Fall asleep fat and wake-up thin!  Of all the outrageous weight loss claims out there, this “no effort” method takes the cake!  But what if you could lose pounds while sawing logs (no real yard work required)?  Or slim your waist while staring off into space?  Weight loss hypnotherapists claim you can do just that!

Hypnotherapy, or hypnosis, is being marketed as a way to induce behavioral changes ranging from smoking cessation to overspending, and of course, overeating.  But is hypnotherapy a legitimate form of therapy for weight loss, or is it just a sideshow where a hypnotist can make someone quack like a duck?

What is Hypnotherapy?

First it is important to understand the definition of hypnotherapy.  If you are like me, then you might picture a man in a top hat dangling a coin in front of his subjects’ eyes while chanting, “you are getting sleepy.”  Then having the hypnotized person wake to perform some outrageous stunt.  In reality, there is a lot more to hypnosis.  In fact, an entire profession has been devoted to the practice.

The American Psychological Association defines hypnotherapy as a practice to encourage subjects to “respond to suggestions for changes in subjective experiences and alterations in perceptions, sensation, emotion, thoughts, or behaviors.”  They go on to state “being in a hypnotic state does not necessarily mean being asleep or unconscious, but being in a wakeful state of focused attention with heightened suggestibility.”  This often requires a person to break away from his or her busy life and find relaxation.

Hypnotherapy and Weight Loss

Now that we better understand what hypnotherapy is, we can investigate whether or not it can be useful in weight loss.  Although weight loss has a huge physical factor (diet and exercise), it is also heavily associated with emotions, behaviors, and habits.  In fact, this is why many claim programs that include emotional counseling, such as Weight Watchers and Overeaters Anonymous, are successful.

Emotions can be a major driving force behind the development of habits and behaviors.  For instance, overeating or indulging in rich, high-calorie foods can be triggered by stress.  Many people find comfort in foods, especially after being exposed to high stress situations.  This behavior can easily become a habit making weight loss seem impossible.

Other habits include eating certain foods at certain times regardless of specific circumstances.  For example, someone may be accustomed to eating dessert after a meal.  Before long, dessert is consumed no matter the size of the meal, or desirability of the dessert.  Or perhaps your brain is conditioned to “crave” certain food at the same time every day no matter how each day varies.  These habits and behaviors can be huge emotional barriers in weight loss.

The Research

Because emotions, behaviors, and habits can play such a big role in dietary habits and weight problems, it is natural to assume that weight loss can occur by tapping into these emotions to change bad habits.  Since hypnotherapy claims to do just that, researchers have investigated whether or not it can be effective in weight loss.

Most research articles conclude that hypnotherapy can result in increased weight loss.  But before trading in your gym shoes and salads for a set of hypnosis CD’s, it is important to note that every article I reviewed finds hypnotherapy effective in conjunction with diet and exercise.

An example is a meta-analysis of 2 studies that showed a mean weight loss of 6 pounds in individuals only doing diet and exercise, compared to 15 pounds in those doing diet and exercise along with receiving hypnotherapy.  Other studies have produced similar data, however, the differences in the weight loss between the groups receiving hypnotherapy and those not, have been very small (about a 2-pound difference).

Although the research consistently shows hypnotherapy is effective, it is less than impressive.  Still, many weight loss companies have found a way to capitalize on these results in order to add hype to hypnosis.  The Internet is saturated with ads selling hypnosis as the miracle cure for being overweight.  There are outrageous claims of instantly losing 50, 60, even 100 pounds by just listening to CD’s or attending a single seminar.  All of course for a considerable fee.

As tempting as it may be, it is important to keep in mind that all the research supporting hypnotherapy only does so when combined with diet and exercise.  Also, many of the studies used hypnotherapy individualized for each person participating.  This is unlike many of the “one size fits all” programs advertised.  Also, follow-up sessions continued from 8 weeks to 2 years, and were never just a one-time occurrence.

Therefore, when it comes to hypnosis and weight loss, the following can be concluded:

1.    Hypnotherapy can be effective WITH diet and exercise
2.    Hypnotherapy should be as individualized as possible to meet specific needs
3.    Hypnotherapy should be ongoing in order to reinforce changed behaviors
4.    Hypnotherapy is no miracle for weight loss, and will only supplement other methods for weight loss (diet and exercise)

So in conclusion, I would recommend finding emotional support in conjunction with diet and exercise.  Whether it be with a family therapist, a hypnotherapist, or a small support group.  And finally, steer clear of outrageous claims and dangling coins!

References:

Hitt Bianca.  Weight Loss Through Hypnosis?  Vanderbilt.edu.  19 April 2009.  http://www.vanderbilt.edu/AnS/psychology/health_psychology/hypnosis.htm

Stradling J, Roberts D, Wilson A, Lovelock F.  Controlled trial of hypnotherapy for weight loss in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.  Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 1998 Mar;22(3):278-81

Zeratski K.  Weight-loss Hypnosis: Does it work?  7 June 2007.  MayoClinic.com.  19 April 2009.  http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/weight-loss-hypnosis/AN01617

Kirsch I.  Hypnotic enhancement of cognitive-behavioral weight loss treatments-another meta-reanalysis.  J of Cons Clin Psych.  1996;64(3):517-19.

Johnson DL, Karkut RT.  Participation in multicomponent hypnosis treatment in programs for women’s weight loss with and without overt aversion.  Psychol Rep.  1996 Oct;79(2):659-68.

Shaw K, O’Rourke P, Del Mar C, Kenardy J.  Psycological interventions for overweight or obesity.  Cochrane Database Syst Rev.  2005 Apr;18(2):CD003818.

Pittler MH, Ernst E.  Complementary therapies for reducing body weight, a systematic review.  Int J Obes (Lond).  2005 Sep;29(9):1030-8.

De Lides S.  Weight loss: Why hypnosis really does help.  15 Mar 2008.  Buzzle.com.  24 April 2009.  http://www.buzzle.com/articles/weight-loss-why-hypnosis-really-does-help.html

Hancock R.  Can hypnotherapy help you to lose weight?  18 Sep 2008.  Buzzle.com.  24 April 2009.     http://www.buzzle.com/articles/can-hypnosis-help-you-to-lose-weight.html

“Hypnosis”  24 April 2009.  Wikipedia.org.  24 April 2009.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypnosis