Chapter 1: Hypnosis - What is it all about

How Hypnosis works, Demystifying Hypnosis - Identifying the myths and the facts, The legends in the field of hypnosis

Chapter 2: Types of Hypnosis                                      

Chapter 3: What is Hypnotherapy?                                                      

Chapter 4: Medical applications of hypnotherapy                              

Chapter 5: Obesity - Classifications and Risks                                            

What are the causes of obesity?  Classifications of obesity, what is childhood obesity?  What is the total impact of obesity?  Why is obesity dangerous? What is central or abdominal obesity? What is the health risk involved with obesity?

Chapter 6: How to prevent obesity? How to prevent childhood obesity?       

Chapter 7: What are the disadvantages of weight loss pills?                  

Chapter 8: Emotional aspects of obesity                                          

What is emotional eating? How to identify eating triggers? How can you break yourself from the habit? How is obesity and depression related to each other? How obesity affects emotional and mental health? What are the emotional effects of childhood obesity?

Chapter 9: How does Hypnosis help in weight loss?           

The advantages and drawbacks of using hypnosis for losing weight Staying Safe

Chapter 10: Do you need to visit a Hypnosis practitioner or is self hypnosis good enough?

Chapter 11: What does the Hypnotherapist do in the clinic?           

What is the process exactly? What does the client experience? How does the client follow the instructions of the Hypnotherapist in every day life?

Chapter 12: Does Hypnosis really work? Its criticism and advantages    

Criticism and Advantages of Hypnosis

 

I would take you on a journey to the real world of hypnosis in this eBook. The purpose of this eBook is to give truthful information on hypnosis and my intention is to give this eBook to everyone seeking to improve the quality of their life.

Hypnosis refers to the process of focusing and connecting to one’s subconscious mind. In fact, the definition of hypnosis has varied with age. According to new age hypnotists, hypnosis is a process, which helps to know spiritual and self-insights of the whole cosmos. However, hypnosis is more effectively used in everyday life for helping people get rid of chronic phobias or habits by making changes at the subconscious level. Overeating is also a habit, which can be controlled through hypnosis, and preventing the habit of overeating can lead to weight loss.

Weight loss is a crucial issue to the obese and overweight population of the world.  Obesity has become a chronic disease and has become the second leading cause of increasing number of deaths in US. It has been estimated that around 280,000 people die every year due to obesity in the USA. Around 1/3rd of all cases of high blood pressure suffer from obesity. Obese people are highly at risk of getting high blood cholesterol levels and according to researchers, 88% to 97% of type II diabetes cases are noticed in people suffering from obesity. Excess weight or obesity has been a high risk factor for coronary diseases, high blood cholesterol levels and gallbladder diseases.

The best way to reduce your weight is to break the wrong habits and hypnosis can help you achieve that effectively. Hypnosis is a very powerful mechanism that helps you lose weight by introducing new, positive and healthy habits in your life. When all your quick weight loss methods fail, hypnosis is there to help you. Hypnosis directly addresses the subconscious mind to identify the emotional issues leading to overeating. Under the hypnotic state, the mind becomes alert and is open to suggestions. The mind can then control the body processes that are otherwise out of control.

In short, hypnosis helps you to bring out the best in you and helps you include healthy lifestyle for a healthy being. Hope you enjoy reading this book.

Chapter 1

Hypnosis is a process, which involves a hypnotist and a subject who consents to being hypnotized. This process is as old as humanity and almost every civilization in the world has used or referred it at some point. Esteemed hypnotist James Braid defined hypnotism as focused and conscious attention on a central idea. Hypnosis typically involves the four elements: concentration, relaxation, suggestion and expectation. Hypnosis is a versatile exercise in the sense that it can be conducted in almost any setting - from the street to the stage, in the comfort of your home, either over the phone or on a CD to a face to face clinical setting.

Stage hypnosis, which is the most well-known form of hypnosis, is done primarily for entertainment. The more serious work of hypnosis is done in clinics or private practices under the supervision of expert hypnotherapists. Hypnotherapists deal with clients who seek help in alleviating pain, to overcome addictions, fears, or to modify behaviors.

How Hypnosis works

Hypnosis involves suggestion, susceptibility and a role of conscious and unconscious mind. A detailed explanation of these factors would help us to understand how hypnosis works.

Suggestion: Eminent hypnotist James Braid, when explaining hypnotism, avoided the usage of the term ‘suggestion’ and instead referred to the act of making the conscious mind of the subject concentrate on a particular central idea. Braid chiefly employed the therapeutic strategy of exciting or reducing physiological functioning in different parts of the body. Braid later emphasized on the use of a range of verbal and non-verbal forms of suggestions.

Hypnotism today employs a wide range of diverse forms of suggestions. These could be direct verbal suggestions like requests, inferences and metaphors besides other rhetorical forms of speech as well as indirect verbal suggestions like mental imagery, and voice tonality. Suggestions can be given permissively or in a more authoritarian manner. Hypnotic suggestions aim to elicit instant responses while post-hypnotic suggestions generate responses after a certain span of time.

Susceptibility: In order to assess the susceptibility of a subject, “hypnotic depth scales” were introduced by Ambroise-Auguste Liebeault and Bernheim. This was worked out based on a combination of behavioral, psychological and subjective responses of the subject. This was improved upon by the introduction of “hypnotic susceptibility scales” in the first half of 20^th century. Significant contribution was made by the Davis-Husband and Friedlander-Sarbin scales in the 1930s. In 1959, Andre Weitzenhoffer and Ernest R. Hilgard created the Stanford Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility; it comprised of twelve parts of suggestion test besides a standard hypnotic eye-fixation induction script. This scale has since become one of the most extensively referred research apparatus in the subject of hypnosis. Few years later, a similar group scale called the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility was designed by Ronald Shor and Emily Carota Orne.

The hypnotic depth scales that were earlier used attempted to deduce the client’s ‘hypnotic trance’ based on certain signs like spontaneous amnesia. However, the Stanford, Harvard, HIP and other susceptibility scales interpret numbers in order to configure whether a person’s susceptibility level is high, medium or low. This can vary over a person’s lifetime. Deirdre Barrett, a researcher, has contended that there are two kinds of highly susceptible subjects: the Fantasizers, who have high absorption abilities to forget real-world stimuli easily and Dissociaters, who have experienced some type of abuse or trauma in the past and want to forget them and seek refuge in numbness.  

Consciousness and unconscious mind: The concepts of ‘conscious’ and ‘subconscious’ mind were established in hypnotism towards the end of 19^th century by Sigmund Freud and Pierre Janet. The original Victorian pioneers of hypnotism like Braid and Bernheim concurred that the addressee was the subject’s unconscious mind. Those who believe the addressee of the suggestions to be the conscious mind use direct verbal suggestions and instructions. On the other hand, hypnotists like Milton Erickson have contended that responses are addressed to the unconscious mind and thereby they have prescribed to indirect suggestions like metaphors, stories etc with intended meanings and interpretations. Varying views about the nature of the mind have paved way for differing perspectives on suggestion.

Demystifying Hypnosis - Identifying the myths and the facts

There are many opinions about the subject of hypnosis though unfortunately most of these are factually incorrect. It is thus important to know at the outset what hypnosis is and what it is not. It is now accepted that hypnosis has uncanny curative powers. Sigmund Freud came close to recognizing the ‘trance state’ observable in people before eventually rejecting hypnosis. Though Freud’s rejection of hypnosis and shifting of attention to free association and dream interpretation caused serious setback to the subject, work on hypnosis carried on. Bernheim voiced a strong rejection of modern psychology and argued that hypnosis is much more effectual than psychoanalysis. He said, “Modern psychology should go the way of mammoths”.

Hypnosis resurrected itself in the 1950s following research findings that it has a persuasive therapeutic value. The supposed ‘trance state’ was recognized to be a safe and effectual means for controlling behavior. The subconscious is the natural and most perfect state of the mind. It is a virtual storehouse of memory of every place, person and experience. By virtue of being a treasure of knowledge, the subconscious mind has been also called the “Supermind”. A person’s life can be changed for the better if this subconscious mind is rightly tapped on. However, many refuse to believe its curative powers.

Entering a hypnotic state is as normal as any other daily act like eating or sleeping. In fact, you enter into a hypnotic state several times a day without realizing it. Some of the famed names who have used hypnotic techniques include Winston Churchill, Jack Kennedy, Adolf Hitler, Franklin Roosevelt and even Bill Clinton.

Almost every civilization and culture has been familiar to the idea of hypnosis though different people have different ways of naming and describing it. However, the names are immaterial. What is more important is to sift the facts from fiction.

Hypnosis is not a process in which your will is completely wiped away and you are made to do things that you otherwise would not want to. Hypnosis has been unwarrantedly and disapprovingly described as magic or occult and being anti-religious.

Some of the myths associated with hypnosis that you should be wary of:

• Hypnosis is occult.
  (Fact: There is nothing supernatural about hypnosis: it is purely scientific in the sense that it manifests the power of the human mind.)

 

• The subjects are weak-willed persons
  (Fact: It is intelligent and determined people with strong abilities to concentrate who make for the best subjects.)

 

• Very few people can be hypnotized.
  (Fact: While it is true that some people make better subjects than others, almost everyone can be hypnotized. Those who cannot be hypnotized are infants, insane or inebriated people or those under the influence of drugs.)

 

• The subject becomes dominated by the hypnotist and loses his/her will power
  (Fact: Hypnosis involves neither domination nor subjugation. The hypnotist merely helps the subject articulate some of his/her latent abilities like speaking in front of a huge audience when otherwise he/she is known to be diffident.)

 

• A person can be hypnotized against his/her will.
  (Fact: It is impossible to hypnotize a person unless he/she consents to being hypnotized.)

 

• The subject’s mind is completely under the control of the hypnotist.
  (Fact: This is one of the widely circulated myths about hypnosis and the most absurd too. A subject cannot be made to do anything against his/her morals and principles, not even by the hypnotist. Hypnosis is not an anesthetic that renders the subject powerless but is a method to release or intensify the subject’s personal powers and abilities.)

 

• A hypnotherapy necessitates the subject to obtain a state of deep trance.
  (Fact: Majority of therapeutic hypnosis can be performed in its light or moderate phase itself.)

 

• It is possible that the subject will never ‘wake up’ from a state of hypnosis.
  (Fact: There is no truth in this belief. The subject may fall into a natural sleep for some time and ‘wake up’ eventually or awaken when the hypnotist stops communicating.)

 

• Hypnosis is not safe.
  (Fact: If performed by a trained and professional practitioner, hypnosis is entirely safe.)

 

• A subject is completely unaware of what happened during the period of hypnosis.
  (Fact: A subject who has undergone light or medium stage of hypnosis is fairly aware of what happened during the hypnosis after they ‘wake up’. Those who had gone through a deep state might find it difficult to recall what happened once they ‘awaken’.)

 

• Established medicine rejects hypnosis.
  (Fact: The American, British and Canadian Medical Societies have recognized the curative qualities of hypnosis.)
  

It is very easy to dismiss hypnosis as supernatural mumbo-jumbo for those who do not comprehend it. It is unfortunate that the myths generated by ignorant people have prevented people from availing of its benefits and bring positive changes in their lives.

The legends in the field of hypnosis

The field of hypnosis boasts of many eminent personalities who have made valuable contributions to it. It would be fitting at this point to peruse in brief detail what they had to say in order to make informed opinions and judgments.

Franz Mesmer

Franz Mesmer, the 18^th century hypnotist, devised a distinctive theory according to which the health of the human body was affected by a magnetic force or ‘fluid’ within the cosmos. Mesmer therefore attempted to devise healing techniques by experimenting with magnets to influence the magnetic field. He later originated the ‘Mesmeric passes’ - In this, hands are passed some distance away in front of the subject’s body to control the magnetic field and cause healing. The word mesmerize itself owes its origin to the name of Franz Mesmer.

In 1784, Benjamin Franklin undertook the task of scrutinizing Mesmer’s theories on the instance of King Louis XVI and some French scientific committees. Unfortunately, despite being proven that Mesmer’s practices were effectual, his theories were discarded by the committees.

James Braid

James Braid conducted a detailed reappraisal of the theory and practice of Mesmerism to create his own theory of hypnotism. He contended that his theory was more ‘rational’ and ‘sensible’. Although Braid referred to his theory as ‘rational Mesmerism’ in the beginning, he later stressed that his approach was different. He conducted informal experiments all through his career to counter arguments in favor of supernatural practices and highlight the role of ordinary physiological and psychological processes like suggestion and focused attention in generating the observed effects.

Braid had worked closely with his friend, the well-known physiologist Professor William Benjamin Carpenter. Carpenter, an early neuro-psychologist, coined the “ideo-motor reflex” theory of suggestion. He had studied instances of expectation and imagination influencing involuntary muscle movement. Braid integrated Carpenter's observations into his own theory and concluded that focusing attention augmented the ideo-motor reflex response. Braid expanded Carpenter’s theory to incorporate the role of the mind in affecting the body in general beyond its muscular system and thus invented the term ‘psycho-physiology’ to refer to the ‘ideo-dynamic’ response and the general mind/body interaction.

Braid’s later works refer to ‘hypnotism’ as a situation in which subjects entered into a state of amnesia akin to sleep. In addition to this, he spoke of a ‘mono-ideodynamic’ principle that is at work when the subject’s eye is fixed to narrow his/her attention to a specific train of thought.

Pierre Janet

Pierre Janet, born 1859, carried out detailed studies on a hypnotic subject in 1882. He finished his doctorate in philosophy on psychological automatism. Janet was appointed psychology lecturer at Sorbonne in 1898. Few years later, he became Chair of Experimental and Comparative Psychology at the Collège de France. Janet combined his observations with those of Bernheim and his followers to build a unique and advanced hypnotic psychotherapy on the basis of the concept of psychological dissociation. This directly challenged the Comprehensive Theory of Psychotherapy provided by none other than Sigmund Freud.

Sigmund Freud

Sigmund Freud, the Father of Psychoanalysis, studied hypnotism at Paris school and briefly visited the Nancy school. Freud began as an avid supporter of hypnotherapy and highlighted the use of hypnotic regression and reaction (catharsis) in curative therapy.

Freud wrote an approving encyclopedia article on hypnotism, translated one of Bernheim's works into German, and published a sequence of significant case studies with his colleague Joseph Breuer called ‘Studies on Hysteria’ (1895). This became a much-referred sourcebook for subsequent generations of “hypno-analysis” or “regression hypnotherapy”.

Freud, however, eventually shifted his attention to psychoanalysis and stressed on free association and interpretation of the unconscious. Freud submitted that psychoanalytical process consumed a great length of time and thus supported its collaboration with hypnotic suggestion to expedite the outcome of treatment. Unfortunately, Freud did not enjoy a generous number of qualified followers who could take his idea of synthesis forward successfully.

Clark L. Hull

Renowned American psychologist facilitated the next important development in hypnosis. Hull undertook research in Behavioral Psychology and published the first major anthology of laboratory studies on hypnosis called ‘Hypnosis & Suggestibility’ (1933). In this, he established that there is no relation between hypnosis and sleep. Hull approached hypnosis from the viewpoint of Behavioral Psychology and underlined the role of conditioned reflexes. This theorization completely rejected the psycho-dynamic interpretation emphasizing unconscious transference propagated by Freud.

Milton Erickson

Milton H. Erickson has been regarded as one of the most prominent post-war hypnotherapists. He had written a number of books and articles on this subject. Erickson professed a new branch of hypnotherapy, called Ericksonian hypnotherapy. His hypnotherapy was distinguishable as it involved indirect suggestion, “metaphor” (analogies), confusion techniques, and double binds instead of prescribed hypnotic inductions. Erickson’s methods have, however, been critically scrutinized by contemporaries like André Weitzenhoffer who doubt whether Ericksonian hypnotherapy is hypnosis at all. Erickson himself never doubted his theory and described any suggested effect as hypnosis.

Cognitive-Behavioral Theories

The second half of the twentieth century witnessed the growth of Cognitive-Behavioral approach to hypnosis. There were two reasons behind its development: firstly, cognitive and behavioral theories on the nature of hypnosis became increasingly dominant, thanks to the contribution of Sarbin and Barber. Secondly, the remedial practices of hypnotherapy and diverse forms of cognitive-behavioral therapy tended to be related and influenced each other.

One can distinguish Cognitive-Behavioral Theories of hypnosis from Cognitive-Behavioral approaches to hypnotherapy. Nonetheless, the two share common concepts, terminology, and assumptions. The two have been assimilated by leading researchers and clinicians including Irving Kirsch and Steven Jay Lynn.

Chapter 2

There are several different types of hypnosis. Additionally, each practitioner adopts a slightly different style and uses different techniques. Therefore, there are as many types of hypnosis as there are its practitioners. Several types of hypnosis have evolved over the years in an attempt to more effectively work with all types of subjects. Even those who considered themselves ‘un-hypnotizable’ can usually be hypnotized, utilizing the right techniques.

The most commonly used and recurrent forms of hypnosis are hypnotherapy, self-hypnosis, waking hypnosis and walking hypnosis. There are other types of hypnosis besides these. They are: Stage hypnosis, Ericksonian hypnosis and Neuro-Linguistic Programming. The field of hypnosis is witnessing the development of new and innovative hypnotic methods constantly. A brief explanation of these common hypnosis types are:

Self Hypnosis

Self-hypnosis is also known as auto-suggestion. In this, a person can hypnotize himself/herself without being guided by a practitioner. A person intending to undergo self-hypnosis successfully must be self disciplined. A person’s self-esteem can be a significant factor in the ability to follow through. A sincere desire to change, is necessary.

Unlike other types of hypnosis, self-hypnosis is a practical and effectual way to manage daily stress because it is not dependent on the help of a hypnotist. Self-hypnosis is similar to meditation in the sense that both are driven by ‘relaxation response’. In self-hypnosis, the body becomes relaxed, stress hormones decrease and the mind is diverted from unpleasant thoughts. One can achieve deep relaxation in self-hypnosis. In self-hypnosis, affirmations, or positive statements based on rational thinking facilitate managing stress and building confidence.

Self-hypnosis is a useful tool that can be used on a daily basis for well-being. A successful self-hypnosis session can be conducted by going about it step by step. First, set an intention for the session. Then think of affirmations you want to include. Remember to keep your affirmations positive and in the present tense. Choose a quiet place where you will not be distracted. You can now begin self-hypnosis. Close your eyes and relax your body. Imagine that waves of relaxation are running down your body from the top of your head down to your feet. Let these waves move in rhythm with your breathing, first washing down over your head, then your neck, then your torso, then arms, and finally your legs and feet.

This preliminary stage of hypnosis is followed by the next stage in which you attain a deeper state of relaxation. This is done by suggestion. At this stage, you make simple statements to yourself to induce rest and relaxation. Common hypnotic terms include: calm, relax, deeper, etc. Choose any mantra that feels appropriate. Repetition is a key element to inducing greater depth. When you experience a deep level of inner peace and comfort, use the affirmations you prepared before beginning the session. You can combine affirmations with relaxation suggestions.

Self-hypnosis usually lasts up to 20 minutes but it can take as long as you like.

Environmental Hypnosis

Environmental hypnosis is also known as walking hypnosis. This kind of hypnosis occurs naturally when persons enter a trance like state while occupied in a dull or repetitive task. Therefore, a person can undergo environmental hypnosis while walking, gardening, reading or listening to a lecture. What actually happens is that the person’s attention is diverted from the task and he/she enters a state of trance. This is also known as ‘zoning out’.

The state of walking hypnosis is very common. We all undergo walking hypnosis involuntarily several times a day. This kind of hypnosis is triggered when we become over stimulated by the external environment. To escape the intake of excessive input, the mind zones out.

Although environment hypnosis is unplanned and induced by external surroundings, one can learn to attain a state of walking hypnosis to reap its benefits. Its technique can be learned from any trained and competent hypnotist. Many athletes make use of walking hypnosis to go into the “zone” where they are able to focus solely on the hypnotic state and not get distracted by feelings of exhaustion or pain while exercising their bodies in arduous physical activities.

Walking hypnosis is attained in the midst of activities as listening to music, watching television, driving etc. at any time of the day.

When we learn how to drive, the entire procedure is registered in our subconscious. Have you ever arrived at your destination and do not remember the drive there? When the mind zones out, as your conscious thoughts consume your attention, your subconscious takes over. The emotions aroused while watching movies also lead to walking hypnosis. We begin to focus so intently on the movie that it feels real: the emotions expressed in the movie become ours and its images become embedded in our subconscious registering a strong walking hypnosis state.

So, hypnosis is perfectly natural and we all have undergone it at some point. The fears about hypnosis are typically caused by a lack of understanding.

Traditional Hypnosis

This is the most common type of hypnosis. The subject/client is encouraged to enter into an intense state of relaxation by the hypnotist through set techniques. The subject’s mind becomes highly susceptible to suggestion in this relaxed state. It is at this stage that the key purpose behind hypnotizing the subject is fulfilled.

 

Traditional hypnosis generally involves a concrete process of inducing a trance-like state.

 

The uninitiated will always identify hypnosis as traditional hypnosis whereas it is merely one type of hypnosis. In traditional hypnosis, the hypnotist gives direct suggestions and commands to the subject. The individual follows what the hypnotists asks them to do. This type of hypnosis works well on people who are naturally complying.

Ericksonian Hypnosis

Ericksonian hypnosis was conceptualized by noted hypnotist Milton Erickson in the late 1960s. It follows a similar mechanism of inducing a state of trance. Nonetheless, it has an entirely different method of suggestion. In this, ideas are introduced to the subconscious of the subject in the form of stories which function as metaphors. The hypnotist crosses the barriers of the critical, questioning part of the conscious mind and reaches the subconscious with the help of these metaphors.

The influential role of suggestions makes the process of Ericksonian hypnosis highly useful and effective. It is quite different from other types of hypnosis. Even skeptical and highly analytical subjects respond positively to Ericksonian hypnosis. In fact, cynical people are easier to hypnotize through this method. Ericksonian hypnotherapy lays emphasis on and assists the client’s own creative processes.

Ericksonian hypnosis has now developed into ‘conversational hypnosis’. People can be hypnotized by simply talking to them. Others will presume that you are having an ordinary talk with your client when in fact you are guiding them to a deep hypnotic state and embedding suggestions into their subconscious minds.

Ericksonian hypnotherapy is based on the following important ideas:

 

1. Every person is unique and the therapy should be in cognizance with that person’s beliefs, motivations and mannerisms.
2. Hypnosis is an experimental process in which ideas are communicated to achieve experiential involvement of the client through activation of those ideas.
3. Every person has his/her own resources and they can be assisted in utilizing their own skills and resources.
4. The state of trances activates the subject’s resources.
5. Trance is completely natural.
6. The Ericksonian approach is oriented more towards course-alignment rather than error-correction. This is achieved by leading subjects towards their interests and goals instead of restricting their expressions.

 

The two basic principles behind Ericksonian hypnotherapy are:

 

1. Accept the person’s reality
2. Utilize the person’s reality

 

The Ericksonian hypnotherapist attempts to neutralize undesirable recurrent conscious processes to stimulate formerly inaccessible resources. The hypnotist uses an indirect approach to avoid any potential resistance that may hamper the facilitation of desired changes.

In order to produce trance, a framework is created in which the subject complies with setting aside normal consciousness and discover other unexplored facets of the being. The subject is then engaged in a process of communication to engage him/her in experiential realities that would facilitate trance and personal growth.

The Ericksonian way of inducing hypnosis starts by creating rapport with the client so that he/she trusts the hypnotist and is comfortable. The hypnotherapist then drifts to hypnotic communication to enter the state of trance.

The Ericksonian induction incorporates the following:

 

1. Using the client’s reality for hypnotic induction
2. Asking questions to draw direct attention
3. Furnishing experiential demonstrations
4. Cognizing real sense memories to access trance
5. Periodic shifting between specific demonstration or story and the general to revert finally to the specific
6. Progressive development of each new response from preceding ones
7. Presuppositions concentrating on how something will be done instead of discussing whether it would be done
8. Using conjunctions to show everything spoken is linked together.
9. Regular interspersing of ideas related to trance to create a context for the unconscious to activate autonomously and intelligently.
10. Developing a framework to illustrate hypnosis as a natural process
11. Allowing for intermittent periods of silence to give the subject space to explore on his/her own
12. Altering the style of delivery of speech
13. Confusing the client to deactivate conscious involvement

 

What E&P Suggestibility is and why this approach more effective than traditional hypnosis?

Suggestibility refers to the ability of being prone to accept and act on the suggestions of others. A person undergoing strong emotions is likely to be more receptive to ideas and suggestions and therefore more suggestible. Usually, a person’s suggestibility changes with age. Psychologists have however found that factors like the individual’s sense of self-esteem, assertiveness, and other qualities also determine the degree of their susceptibility.

Scientific research on hypnosis and associated phenomena is significantly influenced by the extent of suggestibility of a subject. It is agreed among hypnotherapists and academicians in this field that suggestibility plays an important role in inducing helpful hypnotic states.

Dr. John Kappas (1925-2002) recognized three different types of suggestibility. They are:

Emotional Suggestibility:

In this type of suggestible behavior, the subject exhibits a high level of responsiveness to inferred suggestions. These inferred suggestions influence emotions and contain physical body responses. The emotionally suggestible subject responds more to inferences rather than direct and literal suggestions.

Physical Suggestibility:

A physically suggestible subject’s behavior is characterized by strong responses to literal suggestions, which have an effect on the body. There is control on emotional responses. It is generally associated with cataleptic stages or deeper.

Intellectual Suggestibility:

In this type of suggestibility, the subject is suspicious of being controlled by the hypnotist. The subject continually tries to scrutinize, reject or rationalize everything done or said by the hypnotherapist. When dealing with this type of subject, the hypnotist must provide a reasonable explanation for everything and let the subject feel that he/she is doing the hypnosis himself/herself.

There is still some uncertainty about what suggestibility actually entails. Suggestibility is undoubtedly an important aspect of hypnosis. However, there is much debate and difficulty in determining and controlling susceptibility. No practical apparatus exists by which the level of a person’s suggestibility can be measured exactly.

Extensive research done on hypnosis and monitored trials have revealed that hypnotherapy is legitimate, curative and effectual. Nonetheless, since it is not possible to determine empirically the level of a person’s suggestibility, accurate predictions on the therapeutic outcomes cannot be made.

The uncertainty element of hypnosis makes it all the more effective. The subject is more likely to personalize the method and cooperate with the practitioner. All this depends on the motivation, learning, behavior and emotions of the subject. Hypnosis is not a battle of wills.

Subjects generally welcome positive suggestions and are less likely to resist new and optimistic ideas and perspectives. However, the suggestions that come in the form of the ideas and perspectives have to be the following:

• Be in accord with ideas previously held
• Consistent  with the preferred model of decision-making
• Flatter the subject’s self-identity to an extent agreed on by him/her
• Include positive and constructive suggestions
• Be expressed through sensory combinations experienced in the real world

In other words, if the suggestions tend to make sense to the client and not disturb them, the hypnotic sessions are highly probable of ending up in success. Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) studies and deals with this kind of hypnotic suggestion.

Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP)

Neuro-Linguistic Programming, frequently referred to as NLP, is a relatively new advancement in the study of various types of hypnosis. NLP is a scientific study of how language programs our mind’s subconscious. Therefore, though hypnosis has a crucial contribution in the method of NLP, it is not precisely a type of hypnotism. In NLP, thought patterns are embedded on the mind to aid solving problems. NLP resourcefully combines the traditional and modern approach to hypnosis by being simple and convenient and applying a more modern and profound approach in comprehending how our mind works.

NLP co-founders Richard Bandler and linguist John Grinder promoted it in the 1970s as a speedy and efficient form of psychological therapy which is equipped to tackle cases like phobias, depressions, habit disorder, psychosomatic illnesses and learning disorders. It was further held that NLP could assist a person’s well-being and healthy functioning besides strengthening his/her self-determination by surmounting learned limitations. Bandler and Grinder avowed that NLP would be helpful in “finding ways to help people have better, fuller and richer lives”.

The co-founders invented the title Neuro- Linguistic Programming to represent connection between neurological processes and language and behavioral patterns that are learnt through experience and can be organized to realize particular goals. NLP was later put forth as a “science of excellence” derived from the study of how people across various fields have achieved excellent results. It was further asserted that these skills can be learned by anyone to bring positive and effective changes in themselves on both the personal and professional front.

Although NLP is highly popular, conventional social science prefers to ignore it citing lack of professional legitimacy and inadequate empirical evidence to verify its claims. Neuro-linguistic Programming has been conspicuous by its absence in academic psychology. NLP has enjoyed limited influence in mainstream psychotherapy and counseling. Nonetheless, private psychotherapists and hypnotherapists recognize it so much so that many use it in their practice. NLP has greatly influenced management training, life coaching and the self-help industry.

Chapter 3

Hypnosis is a naturally attained state of mind. It occurs when a person is highly attentive and focused, with complete concentration on something. Hypnosis is often referred to as hypnotherapy, when used in a therapeutic setting for vocational/avocational self-improvement. The state of hypnosis tends to be very relaxing. Most clients feel physically, mentally, and emotionally comfortable throughout the process.

Under hypnosis, a client is more open to suggestions than they would be otherwise. This condition of suggestibility can be used resourcefully to fine-tune the client’s perceptions, behavior, sensations and emotions. Hypnotherapy is practiced to improve a client’s health and well-being and is significantly different from stage hypnosis done by entertainers. Even though clients are more susceptible to suggestion during hypnotherapy, they are free to exercise their own will and reason.

Hypnosis does not make the client lose control over his/her actions but instead help them achieve greater control over undesired behaviors or emotions. Hypnotherapy helps individuals more effectively cope with certain medical conditions and chronic pain. In these cases, hypnosis is not a treatment in itself but a procedure combined typically with certain treatments and therapies to address a range of conditions.

Clients are first examined by accessing their formal history to ascertain realistic therapeutic goals. The desired results of this session are discussed as well as the longer term goals over the course of therapy. This is followed by testing ones suggestibility, which is only necessary during the first session. After the suggestibility test, a hypnotic induction takes the client into hypnosis.

Hypnosis should always be conducted under the care and supervision of a trained therapist or health care professional. Hypnotherapy is a safe, complementary and alternative medicine treatment. However, clients undergoing hypnotic therapy must be made aware of the possible risks that come with hypnotherapy.

A session of hypnotherapy rarely causes adverse reactions; however the following are possible, especially when working with someone who does not have proper training:

·         Headache

·         Dizziness

·         Nausea

·         Panic or anxiety

·         Planting of false memories in the brain

To avoid facing any of these risks, a client should choose a certified or clinical hypnotherapist. A therapist who has requisite training, expertise, professional experience, and all other important and relevant details will usually provide that information upfront.

When clients are getting ready for a hypnotherapy session, there are no special preparations. Nonetheless, they can ensure that the process is enjoyable by getting enough rest beforehand and wearing comfortable clothes.

Hypnosis can include a range of techniques. The technique or approach to be exercised on a particular client depends on the desired goals of that client. The hypnotherapist is many also give recommendations regarding techniques and practices that will increase the effectiveness of achieving the desired goals.

The hypnotherapist usually begins the session by talking to the client in a gentle and comforting tone and using various deepening techniques which generate a feeling of relaxation, security and well-being.

As the client goes into the hypnotic state, the hypnotherapist makes suggestions in order to achieve specific goals like alleviating pain or altering behaviors. The hypnotherapist will help the client visualize images in which the client experiences the desired outcome. These positive mental images are beneficial for creating new associations in the mind. When the session is over, the client is ready to return to the real world and continue normal activities. A session usually lasts as long as 60 minutes. Clients can benefit from one session itself or may need several sessions before the changes and improvements manifest.

Chapter 4

It is established that hypnotherapy helps eliminate certain medical conditions, end unwanted habits, give up harmful addictions like smoking and curb stress involved in medical procedures. Hypnotherapy has lasting effects and it can change and improve the overall quality of a person’s life.

Hypnotherapy can be used to deal with the following medical conditions:

·         Controlling pain

·         Quitting addictions like smoking

·         Allergies

·         Asthma

·         Weight loss

·         Athletic performance

·         Dental procedures

·         Coping with chemotherapy

·         Skin conditions

·         Gastrointestinal problems

·         Procedural anxiety management

·         Medical treatment side effects for instance nausea and vomiting

·         Stress management

·         Phobias

·         Stress-induced neurological problems

·         Surgical preparation

·         Childbirth

Since all feelings of pain are mediated through the brain, it is possible to alleviate them through hypnosis. Hypnosis is almost synonymous with the condition of being completely relaxed. A motivated client can avert feelings of panic and anxiety when he/she is in a hypnotic state.

A brief overview on pain reduction, quit addictions, weight loss etc. through hypnotherapy

Pain Management

Hypnosis helps with treating and controlling pain. The effectiveness of hypnotherapy in reducing pain has been ascertained by Ernest Hillgard in his research and publications. He has been the emeritus Professor of Psychology at Stanford University. Hillgard used a control research group to corroborate hypnosis’s effective role in managing pain.

Hypnotherapists are obliged to take note of an important ethical consideration before they use hypnotherapy for treating pain. They should refrain from applying hypnosis on the client until the source of pain has been identified. Occasionally, pains tend to be a symptom of other major problems rather than being the problem itself. For example, a person is suffering from persistent headaches; it could be the symptom of a brain tumor. If the proper source of the client’s pain is not diagnosed, then a hypnotherapy session could be harmful for them.

If it has been found that the pain is chronic or untreatable through conventional medicine, then the hypnotherapist can proceed with the therapy to treat the pain. Hypnotherapy is applied to treat pain in its various stages and situations. They are:

 

1. Post-operative pain: The client may feel afraid of needles or be allergic to medications. In that situation, giving regular painkillers to the client will not be proper.
2. Phantom limb pain: Sometimes clients with amputated limbs feel pain from the severed limbs. Research has revealed that hypnosis is an excellent method in treating this kind of pain.
3. Palliative care: A number of hypnotherapists interact with terminally ill clients to help them cope with their pain and improve their quality of life.

How to Stop Smoking Using Hypnosis

Hypnosis an effective way give up harmful addictions, including smoking. With hypnosis, the client can effectively resolve the emotional and psychological aspects of the smoking addiction. It a healthy and safe option compared to relying on medications.

A hypnotherapy session will cost much less then continuing the habit. The average smoker spends over $3,000 per year on cigarettes and pays higher insurance premiums. Additional expenses could include, the medical costs associated with cancer, emphysema, and other smoking related diseases.

Hypnotherapy has been a highly popular and successful mechanism for quitting addictions. Hypnotherapy encourages clients to visualize positive images of themselves in which they see themselves in good health, happy, free, and in control. Motivation and commitment are continuously reinforced, making it easier to follow through as a permanent ex-smoker.

In order to detect the most effective way to stop smoking, University of Iowa’s Frank Schmidt and his research student Chockalingham Viswesvaran applied meta-analysis and observed results of more than 600 studies covering 72,000 people. The result was based on 48 studies of hypnosis covering 6000 smokers. It confirmed clearly that hypnosis is thrice as much effective as NRT. The results were published in the Journal of Applied Psychology.

How You Can Lose Weight Using Hypnosis

Many people have felt discouraged by repeated unsuccessful attempts at losing weight. Especially after trying and failing with different types of weight loss programs. It is regrettable that the countless weight loss programs that have mushroomed here and there make weight-loss process unnecessarily complicated. One must realize that these weight loss programs do not address the emotional reasons for weight gain.

Trendy weight loss plans, crash diets and rigorous exercise at the gym are some of the common weight loss techniques. These programs tend to allure people with promises of drastic improvement. But they are very dangerous and often infective. Those extra pounds seem to find their way back to your body making you feel all the more dejected. It is important to accept that the healthiest way to lose weight is not the quickest way to lose weight.

Hypnotherapy’s role in helping lose weight has not been explored much until now. But it happens to be a very healthy and holistic approach to achieve your weight goals. The truth is losing weight and maintaining ideal body weight is much simpler and easy than it is thought to be.  

The right way to lose weight is all about replacing bad habits with good habits. This is where hypnosis comes in. Hypnosis is a powerful tool for losing weight by helping you incorporate new, healthy and positive habits. It is ideal, easy and natural, and its effects are long-lasting.

Hypnotherapy for losing and managing weight includes the following practices:

• Develop a new image of the self in the future where you see yourself as fit, healthy and in shape. You will make that image your goal and work towards it.
• Eliminate stress and try to feel more relaxed about weight loss and weight management.
• Think positively about weight and diet. Being worried or anxious will cause you to continue comfort eating.
• Generate a positive cycle of feeling good and losing weight. When you start feeling better about yourself, you will lose weight and that in turn will make you feel even better about who you are and what you are capable of achieving. It is interesting to note that as and when you start feeling good about yourself, weight loss, health and happiness tag along.

If you still cannot believe the wonders hypnotherapy can do in losing weight, then a detailed explanation of how it works is due. Hypnosis actually helps the client surmount unconscious impediments preventing him/her from losing or keeping off weight. So, even though the client’s conscious knows that they want to stick to a sensible diet and exercise to keep fit, it doesn’t seem to work out. Instead, the client needs to re-educate their unconscious mind about making healthy choices. Hypnosis is possibly the most natural, healthy and economical ways to lose weight.

Dieting may be useful for losing a few pounds within a short time but it is not the right option for maintaining a healthy weight for a longer term. Hypnosis helps in achieving healthy weight for a lifetime as it involves nurturing new, positive, healthy habits to break the old ones

The very idea of dieting inevitably triggers two strong beliefs among those adopting it. First, dieting is thought to be a difficult task that entails a strict regimen. Secondly, it is something, which you would not otherwise want yourself to go through. It is these two beliefs that make dieting unsuccessful.

Modern approaches, including hypnotherapy and other applied psychology, dispute these beliefs and advocate that healthy weight management is not just easy to incorporate as a habit but also something that will be done out of choice.

Hypnosis works on the subconscious level to help the client attain a mindset in which they can lose weight willingly. Hypnotherapy understands that achieving weight loss would be difficult as long as the client is not willing to make the necessary changes on his or her own.

Since hypnotherapy addresses the subconscious of the human mind, it can remedy certain medical conditions that are beyond mainstream medical practice.

 

Chapter 5

If we look at obesity around the world, we find an alarming number, which continues to grow. With urbanization, modernization and technological developments, day by day people are becoming lazy and eating more than their body can utilize. This in turn is leading them to become either overweight or obese.

Obesity is a medical condition which refers to the excess body fat that accumulates in the body to such an extent that it starts showing effect on the health. Obesity increases the chances of various diseases like breathing difficulties during sleep, heart diseases, Type-2 diabetes, osteoarthritis and certain types of cancers. It is estimated that there are more than 1 billion overweight adults around the world of which 300 million are obese. Obesity has reached epidemic proportions around the world and is considered to be one of the major causes for the global burden of chronic disease and disability. Obesity is an intricate condition that often co-exists with under-nutrition in developing countries with serious psychological and social elements, affecting people of all ages and socioeconomic groups.

What are the causes of obesity?

As we all know, weight gain occurs when we eat more calories than our body can burn up. When the food you eat provides you more calories than you actually need, the excess calories are converted into fat. The fat cells generally increase in size but when they fail to increase, they grow in number. So, when you lose weight, the size of the cells decrease and not the number.

1. There are many causes behind obesity. One of the prime reasons behind weight gain is the imbalance between intake of calorie and the consumption of the amount of it. This imbalance generally varies with your age, genes, sex, environmental factors and psychological makeup.

 

-          Environmental factors: The biggest environmental factor that affects weight gain is your lifestyle. It is generally believed that eating habits and your activity level is partly affected by the people around you. Inactivity and overeating are some of the primary reasons behind obesity.

-          Genes: Often, obesity runs in the family. This is affected by a shared diet with the members of a family, same genes and similar lifestyle. But that doesn’t mean that having obese relatives can make you obese.

