Weight Loss and Hypnosis
Quick review of a weight loss case study: Female, 45 years old. Goal: lose 30 pounds in 6 months with hypnosis.

Client S. came in to discuss an acceptable plan for her weight loss program. Her primary complaint was that her outfits are no longer fitting as nicely as they used to. She also feared that she had less control over her eating patterns and frequently resorted to comfort eating. Her goal was to lose 30 pounds in the shortest, possible time and to keep it off for the rest of her life.

After we assessed her eating patterns, emotional comfort eating, eating-out habits and her exercise schedule, we negotiated a plan that would assist her in making better choices throughout the day.
The first item on our agenda was a relaxation and breathing technique. I pointed out that meditation and relaxation techniques are wonderful tools to adopt in her daily regimen. These tools assist in relieving symptoms of a wide variety of conditions as well as lowering anxiety levels. I made her aware that most people dealing with food issues such as comfort eating or overeating would benefit greatly from relaxation techniques.

A simple technique that I introduced to her was inhale, two, three, four, hold, two, three, four and exhale, two, three, four, rest, two, three, four. This little tool became her daily relaxation exercise. An immediate meditation state was induced whenever she wanted to calm down and get centered.
At our next session I introduced S. to a deepening technique that allowed her to enter an altered state of consciousness – a state of hypnosis. S. gently entered the state in which we could begin to reframe some of her emotional attachments to food. I decided that guided imagery would benefit her the most and guided her into her special place, her meadow. After a few sessions she was very adept in creating the safe place and entering a deep calm.

S. needed to reduce the anxiety level that surrounded her comfort eating. Her inner space became her new safety net. Each and every time, a feeling of stress arose she resorted to breathing deeply rather than comfort food. Her inner space became her safe and nurturing source in which she learned to explore new directions for her life.

This is the time that the sessions for weight loss became center stage. S. began to create her new body image in conjunction with weight loss. Through her mind’s eye, I had her visualize losing five pounds at a time. While S. was slimming down her emotional state became more grounded, thus the body image was repaired. S. learned to feel comfortable with her new body and also the weight loss.
During each session, we looked at the food intake, exercise plan and relaxation techniques that she practice at home daily. Every five pounds S. rewarded herself with a new small gift or a massage. The incentives gave her additional merit to enjoy the slimming down process. Connecting body and mind holistically helped her achieve the end-result image of weight loss.

To identify with a concise, clear picture of the new and slimmer self, assisted S. to reach her goal. Part of the weight loss projections allow for an indirect motivational behavior that assist in losing weight with ease. In this case study S. sculpted her body into an image that was acceptable to her.
During our work together S. achieved her goal of loosing thirty-five pounds over a period of five months. Her new lifestyle became a way of life.

© 2007, Marianne Zaugg, DCH, PhD
Hypnosis Coaching Solutions

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