What is Hypnotherapy?

Hypnotherapy is a tool that some therapists use to help individuals reach a state of total relaxation. During a hypnotherapy session, practitioners believe that the unconscious and conscious mind can focus and concentrate on verbal repetition and mental imagery. Due to this, the mind is opened and welcomes suggestions to change with regard to behaviour, emotions, and habits. Forms of this alternative therapy have been dated back to the 1700s to help people with anything from bed-wetting to nail-biting and smoking, some common things hypnotherapy is still used for today. Research has also shown some promise for treating obesity, which we will explore more.

Hypnosis may be more effective than diet and exercise alone for people looking to lose weight. The idea is that the mind can be influenced into changing habits like overeating.

What to expect from hypnotherapy?

During your hypnotherapy session, your therapist will likely begin the session by explaining how the therapy is going to work going over personal goals too. From there, the therapist may start to use a different tone of voice, speaking in a soothing, gentle voice to help you relax and establish a feeling of safety.

Once your receptive state of mind has been reached, your therapist may start suggesting a way in which you should change your eating and exercise habits or other ways in which you can reach your weight loss goals, which would have been spoken about prior hypnotherapy.

Your therapist may help you visualize reaching your goals by sharing vivid mental imagery. To close the session, you will be helped to come out of hypnosis and back to your starting state.

The length and number of total sessions you may need will depend on your individual goal. Some people may see results in as little as one to three sessions, while others may need a bit longer to establish results for hypnotherapy. Everyone is different, and we all have different goals.

Also Read: Can Hypnotherapy Help Reduce Anxiety?

Types of hypnotherapy

There are different types of hypnotherapy, some work better for individuals than others; suggestion therapy is most used for habits like smoking, nail-biting, and eating disorders. Your therapist may use hypnotherapy together with other treatments like nutritional advice or CBT.

CBT is based on the concept that your thoughts, feelings, sensations, and actions are interconnected. Your negative thoughts and feelings can trap you in a vicious cycle. CBT aims to help deal with these problems more positively by breaking them down into smaller parts.

When you see your therapist, they will choose the correct hypnotherapy method to suit you.

Benefits of hypnotherapy

The main benefit of hypnotherapy is that it allows people to enter a relaxed state of mind where they may be open to suggestions to help change certain habits. This may mean faster and more noticeable results for some, but this is not always true for everyone. Some people may be more responsive to the effects of hypnotherapy and are more likely to benefit from it. For example, certain personality traits, such as openness, may make a person more susceptible to hypnosis.

Hypnosis is considered safe for some people if practised under the guidance of a trained therapist. It isn’t brainwashing or mind-controlling, and someone cannot control a person to the point of doing something embarrassing or something against their will.

Common risks during hypnotherapy

Although hypnotherapy has proven safe for most people, there are some side effects that are often infrequent. Below we have listed some things you could expect:

• Headaches
• Nausea
• Anxiety
• Fatigue
• Stress
• False Memory

These side effects are nothing to worry about, and your therapist will talk these through with you before and after your hypnotherapy session.

Additional tips for weight loss

Here are some things you can also do at home to help with your weight loss journey:

• Move your body most days of the week. Try to get some movement in weekly to help with your weight loss. This could be walking, water aerobics, swimming, gardening, or hiking. Anything to get your body burning some calories.
• Keep a food diary. Track what you are eating, how much, when you are eating, and whether it is out of hunger or boredom. Doing this may help identify habits you may have and how to cut down in snacking replacing with an activity.
• Eating fruit and vegetables. Aim for 5 servings a day of fruit and vegetables. Also, add fibre to your diet to curb your appetite.
• Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water daily. Being hydrated helps prevent overeating. Sometimes you may feel hungry, but having a glass of water can feed those cravings and reduce the amount you snack in the day.

Final Word

If you would like to learn more about weight loss tips, managing your stress, or detoxing from everyday toxins, we can help you at Homefield Grange. We offer luxury health and wellness retreats to help you change your perspective about yourself and can help you achieve your weight loss goals.

There is no better place to start if you wish to take control of your mind and body and live the life you want to live. Our friendly and qualified team will support and help you all the way.