-          Age: With age, people tend to lose muscle and starts putting on fat. As their metabolism rate slows down, their calorie requirements also decrease.

-          Pregnancy: Women commonly gain 4 to 6 pounds after their pregnancy. This weight gain may turn to obesity in future.

-          Emotions: Emotions too play an important part in obesity as people suffering from anger, boredom, depression, hopelessness may tend to overeat. But, this doesn’t mean that obese people are unhappy or they suffer more than others emotionally. It is just that people with emotional burden tend to suppress their feeling by eating.

-          Sex: On average, men have more muscles than women. Since muscles can burn more calories than any other tissue, men use more calories than women do, even when they rest. That is why women are more likely to gain weight than men even when both of them take in the same calories.

2. Obesity can also be an effect of certain medications and medical conditions, but they are less common causes of obesity. Some of the medical conditions are:

-          Cushing syndrome

-          Prader-Willi syndrome

-          Depression

-          Polycystic ovarian syndrome

-          Hypothyroidism

-          Certain medications like antidepressants, steroids and birth control pills.

3. The distribution of fat in your body also plays a part in determining obesity related problems. Generally, there are two different kinds of body fat – first, the fat that is distributed around the waist and second the fat that is distributed on the thighs and hips. The fat near the waist is more prone to accumulate.

4. Most commonly, obesity is the result of certain eating disorders like bulimia or binge eating. Consuming too many calories is the primary reason behind the sudden increase in the number of obese people around the world. People are eating more than before throughout the world. In spite of billions of dollars spent on awareness campaigns to help people live a healthy life, majority of people continue with their overeating. In 1980, about 14% of the adult population in USA was obese; by 2000 the figure reached to 31%, according to The Obesity Society. In USA, the consumption of calories increased from 1,542 per day in 1971 to 1,877 per day in 2004 for women. For men, the figures were 2,450 in 1971 and 2,618 in 2004. The consumption of sweetened drinks and fast foods has increased three times over the same period.

5. Inadequate sleep is also believed to be a cause behind obesity. According to a research carried out by University of Warwick at Warwick Medical School, if you do not have enough sleep, your chances of becoming obese increases two times. The risk is similar for both adults and children. Professor Francesco Cappuccio and his team evaluated evidence in over 15,000 adults and 28,000 children. Their study very clearly showed that inadequate sleep radically increased obesity risk in both the groups. According to Professor Cappuccio, sleep deprivation leads to obesity because of the increase in appetite as a result of hormonal changes. When you do not sleep enough, you produce Ghrelin, a hormone that arouses appetite. Lack of sleep also results in your body producing less Leptin, a hormone that curbs appetite.

Classifications of obesity

Relative weight and Body Mass Index (BMI) are used to estimate body and measured by percentage. But, BMI does not account for the variation of body fat distribution and may not match the same degree of excess fat or associated health risk in different people and populations. Other fat distribution measuring methods are the waist–hip ratio and body fat percentage.

BMI: BMI or Body Mass Index is widely used for estimating body fat mass. The method was developed by the Belgian statistician and anthropometrist Adolphe Quetelet in the later part of 19^th century. BMI is the exact reflection of body fat percentage in the majority of adult population. But it is less precise in people like pregnant women and body builders. BMI is calculated by dividing the subject's mass by the square of his or her height which is either expressed in US "Customary" units or metric.

 

BMI                                                                                  Classification

Less than 18.5                                                                           Underweight

18.5 to 24.9                                                                              Normal weight

25.0 to 29.9                                                                              Overweight

30.0 to 34.9                                                                              Class I obesity

35.0 to 39.9                                                                              Class II obesity

= 40.0                                                                                      Class III obesity 

 

Surgical literature further breaks down Class III obesity into groups whose exact values are disputed. It says:

 

BMI = 35 or 40 is severe obesity

BMI = 35 or 40 to 44.9 or 49.9 is morbid obesity

BMI = 45 or 50 is super obese

 

It is believed that Asian people develop negative health outcomes at a lower BMI than Caucasians. There are some nations who have redefined obesity like the Japanese has defined obesity when BMI is greater than 25 and for the Chinese, when BMI is greater than 28, it is obesity.

Waist circumference and waist–hip ratio: In the United States, when a waist circumference of >102 cm in men and >88 cm in women or the waist–hip ratio which is the circumference of the waist divided by that of the hips is >0.9 for men and >0.85 for women, it is defined as central obesity. In Europe, waist circumference of 94 cm in men and 80 cm in non pregnant women are taken as cut offs for central obesity.

Body fat percentage: Body fat is the total body fat that is expressed as a percentage of the total body weight. It is believed that men with more than 25% body fat and women with more than 33% body fat are obese. Body fat percentage is calculated by the following formula:

Bodyfat % = (1.2 x BMI) + (0.23 x age) - 5.4 - (10.8 x gender) where the gender is 0 if female and 1 if male.

This formula takes into account the fact that body fat percentage is 10 percentage points greater in women than in men for a given BMI. There are many other methods of calculating the body fat percentage. One is the Hydrostatic weighing which is conducted by weighing a person underwater. Other two methods are the skinfold test which takes into account a pinch of skin to measure the thickness of the subcutaneous fat layer and the bioelectrical impedance analysis which uses electrical resistance.

What is childhood obesity?

Teenagers and children with a BMI greater than 95^th percentile is considered obese. Childhood obesity has become a common problem worldwide in this 21^st century. For instance, research shows that the obesity rates in Canadian youngsters have increased from 11% to over 30% in the last decade. During the same period, the rates of obesity in Brazilian children increased from 4 to 14%. Factors like changing food habits and less physical exercises are causing the increasing percentage of obesity among children. In most of the countries, physical activities in school and homes have decreased with time.

Childhood obesity usually grows with the child leading to obesity in adulthood and results in many different chronic illnesses in children. Obese children may suffer from hyperlipidemia, diabetes, fatty liver and hypertension.

What is the total impact of obesity?

Physicians all over the world have the same view that obese people tend to suffer socially because of their weight issues. People around them often equate obese people with laziness, overeating and idleness. Some people are obese because their work requires them to sit for hours without any activity. In such cases, the person takes in more calories than the body can burn off and causes them gain weight. Obesity is not only an outcome of overeating, it can also be the effect of low self-esteem and other psychological reasons like alcoholism, sexual abuse or depression. People suffering from these problems use eating as their only mean to cope with their problem. For them, eating gives them a feeling of temporary relief.

They start feeling that they are not like what ideal women ‘should look like’. Because of this, women start nurturing negative feelings about themselves. In order to improve this, overweight women need to learn to love who they are. Following a regular routine of healthy diet and exercise will not only help to lose weight but improve self-esteem as well. When people learn to find other ways of dealing with their emotions rather than overeating, it becomes easy to have a healthier body. It is very important for obese people to feel good both physically and mentally to deal with obesity and overweight problems.

Why is obesity dangerous?

Obesity has become a major health problem for people all over the world. Obesity can cause severe health hazards at some point in life. That is why it is very important for you if you are obese to minimize weight and lead a healthy life.

The more obese a person is the more health problems he/she is likely to develop. Mild obesity (when the BMI is 30+) is less dangerous for health than morbid obesity (when the BMI is 40+) or malignant obesity (when the BMI is 50+).

What is central or abdominal obesity?

People suffering from central or abdominal obesity which refers to excessive visceral fat around the abdomen and stomach are at greater risk of health related problems. Abdominal obesity is one of the main reasons behind health problem symptoms like insulin resistance syndrome and cardiovascular disease.

In women, central obesity is determined by a waistline of about 35+ inches whereas in men, the danger waistline is around 40+ inches. Similarly, the waist-hip ratio also helps to determine if the person is in the danger of obesity. For women, waist-to-hip ratios of more than 0.8 and men with waist-to-hip ratios of more than 1.0 are considered to have apple-shaped body with higher health risk because of their excessive fat distribution.

What are the health risks involved with obesity?

1. Obese people are prone to sudden heart attack, congestive heart failure, chest pain or angina. High blood pressure or hypertension is more common in obese people due to the extra fat in your body that puts pressure on your heart and other organs as well as the skeletal system which are supposed to give support to the weight of the body. Another major health complexity triggered by obesity is the failure of coronary blood circulation to the cardiac muscle and the surrounding tissues.

The chances of getting a heart attack are high with obesity due to the rising cholesterol in the blood. Atherosclerosis, which refers to the narrowing of the arteries leading to the formation of an arterial blood clot, is one of the pre-conditions of strokes. Atherosclerosis is sped up by smoking, high blood pressure, lack of exercise and high cholesterol. Morbid obesity is often associated with high blood pressure and lack of exercise.

2. When you do nothing to reduce your weight, you are actually reducing the number of years from your life. Young people suffering from obesity tend to develop diseases that are more common with older people like diabetes, arthritis, high blood pressure and hardening of the arteries that may ultimately lead to early death. According to CDC researchers, there are some 300,000 American deaths every year due to obesity. The chance of premature death increases with the rise in the number of obese people. Individuals who are obese have 50 to 100 percent increased chance of premature death compared with those of a healthy weight.

3. Obesity also increases the chance of cancer in the kidneys, gall bladder, prostate and breasts. Women who gain more than 20 pounds from the age of 18 to 40, develops greater risk of post-menopausal breast cancer than those with normal weight.

4. Musculoskeletal disorders like osteoarthritis are more common in obese people than in people with a healthy weight. Various health studies have shown that obesity is one of the strong indicators for symptoms of osteoarthritis, mainly in the knees. It is proven that for every 2 pounds of weight gain, your chances of osteoarthritis increases.

5. Obstructive sleep apnea or breathing problems while sleeping is common in obese people. Obesity is related to asthma, severe bronchitis, respiratory insufficiency and obesity hypoventilation syndrome.

6. The risk of gallstones is 3 times higher in obese people than in people with normal weight. In fact, symptomatic gallstones are directly related to the rise in Body Mass Index (BMI).

7. Obesity shows some extreme effects in pregnant women and affects the health of both the mother and the baby. It raises the risk of high blood pressure in the mother by 10 times. Obesity during pregnancy can also lead to the chances of birth defects like spina bifida. Obesity related problems after childbirth includes higher chances of endometritis, wound and endometrial infection as well as urinary tract infection in the mother.

