Obesity has risen to epidemic levels globally. The prevalence of obesity today is 39.8% and affects about 93.3 million US adults. Obesity and other weight-related issues are no longer afflicting adults alone. According to the CDC, the obesity rates for children and adolescents aged 2-19 years is 18.5% and affects about 13.7 million children and adolescents. The most startling fact here, however, is in the US alone the weight-loss market is now worth a record $72 billion. Americans are spending more money, trying more "miracle" weight-loss pills and fad exercise routines than ever before, yet we are getting fatter and fatter and sicker and sicker each year. Is there a reasonable solution and does hypnosis or other mind-related modalities offer any relief?
Do you believe in the power of the mind? Do thoughts become things? Can you imagine for a moment what it would feel like living in a body that is healthy? If you can answer “yes” to these questions, then the answer to the prior automatically becomes “yes” as well. You see, all must first exist within the mind, and it is in your mind where your current weight, state of health and body image resides.
Let us think of this in terms of a Broadway play. In this particular theatrical production there are several key characters; your conscious mind, your subconscious mind, the critical faculty, your physical body and your hormones. Every characters of this show works in conjunction and in unison with one another. Just as in most productions, there needs to be a director, a foreman of sorts. This main character controls the interaction between each cast member and directs and controls the flow and outcome of the performance. In this metaphor the director is your subconscious mind. Your subconscious mind directs your eating habits, your motivation to exercise, and more importantly, regulates and controls your vast internal chemistry of hormones. It is here, just as in outer reality, where change needs to take place. This is the root cause of what you see in the mirror each and every morning. And yes, that Twinkie is surely not helping, but it is NOT the root cause of your current weight or state of well being.
Hypnosis, unlike willpower, has the ability to occupy or even bypass the critical faculty of the mind, thus giving direct access into the dark and scary depth of your subconscious mind. It is here, within in the realm of the unconscious aspects of your mind where true and long lasting change can occur. Trying to consciously override an in-grained subconscious behavior or belief is like trying to fill a swimming pool with a teaspoon. This is the exact reason why diets, miracle pills and other weight-loss fads don't work, or are not a safe and effective long term solution.
Like any other malady, uncovering the root cause of your affliction becomes the first step. Obesity and other weight-related issues stem from many unique causes. Each and every one of us is unique; our situations are unique, our challenges, as well as our overall wellness endeavors are unique. Hypnotherapy for weight loss needs to be conducted and treated within the same framework. Know where you're currently residing and what you want to achieve is always the perfect place to start your adventure.
Another important area regarding weight loss is your ability to become a non-biased witness...to dissociate with your current affairs and state of overall health. You are NOT overweight, fat or sick. Your physical body is not who you are and you need to take a moment here to understand this and begin to accept it. How are you framing your sentences when describing yourself or your body? Do you hear yourself using statements such as "my arms are flabby"? Or perhaps, "My stomach is disgusting..." By framing and viewing yourself from this particularly negative context you are in fact joining two separate things. In NLP (neuro linguistic programming) this can be likened to a "complex equivalence". A complex equivalence is where two separate things are interpreted as being synonymous. In the above example, "you" and "having a fat stomach" is unknowingly being viewed by your subconscious mind as one and the same. As the famous family therapist, Virginia Satir once remarked "life is not what it is supposed to be. It’s what it is. The way that you cope with it is what makes the difference”.
Take a moment and let's uncover the source of your unhappiness. Is the distaste you're feeling over your body stemming from an unhealthy negative self image? Meaning, are you the only one who feels you're overweight when others around you see yourself as being the opposite? If this is the case, then your unwarranted and relentless efforts to lose weight will never work and in some cases can be unhealthy or even life threatening. Hypnosis can be successfully used here to re-associate your self-image and guide you towards accepting the true beauty you are already offering to this world.
Has your doctor diagnosed you as being overweight, obese or are suffering from any other weight-related illness? If you fall into this category, then we need to spend time deciphering what contributed to your increased weight gain. Is it a physiologically-based cause or are you suffering from psychologically related issues such as emotional eating? Or perhaps you just need to drop a few simple pounds in order to be more active and feel and look the best you can. The true underlying cause now becomes the baseline for your specific course of action and how your hypnotherapist will structure your particular sessions.
Stay tuned for the next part of this article which will focus on the inner workings of hypnotherapy and how you can use this amazing modality to help step you into your ideal body. #hypnosis #hypnosisforweightloss #loseweight #hypnotherapyandweightloss #princetonnjhypnosis
