The Verdict

So, after much deliberation, analysis and thought, I have come to the conclusion that Hypnotherapy has not worked for me!

I have not been able to control my cravings.

Has anyone out there had any experiences (good or bad) with hypnotherapy and weight loss??

Would love some feedback!

Lunch

Eating lunch at work - brown rice, steamed vegies and grilled fish. Leftovers make dieting easier.

I have been having sugar cravings. Specifically around morning tea and after dinner.

My eating habits are a lot more consistent though but I am still hesitant to credit this to Hypnotherapy.

I haven't weighed myself in 4 weeks, but, I am positive that I have lost weight.

I still haven't had any urges to exercise as of yet.

Oh well it looks like baby steps.

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How It's Been Working for Me?

Today is the end of the first week since I completed the third and final session with my hypotherapist. The last week has not been extremely encouraging. While I have eaten healthy meals everyday and not binged in the last week, I have given into Easter delights and eaten way too much chocolate!

I know, everyone has - it's Easter for God's sake! But I was under the impression that due to my hypnotherapy sessions I would not want to eat chocolate/junk food! I mean, isn't that what it's all about?!

So I am confounded.

My hynotherapist reccommends another session (I'm sure she would as I pay per session) but I intend to decline and work with what I have right now.

It has been easy eating healthy and not eating takeaways over the last 2 weeks, as the main reason I did this in the past, is working away from home. I do love my man, but, he isn't the healthiest eater out there.

So in summary, while I know that my current eating habits are way improved, I am not so sure this can be credited to my hypnotherapy. I am still hopeful though, and, as usual I will keep this blog updated with any results.

Take care all and eat well!

The Types of Hypnotherapy

I was researching the forms and techniques of Hypnotherapy and I decided that the best information can all be found on Wikipedia.

The following information has been summarised from Wikipedia's Hypnotherapy page.




Traditional hypnotherapy
The form most commonly practiced. Employs direct suggestion of symptom removal with some use of therapeutic relaxation.



Hypnoanalysis
“Sigmund Freud (photo below) and Joseph Bruer used hypnosis to regress clients to an earlier age in order to help them remember…repressed traumatic memories.”

Ericksonian hypnotherapy

Developed by Milton H Erikson (photo below), “one of the most influential hypnotists of the 20th century”.
"Erickson made use of a more informal conversational approach with many clients and complex language patterns, and therapeutic strategies…Erickson's work continues to be one of the most influential forces in modern hypnotherapy.”

Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP), a methodology similar in some regards to hypnotism (has roots in Eriksonian Hypnotherapy).

Cognitive/behavioral hypnotherapy***

“Combined hypnotherapy with elements of cognitive and behaviour therapy. In 1974, Theodore Barber and his colleagues published an influential review of the research which argued, following the earlier social psychology of Theodore R. Sarbin, that hypnotism was better understood not as a "special state" but as the result of normal psychological variables, such as active imagination, expectation, appropriate attitudes, and motivation. Barber introduced the term "cognitive-behavioral" to describe the nonstate theory of hypnotism, and discussed its application to behavior therapy.”

“The growing application of cognitive and behavioral psychological theories and concepts to the explanation of hypnosis paved the way for a closer integration of hypnotherapy with various cognitive and behavioral therapies. However, many cognitive and behavioral therapies were themselves originally influenced by older hypnotherapy techniques, e.g., the systematic desensitisation of Joseph Wolpe, the cardinal technique of early behavior therapy, was originally called "hypnotic desensitisation" and derived from the Medical Hypnotism (1948) of Lewis Wolberg.

The traditional style of hypnotherapy can be seen as a precursor of cognitive-behavioral therapy insofar as both place emphasis upon "common sense" theoretical explanations and the use of relaxation, and rehearsal of positive ideas and imagery in therapy.

Modern cognitive therapy primarily differs from previous hypnotherapy approaches by placing much greater emphasis upon the direct Socratic disputation of negative beliefs. However, cognitive-behavioral hypnotherapists, like those mentioned in this section, have assimilated this technique alongside their use of hypnosis.”

*the closest fit that I could find to the Hypnotherapy technique that I have experienced.

New Age hypnotherapy

“Many New Age therapists employ past-life regression which usually combines belief in reincarnation with techniqes of hypnotic regression ultimately derived from Sigmund Freud.”

I highly recommend you visit Wikipedia’s Hypnotherapy page at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypnotherapy

Origins of Hypnotherapy

Invention of Hypnotism

"James Braid (1795 – March 25, 1860) was a Scottish neurosurgeon who coined the term and invented the procedure known as hypnotism."