8. An increase in weight raises a person’s chances of developing type 2 diabetes. More than 80% of people with diabetes are either obese or overweight.

Other than health problems, obesity is also linked with psychological and social effects. Most obese people suffer emotional pain due to their weight problems. Society is more attracted to people with a perfect body and ideal appearance. Such thinking makes obese people feel rejected.

Chapter 6

You are the one ultimately responsible for ridding yourself of excess weight. Continue reading to learn some easy ways to prevent obesity effectively.

1. Monitor your weight on a regular basis. If you are inactive and have an unhealthy diet, you will easily notice any change in weight at an early stage. This will help you to prevent potential problems. 

2. Drink plenty of water. Water can detoxify your body from all the impurities present in the system. You should drink at least 8 to 10 glasses of water a day. Drinking water not only detoxifies your body, but also rejuvenates your skin.

3. Stay energetic with activities like climbing the stairs, evening or morning walks and swimming. These small activities can help you burn a lot of calories and stay healthy. Start doing mild exercises at home for thirty minutes or join a gym or health club.

4. Avoiding junk food can play a big role in preventing obesity. Do not bring junk food to your home; refrain from eating at fast food restaurants and stop buying foods that are full of calories. Treat yourself once or twice a month but not more than that.

5. Do your best to have a balanced diet with whole grains, fruits and vegetables. An adult suffering from obesity should eat low-sugar fruits and vegetables at least five times a day. Avoid fruits that are rich in calories like mangos. A serving of vegetables should include one and a half cups of cooked vegetables or one cup of raw vegetables.

6. Eat only when you feel hungry, which means, no mindless eating. Do not cut your three meals a day. Instead, divide the meals into small meals and eat every 2 to 3 hours. Try not to have calorie rich snacks in between the meals. Also, eat slowly so your stomach has time to feel ‘full’.

How to prevent childhood obesity?

Every year, millions of children are affected by obesity in the United States. These overweight or obese children are highly at risk due to Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Other health risks include asthma, emotional issues, bone and joint problems and sleeping disorders. 

Causes of childhood obesity include:

-          Increased consumption of food, which are highly rich in calories like fast food and soft drinks. Today’s children eat three times more than what children used to consume 20 years ago. Moreover, the fast food companies are mainly targeting children in their marketing campaigns. Some schools also offer junk food and soft drink during lunch time.

-          Nowadays, children spend most of their time watching TV, playing on the computer and playing video games. Reduced amount of physical activity have contributed to childhood obesity.

As a parent, you can play a big role in helping your child adopt healthy eating habits and lifestyle, like:

-          Encourage your children to adopt physical activities. Introduce them to different activities until they find something they like.

-          Never reward your children with good food or candy. This can only encourage bad habits. Instead, find other ways to celebrate their achievements.

-          Try to limit the amount of time your child spends on the computer and playing video games. Rather, encourage them to go out and do some physical activities.

-          The most important thing that you can do as a parent is be a good role model for your kids. If you yourself adopt a healthy lifestyle, your children will automatically start following you.

-          Praise your children for good deeds and help them develop a positive image of themselves. Speak to them positively; avoid saying hurtful things out of anger or frustration.

-          Encourage your children to have good and healthy food even when they are not at home.

Chapter 7

According to a warning published by the U.S. Federal Drug Administration (FDA), most of the weight loss pills and weight loss products contain unlisted ingredients. There are some 72 weight loss and diet products on the FDA list that are highly contaminated and dangerous. Many of the products are marketed as natural products containing natural ingredients, but they contain unlisted substances which can cause severe health problems.

Some of the weight loss pills contain illegal drugs that are not listed or approved by the FDA for Over the Counter use. Many of these weight-loss drugs are antidepressant medicine and contain chemicals that are suspected for causing cancer.

Intake of these dangerous pills can lead to serious health hazards like cancer, sudden death, strokes, seizures and heart attacks. Other health problems associated with them are palpitations, rapid heartbeat, high blood pressure and heart arrhythmia.

Natural herbal diet pills can be equally dangerous. Side effects of natural herbal diet pills include:

-          stomach irritation

-          increased heart rate

-          nervousness or irritability

-          insomnia

-          undesirable reactions with any prescription drug you are taking

Similarly, prescription drugs, although approved by FDA, may also carry certain risk and side effects. Most of the prescribed diet pills include fat absorbers and blockers, appetite suppressants and are used as a quick fix or when other weight loss methods have not worked. The side effects of prescription diet pills are related to amphetamines, which are considered to be a narcotic drug and carry side effects like:

-          constipation

-          increased blood pressure

-          insomnia

-          dry mouth

The most dangerous diet pills are Over the Counter diet pills because they have side effects like:

-          nervousness

-          heart irregularities

-          headache

-          heart attack

-          stomach irritation

-          diarrhea

-          addiction

-          high blood pressure

-          diarrhea

-          stroke

There are lots of weight loss pills that people consider as quick fix solutions for obesity, but most of the ingredients found in these drugs are not regulated. That means you do not know what you are actually getting in these products.

Chapter 8

What is emotional eating?

Emotional eating means consuming large quantities of food, mainly junk foods, in order to suppress an emotion. It is estimated that nearly 75% of overeating is caused by emotions. Many of us have the idea that food consumption can give us temporary relief from the emotional distress that we go through. As a result, most of us start using consumption of food as an escape from the emotional burden. Emotional conditions like loneliness, frustration, boredom, depression, anxiety and stress or any kind of emotional problem due to interpersonal relationships and low self-esteem often result in eating disorders and weight gain.

The first and foremost way to curb your eating disorder is to know what triggers your eating. If you can identify the reason, then you can easily find other ways to manage your emotional problems and regulate the intake of food.

How to identify eating triggers?

Emotions and situations that trigger our eating fall into five categories:

-          Emotional: Eating in order to suppress boredom, tension, stress, fatigue, anger, depression or loneliness.

-          Physiological: Excessive eating also takes place due to physical cues. You may experience increased hunger due to skipping of meals, to treat headaches or pain.

-          Situational: You may tend to overeat because the opportunity is there to eat. Eating is also associated with going to movies, watching TV and other activities.

-          Social: Eating due to encouragement from others or feeling uncomfortable in social situations.

-          Thoughts: Indulging in excessive eating due to negative self worth or as a form of self-punishment.

 

How can you break yourself from the habit?

The first thing you need to do is to identify what triggers you to overeat. But this alone cannot help you change your eating behavior. You also need to break the habit of excessive eating caused by emotional distress or uncomfortable situations. To do this, you need to develop alternatives to eating. Whenever you feel like eating as a means of coping, you choose other activities: like reading a book or magazine, do deep breathing exercises, go for a long walk or jog, talk to a friend, play cards or do housework.

There are times when simple distractions alone will not do any good. If you feel that the alternatives are not effective enough to suppress emotional distress then you may have to try a more powerful method like meditation, relaxation exercises, hypnotherapy or counseling. These methods help you to detect the emotional problems and teach you how to cope with them in healthy and effective ways. As you successfully incorporate the coping strategies in dealing with your eating disorders, reward yourself with a massage or any other self-loving activity. This will motivate you to carry on with your goals.

How are obesity and depression related?

It is very common that obesity and depression go hand in hand. People who are depressed can become obese over time as they focus more and more on eating as a way to comfort them self. The connection between depression and obesity works on two levels. On the first level, people suffering from depression actually become obese. This happens because a depressed person often uses food to escape from uncomfortable feelings. The longer the person is depressed, the more this behavior becomes a problem leading to excessive weight gain. Alternately, obese people tend to feel depressed because of their weight issues. 

How obesity affects emotional and mental health?

Being overweight or obese affects a person emotionally in different ways. According to recent obesity related research, the mental health effects of obesity are as intense as the physical effects. Mental and emotional health issues include low self-esteem, social discrimination and even suicidal ideation. Recent researches have proven that overweight people tend to suffer more mentally than underweight people.

Obese people are often misjudged or mistreated in the society. They are seen as lazy and lacking in will-power or even incapable of taking care of themselves. These factors increase their chances of becoming depressed. It is also believed that obese people are less likely to attend college or pursue advancement opportunities. According to research conducted by the University of Texas at Austin, obese youngsters, women are half as likely to attend college as their slim counterparts. It was also proven that the emotional effects of obesity in females are stronger than males. This is mainly because of society’s pressure on women to look a certain way. The feeling of distress for being overweight not only affects their self-esteem but also their achievement.

What are the emotional effects of childhood obesity?

Emotional effects of obesity are more intense in children than in adults. A study about Childhood Obesity and Self Esteem published in Pediatrics Magazine says girls between the age of 13 and 14, who are obese are more likely to suffer from low self-esteem and carry over the feeling to adulthood. Regardless of gender, overweight children who suffer emotionally throughout their childhood can develop deep rooted insecurities as adults.

In these cases, you as a parent can play a big role in helping your child cope with the problem of obesity and the emotional distress that he/she might be experiencing.

Chapter 9

Hypnosis is a powerful therapeutic method which helps people achieve their weight loss goals with greater ease and effectiveness.  Hypnosis can assist clients in using the power of the mind to change behaviors and self perception.

In hypnosis, people are encouraged to unleash a new communication channel with the body and mind through the mind. A professional hypnotherapist will guide the client into a state of concentration as well as mental and physical relaxation. In this state, the client is highly suggestible and imaginative powers are strongly at work.

In hypnosis, the subconscious mind becomes strongly amenable to positive suggestions for altering eating habits, incorporating exercise and other habits that promote self-care.

A person can reach this highly sensitive state of suggestibility in any setting with the help of a hypnotist. Positive suggestions are given, as well as visualization exercises which create a new positive self image. Within a short period of time, the suggested messages expend the subconscious to make positive permanent changes. It is this development that facilitates the person in re-orienting his/her eating habits, exercise regimen, body image and overall self image. The client is then further educated in ways to utilize the power of hypnosis in concentrating on his/her goals and the new improved self image.

