow!
Keep healthy, keep safe and keep going!
Have an awesome day!

♥Fit~NOW~Girl♥