"He developed the technique of relaxation and eye-fixation, known as "Braidism," which results in the hypnotic trancelike state. Braid's work led to the development of hypnosis as a medical technique."

"Braid published Neurypnology: or the Rationale of Nervous Sleep in 1843, his first and only book-length exposition of his views. In it, he coined the words "hypnotism," "hypnotize," and "hypnotist." Braid thought of hypnotism as producing a "nervous sleep" which differed from ordinary sleep."

Above Text taken from:

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/James_Braid_(physician)

Trials & Tribulations...Hypnotherapy begins

Late last year I was successful in losing another 10 kilos. I tried Pilates (will post more on Pilates later) and eating less meat.

I ate mainly raw vegetables and whole grains. I avoided bread and complicated carbohydrates. But, like most diets I have tried I failed to stick to it. I have since put 6 kilos back on.

I realised that the critical problem I face, and I am sure most large people face, is that I give in to the cravings. And I give in to the cravings because the cravings don't go away.

So how to combat this?

That's when I decided to try Hypnotherapy.

I saw an add for a Hypnotherapist in the local paper. After calling and finding out more about what she offered I decided to save up and try it.

Yesterday was my second session. She prescribed 3 sessions spaced a week apart.

The first session was weird for me. I envisioned a shiny gold watch being dangled in front of me and waking up several minutes later not knowing what had taken place. I thought that I would be completely cured of my sugar cravings and want to immediately go for a run and eat apples for dinner (or at least along those lines).

I got to say that I am disappointed due to my high hopes.

My Hypnotherapist uses lobby music to calm her patient and lulls them into a half sleep. They lie on her couch in this state as she repeatedly tells them they will not want to eat certain foods and that they will want to eat healthier foods.

The results the first week were minimal. I'm not sure if I just didn't feel like it or not, but, I didn't want to eat takeaways or eat out. I cooked healthy balanced meals almost every night. This is the second week and I haven't had any fast food cravings but I must admit I ate some for my birthday dinner.

So I am unsure if this hypnotherapist has made any changes to my psyche.

My second session focused on sugary foods. These I use to get me through hectic days at work and they have become an addiction. I usually crave a sugary treat for morning and afternoon tea.

My craving seems to have reduced significantly but it has only been 24 hours.

I still have one more session to go and I think the up coming week will give me more of an idea if my hypnotherapy has worked.

Will write more on my results and hypnotherapy later...

Trials & Tribulations...Part Two

The main issue I face in losing weight is exercising regularly. I can't seem to dig deep and exercise daily or otherwise. I only seem to be able to do so about once a week. I feel that I should want to exercise in order to do it more often.

When I lost weight as a teenager I played tennis. I guess I could say that I was tennis crazy. I found myself wanting to go for morning runs and would be very careful with what I ate so as to improve my game. I lost weight and was toned, fit and healthy. This past success makes me angry with myself for not being able to do it again.

I have many excuses but if I look real hard at my lifestyle without bias I know that there are 2 reasons I have been unsuccessful:

1. I don't have anyone that I could take up a sport with. My partner gets his exercise at work and doesn't like sports.

2. I don't have a lot of spare cash right now to join a tennis club or other sport club. But I hope this will change by the end of the year.

With these 2 problems in mind I set out to find a cheap but hopefully effective solution.

Visit http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/benefits-of-exercise to read about the benefits of regular exercise. Most of these you already know but maybe one or two will be a surprise?

Trials & Tribulations...Part One

I have tried several diets in the last few years.

One of them was the LCD or Liver Cleansing Diet.

This became popular in the late 90's when Sandra Cabot released her book, "The Liver Cleansing Diet". I managed to lose 10 kilos in 2 months on this diet and saw friends lose 15 - 20 kilos in the same amount of time.

My personal experience: The diet was difficult to follow mainly because it demands that the dieter stop eating meat for a few weeks. The effects were visible within 2 weeks on the diet and this was what kept me going.

Food preparation is the key to sticking to this diet (all diets really). Preparing meals in advance to prevent eating fast food/unhealthy snacks is very important in any healthy regime.

This is still the best diet I have tried to date but keeping the weight off after completing the diet proved to be the real challenge.

I put some of the weight back on and my friends who had lost more weight than me put almost all of their weight back on. We had been unsuccessful in sticking to a healthy diet afterwards.

I feel this is because the LCD was maybe extreme. Not being able to have any of our regular treats possibly made us crave it once we were off the diet.

But I reiterate that this is only my thoughts on my personal experience.

Visit http://www.liverdoctor.com/ to read more about this diet.

Sandra also has her own blog: http://www.liverdoctor.com/blog/.