Hypnosis is a useful mechanism for deciphering the emotional factors laden in the unconscious mind that lead a person to eat more than required. Unhealthy eating choices are generally made when a person is anxious, bored, stressed or depressed. When these emotional factors are identified, hypnosis is brought in to replace them with affirmative motivators to help the person make better and healthier choices under stress.

When hypnosis is combined with a behavioral weight management treatment plan, it turns out to be a very effectual way for attaining weight loss. Nonetheless, there are many other variables at work which determine the success or failure of the program. A particular hypnotic program, for instance, should be customized to suit the needs and requirements of that individual.

The most serious challenge in weight loss is retaining it permanently. However, a client undergoing hypnotherapy learns that he/she can overcome inner anxieties and emotions with the help of certain tools. Some of these tools are emotion regulation skills, motivational skills, self-control skills besides awareness about diet, exercise and nutrition. It is generally held that successful hypnotherapy for weight loss must include strengthening a client's sense of worth and confidence.

All in all, hypnosis deserves serious consideration as a helpful means for weight loss. When it is combined with other forms of treatment like psychotherapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, group counseling and support, dieting, exercise and other educational programs, even challenging cases of obesity can be overcome.

What is most alluring about the hypnotic mechanism to lose weight is that it precludes the necessity to consume pills. Crash dieting and popping weight loss pills may be speedy ways to achieve weight loss but they are neither healthy nor safe. Moreover, there is no guarantee that they would have long-lasting effects.

Obesity is increasingly becoming a serious health concern, especially in the USA. Recent data from the National Center for Health Statistics reveals that 30% of American adults 20 years of age or over are obese. This means that more than 60 million Americans are overweight. The trend of young population coming under the grips of obesity is a disturbing one. The condition of obesity or being overweight makes one vulnerable to many diseases and health conditions as we already know.

One question that might be asked is whether hypnosis works for everyone. Professor at Yale University and ABC medical contributor Dr. David Katz has clarified that hypnosis is not a definitive solution to weight loss or weight control. Dr. Katz has highlighted the positive and indispensable role of exercise and nutrition. This fact is important to consider when choosing hypnotherapy to achieve your weight loss goals. You must be willing to make some life style changes. Expecting to lose weight without changing dietary habits and/or exercise is unrealistic.

Hypnosis is a state in which the consciousness is momentarily altered and in full concentration. According to a study by Stanford University, around 15% of the country’s population is strongly hypnotizable and about 10 to 15 % are not hypnotized at all. Since normal faculties are at abeyance in hypnotized state, it is important that the practitioner is reliable and competent and has worthy credentials. Hypnotherapy can also help migraines, sleep disorders, anxieties, depression, nausea and ulcers. Some of these issues are common amongst people with weight challenges.

As a branch of psychotherapy, hypnotherapy holds immense potential. It can be gainfully implemented to treat ailments like insomnia, tension headaches, asthma, weight loss, phobias and addictions. When the hypnotherapist works with a person, they invite the client to open their mind and receive the positive suggestions. These suggestions are embedded in the subconscious of the client’s mind and the altered behaviors and thought process helps the client make necessary changes.

Laypersons have often wondered how hypnosis works and imagined that it treats weight loss completely by preventing clients from doing certain things through suggestions when they are asleep. When they wake up, they find that they have lost weight. However, this is not true. A hypnotherapist employs relaxation techniques to let the client achieve a relaxed state. The client may resist attempts to relax and this will impede the process. Treatment through hypnosis can only begin once the client is completely relaxed and open to receive suggestions that will help eliminate his/her problem. This may also involve visualization techniques to help the client enter the mind framework where they see themselves as successfully working on weight loss habits like dieting and exercising.

It is good to take all the necessary steps to remain in shape and stay fit. It is not only good for your health but the mind as well. There is no doubt that a fit body and mind is indispensable for having a strong and confident personality. But obese individuals often become pessimistic and lose hope when they see the common weight loss programs failing them. Hypnosis, on the other hand, helps the client believe that they can and will be successful at the beginning of the process so that they proceeds with a positive frame of mind.

The advantages and drawbacks of using hypnosis for losing weight

Hypnotherapy comes with its own set of benefits and drawbacks. It might be more suitable for some than others. Therefore, prospective clients must take due note of these before pursuing hypnotherapy to achieve their weight loss goals.

Advantages of Hypnosis

The non-invasive nature of hypnosis is possibly hypnotherapy’s greatest merit. Unlike other methods, it is completely safe for the individual’s health and does not have any side effects if done under a skilled hypnotherapist.

Hypnotherapy understands that different clients have differing needs and requirements. It is not a one size fits all approach. The hypnotherapy sessions are personalized in order to cater to the particular needs of the client and negotiate the cause of the ailment head-on. Hypnosis goes to the subconscious and unearths the real cause, which is often the cause for significant transformation. However, it will not miraculously make someone thin. It works by helping the client make positive permanent life style changes.

Hypnosis has been found to work and result in success where many mainstream treatments have failed.

Hypnotherapy helps the client by altering their conditioned responses to specific situations. It can assist a person in altering old habits and behaviors to improve their life, and it can be usefully employed to eliminate problems like anxiety, addiction, insomnia, phobias, grief, irrational anger and obsessive compulsive behaviors.

If done properly, hypnosis has the potential to be the most reflective form of healing. Usually, clients going through hypnosis become fully cognizant with the deeper recesses of their own mind. Self-hypnosis educates a client in self-acceptance beyond any other healing or therapeutic method.

Disadvantages of Hypnosis

There is no proper statutory regulation functional in this profession. Clients are thus highly vulnerable to the danger of being duped by a fraudulent unprofessional. Therefore, defenseless clients ailing from post-traumatic stress, epilepsy and serious psychological disorders for instance borderline psychosis, split personality and even depression should refrain from going for hypnotherapy.

Hypnotherapy does not guarantee results to everyone. Many people also show reluctance in undergoing hypnotherapy because they are not comfortable with the idea of losing control of their consciousness and being submissive to the other person i.e. the hypnotist. A long standing misconception is that clients who are very logical, skeptical and reserved in nature would not be easy to hypnotize. However, E&P testing enables the hypnotherapist to work with highly analytically people just as effectively as any other naturally suggestible person. The technique is slightly different, but it is a misconception that analytical people cannot receive the same benefits.

It can be more difficult than it seems to find a qualified hypnotherapist. Professional credentials can be awarded for a weekend long course. The lack of skills typically results in little to no significant changes.

Staying Safe

With due consideration to the benefits and drawbacks of hypnotherapy, it can be concluded that any person willing to undergo hypnotherapy should exercise precaution in finding a qualified hypnotherapist. A genuine hypnotherapist should be able to produce valid credentials.

Chapter 10

When a person is able to hypnotize herself or himself, it is described as self-hypnosis. Self-hypnosis can be done without introducing a hypnotist. Self-hypnosis can be practiced with the help of audio tapes, books, magazines and receiving training from professional hypnotists. Most of the professional practitioners contend that hypnosis can be carried on one’s own self through continuous practice.

Self hypnosis often takes place unconsciously: what requires repeated effort and practice is the ability to control the act. It must be remembered that hypnosis is a highly complicated procedure and learning to hypnotize one’s own self may not be as easy as it appears to be. A person must not sleep during hypnosis and be in full awareness of what he/she is doing. This calls for a great deal of resolve and self-control.

A lot many people have likened self-hypnosis to placebo effect but the debate continues. Self hypnosis can be learned successfully by listening to audio tapes, practicing the correct methods and procedures and training under a qualified hypnosis practitioner.

It is important for the self-hypnotizer to bear in mind that he/she must not exceed his/her emotional limits as it may disturb the mind. Beginners must begin and learn with caution and refrain from making dangerous mistakes. It is apparent that beginners will gain confidence by learning under a practiced hypnotist.

 

Several people have adopted self hypnosis methods to initiate positive changes and improvements in their lives. They have benefited from self hypnosis. But it is important to warn here again that self-hypnosis can be unsafe if appropriate safety measures are not taken. It is best advised that you do not attempt self-hypnosis if you feel emotionally unstable.

So it must be evident by now what the answer to our question asked in the beginning is: self-hypnosis is not just good enough but perfectly acceptable. Self-hypnosis can be done frequently and in the convenience of your own home. But learning self-hypnosis takes time and the person should be able to exercise self-control as well. On the other hand, visiting a hypnosis practitioner is acceptable in the sense that there would not be any scope for mistakes that beginners can possibly make when hypnotizing themselves. Additionally, a professional has vastly more knowledge and techniques to enhance the results.

There is a lot of myth and predetermined ideas and opinions revolving hypnosis and it goes without saying that most of this is false. One can take a short survey to find out what people in general feel about hypnosis. It would reveal that hypnosis is understood as some form of magic or supernatural activity. These understandings of hypnosis are fanned by the media which likens hypnosis to the kind done on stages for entertainment purposes. But it would be a mistake to form one’s own opinion about hypnosis in general solely on the basis of what one has seen on entertainment shows. Clinical hypnosis has been acknowledged and used by several medical practitioners for therapeutic purposes as well as personal growth and development. It has been utilized successfully as an alternative therapy in several medical establishments all through the world.

 

Chapter 11

Hypnotherapy can be of considerable help to clients undergoing medical treatments and operations. It can be integrated with psychotherapy to support individually the personal adjustments facing every person. It is also used successfully to help clients with weight loss, smoking cessation, self-confidence, and vocational/avocational self-improvement.

The process followed by a hypnotherapist to work with a client encompasses a series of stages.

The first session of hypnotherapy typically involves a slightly longer interaction between the hypnotherapist and his/her client. This meeting is critical because here the hypnotist is attempting to know the client thoroughly. This requires building a personal relationship and establishing what the purpose of the therapy is going to be. The therapist may ask a series of questions in order to become familiarized with the client’s history. He/she will study these details to identify the cause of the client’s problem and how to best resolve it. The hypnotherapist will explain the entire process of hypnosis to the client. It is important that the client knows what and what not to expect in the session. The client will also take a suggestibility test to determine the most effective way to work with them.

A session of hypnosis usually lasts between 30 minutes and an hour. The session begins with cognitive discussion that involves questions like “How are you feeling?” or “How's your week been?” One must realize that hypnotherapy is a highly organic procedure - the pace and content of the session cannot be predetermined. Much of the progress of the session depends on the moods and motivations of the client. Nonetheless, a cognitive discussion usually lasts up to 20-30 minutes and is then followed by hypnosis of 20-30 minutes duration.

The hypnotherapist will ask the client what their goals are for the session, what they want to achieve, and what challenges they face. The therapist will try to detect factors like psychological issues, psychosis or any serious medical issue which requires attention and which is off limits to a hypnotherapist. A good therapist will communicate compassion and understanding to ensure you are comfortable being completely honest.

In hypnotherapy, the therapist may or may not refer a script. A script normally contains pre-written suggestions to be given to a client.

The process of transition from full conscious awareness into hypnotic trance is described as the induction stage of hypnosis. One has to be induced with or without the help of hypnotherapist to enter hypnotic state. Induction requires the client to feel completely relaxed and have focus and concentration. When the brain concentrates single-mindedly, the conscious mind becomes exhausted, the outside world effaces gradually and the subconscious becomes active. This is the transition in which the client is moves from conscious state into hypnosis.

Once a client enters light hypnotic state, it is deepened by intensifying concentration and enhancing relaxation. As the conscious critical mind shuts down, the brain goes gradually into hypnosis to let the subconscious mind take over. Deepening techniques are used to let the brain get more and more focused, relaxed and go deeper into trance. Levels of trance often fluctuate during hypnosis. A medium depth has been found to be effective for cases like weight loss. 

When a person is in hypnosis, his/her body is completely relaxed and their mind is focused. The subconscious cannot discriminate between reality and fantasy and the mind becomes highly suggestible. Since the critical part of the brain is inactive, the brain accepts suggestions unquestionably. At this juncture, positive suggestions will also be received without interruption from conscious mind and get embedded into the subconscious to facilitate changes in habits accordingly.

This is followed by the stage of post hypnotic suggestion. Post hypnotic suggestions are given to a client whilst they are in hypnosis to effect a change once they come out of hypnosis. A posthypnotic suggestion given at the proper time and context can efface a negative memory and replace it with a positive one that will help overcome a problem a client had been facing. This could be the ability to speak in front of a huge audience, imbibe healthy eating habits, exercise regularly to keep fit, or quit smoking.

The last stage of hypnosis is when the client wakes up from the trance. Many people wonder anxiously whether they would be able to wake from the trance or not. However, their fears and inhibitions are unwarranted. One will wake up from hypnosis as naturally as one wakes up from sleep.

Hypnotherapy, or medical hypnosis, has slowly found its rightful place in conventional medicine. Mainstream medicine practitioners have begun to acknowledge that hypnotherapy has lot to offer and that it can be combined successfully with other remedial procedures to facilitate positive outcomes. Since it is competent to address the inner recesses of the mind, it can deal with a broad range of psychological, emotional and physical health issues.

What does the client experience?

People have a very vague idea about what to expect and what the experience is going to be like during and after hypnosis. Many of them start worrying that they would lose self-control and have to deal with difficult thoughts and feelings. These worries often leave them anxious. People often come for hypnotherapy when everything else has failed and they are desperate for a remedy.

With each subsequent session, however, these anxieties subside. In some cases hypnosis will reveals past memories which seem to indicate the cause of the client’s behaviors. This whole process facilitates a comprehensive understanding of one’s body and soul and making necessary amendments for its well-being. It reveals the inner fears and inhibitions and helps overcome them in a relaxing manner. Hypnosis can usher positive changes in our lives only if we allow it to. Instead of being anxious and apprehensive, clients must feel motivated and eager to go ahead with hypnosis for healing purposes.

The physical experience during hypnosis varies from person to person. Some feel that their body or limbs have become heavy while others feel so light they think they are floating. But more or less all clients experience a highly relaxed physical state when they are in hypnosis.

Clients might also experience Rapid Eye Movement (REM). We all go through this naturally-occurring stage at night as we fall asleep. A hypnotized person usually looks like they are asleep - their eyes are closed and they breathe slowly. It is important to note that hypnosis is not sleep! Hypnosis is a heightened state of learning and it is important that the client does not fall asleep. Some people’s conscious minds do not stop thinking even while they are in the hypnotized state. This can cause a person to mistakenly think they are not hypnotized.

It is not necessary for everyone to feel the same during hypnosis. Everyone is unique and that’s why their psychological experience with hypnosis will be unique as well.

What to expect

A session usually begins with a thorough conversation between the client and the hypnotherapist. The hypnotherapist needs this in order to have a full appraisal of the client’s situation and its implications. The therapist does this to identify what techniques will be most effective to achieve the desired outcome.

Following this conversation, the hypnotist may give a few suggestibility tests to assess how suggestible the client is. The test is given to find out the best way to hypnotize a client so there are no correct or incorrect answers. In most cases, this only occurs in the first session.

Hypnotherapy usually lasts for 6 to 8 sessions. Many people are utilizing hypnosis for greater advancement in their career and life success, making hypnotherapy an ongoing process.

 

Chapter 12

Hypnosis is a process in which a person achieves a state of highly focused attention, the conscious is bypassed and the subconscious becomes open to receive suggestions. It has been often argued that hypnosis can be employed in treating ailments. But how does hypnosis work?

An important development in the study of hypnosis has revealed that the power of hypnosis resides potentially in the client. This implies that the client has enormous potential within himself/herself to treat the illness he/she is ailing from. Contemporary hypnosis aims to help clients utilize this very potential at the subconscious level to eliminate their ailments.

Hypnosis for treating ailments is significantly different from stage hypnosis. Unlike stage hypnotists, hypnotherapists treating clients with specific disorders cannot choose subjects by gauging who would be able to be hypnotized most easily or who would be highly susceptible to suggestions. There is adequate evidence from research that efforts to heal by specific command and instruction are more likely to end up in failure due to underlying complexities in many clients that have not been taken note of. With the utilization of different methods while in therapy, clients achieve greater levels of success with treatment.

Hypnosis has the strong potential to bring positive changes in clients even in the most challenging cases. The desired changes may reveal themselves instantly or in some unanticipated advantageous ways. It is deeply unfortunate, both for clients as well as physicians, that hypnosis’s role as a therapeutic model has been highly underestimated until now. Moreover, there are certain parahypnotic techniques which are easy to learn and utilize in practice on a daily basis.

Criticism

Hypnosis is mainly criticized on the ground that it does not have the backing of research evidences. There is still not any definitive evidence of guaranteed results. Each client reacts differently to hypnosis which is why it becomes difficult to ascertain any conclusive statement. Furthermore, many people only receive one or two sessions, which in many cases will produce limited results compared to six to eight sessions (depending upon the goal).

Hypnotherapy was earlier associated with spirituality and mysticism and this association has earned it many detractors. People tend to discredit hypnotherapy because of its dubious origins. However, it must also be submitted that mainstream medicinal practice cannot boast of a clean history either - there was a time when clients’ bodies were pierced to let blood drain in order to let go of the illness.

Hypnotherapy, or clinical-hypnosis is often thought to be like the hypnosis done on stages for entertainment purposes but this is not so. So the criticism that hypnosis makes clients behave in strange ways is unwarranted because it treats clinical hypnosis on the same level as stage hypnosis.

Some of the criticisms leveled against hypnotherapy may not be unwarranted but most are. Therefore, one must go for hypnotherapy only if one believes in it and is motivated enough to give it a try for his/her own well-being. However, it deserves to be reiterated that a hypnosis session should only be conducted by a qualified practitioner.

Advantages

Hypnotherapy has the potential to deliver when everything else fails. When an illness cannot be treated through mainstream medicinal practice or the client is showing adverse reaction to excessive medication, then hypnotherapy can help. What sets hypnotherapy apart from conventional medicine is that it deals with ailments by gaining direct access to the inner consciousness of the client. It addresses the subconscious to detect emotional factors causing the health disorder. This alternative medicine therapy is often teamed up with other conventional therapies to get desirable results.

Hypnosis is highly beneficial in controlling pain, anxiety and addictions. The affirmative post-hypnotic suggestions help clients correct their eating and living habits to live a healthier lifestyle. Hypnosis also helps in alleviating the pain and nausea caused by chemotherapy and other surgeries as well as controlling asthma and other such bodily ailments.

Hypnosis is actually a way of increasing a client’s control and teaches them to regulate their body’s sensations and functions. Hypnosis works by helping the client enter a relaxed state and lower their heart rate, metabolism and breathing temporarily. The brain waves become altered and the mind becomes amenable to suggestions. It exercises control over body processes that are otherwise uncontrolled.

There is evidence to support that hypnosis is able to treat stress, addictions, headaches, lose weight, and achieve positive self-image. It can also help to cope with stress and anxiety related to complicated surgeries and treatments like chemotherapy. People have also benefited from hypnosis in the field of sports and other careers by showing better performance. All in all, hypnosis helps clients bring out the best in themselves in a non-invasive way and incorporate new and healthy lifestyles for complete well-being.

References

 

The Skeptic's Dictionary: www.skepdic.com

Wikipedia: wikipedia.org

Stanford Hospitals & Clinics: stanfordhospital.org

Mayo Clinic: www.mayoclinic.com

Northern County Psychiatric Associates: www.ncpamd.com

Anton Hout: www.overcomebullying.org

Works of Dr. Bruce Eimer: hypnosishelpcenter.net

ABC News - Good Morning America: Hypnosis Can Help Shed Weight Without Pill Popping (September 17, 2005)

The Wesland Institute Blog: weslandinstitute.com/blog

altMD, LLC: www.altmd.com

Works of Gérard V. Sunnen, M.D: www.triroc.com/sunnen/topics/cancer.hypnosis.htm

Works of Juliet Enerson: www.julietemerson.co.uk

The Permanente Journal: Medical Hypnosis: An Underutilized Treatment Approach by Brian Alman, PhD - http://xnet.kp.org/permanentejournal/Fall01/hypnosis.html

Works of Dr. Frank Valente: hypnoticadvancements.com

 

Additional Resources:

Losing Weight Through Hypnosis Weight Loss Audio Program

Work One-on-One with me (Alicia D. Cramer C.Ht.) - Weight Loss Breakthrough Coaching & Hypnotherapy