Hypnosis Combined with Behavioral Weight Management - Case Study Example

CASE STUDY In modern times, Clark Leonard Hull was the first person to research hypnotherapy using experimental and scientific methods, and he later published one of his main books Hypnosis and Suggestibility. (Hull 1933) Hypnosis is a natural state where the subconscious (creative) mind can be accessed. In the subconscious mind, a person's memories, beliefs, and habits are stored. If these can be accessed then they can also be modified for the person's benefit. When the conscious mind is resisting a change in a habit, by accessing the subconscious it is possible to instigate those positive changes in a way that feels natural. There are many areas where hypnotherapy works such as weight loss, smoking, emotional and pain management, child birth etc. It has been seen that Weight loss is only second to smoking in the list of reasons people seek out a hypnotherapist. A person becomes overweight because of a set of unhealthy habits that he/she is unable to change consciously. He/She shares some common habits with other overweight people, like eating the non nutritional food, not listening to his/her body, its needs and demands and so on. Many people are trying out Hypnotherapy as an alternative to undergo weight loss. This is because it is non-invasive, and quite safe when done under the supervision of a qualified hypnotherapist. There's no one-fits-all solution. The sessions are adapted to the needs of every patient. Where conventional treatments have failed, this has proved to be both successful and beneficial. It is not one of the popular miracle cures, nor does it promise a magic answer to weight loss. Hypnotherapy helps the patient deal with the reasons he or she is overweight, and the actual work has to be done by the patient. It basically promotes lifestyle changes. If the person is unwilling to learn and change his/her beliefs that make him or her overindulge, any change in weight brought in by dieting is not likely to be permanent. Hypnotherapy deals with the core, the actual processes the mind goes through, and therefore it stays for life. Hypnotherapy is not recommended for people with post-traumatic stress, epilepsy, and serious psychological disorders (such as split personality, borderline psychosis, and depression). This process takes time and needs determination. Many patients undergo hypnotherapy in the hopes of finding a miracle cure and get disappointed when the therapist mentions diet and exercise A number of studies indicate that hypnosis combined with a behavioral weight management program contributes significantly to weight loss. In 1984, Bolocofsky et al. said that "the less a person weighed at the start of the program the more likely he was to lose weight and maintain the reduction". Hypnosis combined with behavioral weight management seems to be more effective for small amounts of weight loss. Canyon Ranch study showed that those who added Imagery to their regular program double their weight loss when compared to control group that did not. We would try to use all this information while planning our treatment in our case study. In our case study, let us first try to construct the screed. It would look something like this: I am a 29 year old single woman with no boyfriends and life is a constant struggle for me. I think I am overweight. I have just been through one failed relationship. My ex-boyfriend was very controlling and made me feel worthless. Though I sometimes feel that I must have done something to deserve it. Now I am afraid to go back to dating circle. My weight problem has been a long one right from my childhood. My parents also found me unattractive and disapproved of my eating too much. I am used to overeating binges whenever I am unhappy and sad. Someone suggested Hypnotherapy and here I am to try it out. Let us assess this screed and examine the issues involved. There is a definite weight problem and because of that there are emotional issues. She is suffering from a false body image. She is unable to shake off her early childhood habits. And because of her failed relationship, she does not seem to have any motivation left to improve her condition. She has serious issues regarding her confidence probably due to her ex boyfriend. And she is used to Binge eating as well. Since child hood , her parents have also found her unattractive and she does not seem to have come out of that phase. Her Treatment has to include both behavioral as well as lifestyle changes. She needs to be motivated to improve her condition and slowly get back her self-esteem. Through Hypnotherapy we should try to change the thoughts and behaviors she currently has surrounding eating and losing weight. The first sessions of the treatment should try to break the cycle of weight gain and start to change the way she thinks, feel and react around food. Her food will need more nutritious value and a planned diet considerations. We have to very slowly turn the things around by giving positive suggestions and then reinforcement of those beliefs. One of the secrets to long-term weight control is sustaining motivation. We will have to schedule sessions at monthly intervals for several months and then stretch out to quarterly hypnosis sessions to ensure long term, lasting success. Treatment will take around 4 to 6 sessions spread out over a 2 to 3 month period. Depending upon the response we can plan more sessions with self esteem as the base. Each session will last for one hour. The sessions will need to be planned in a way that they build up trust and between the therapist and the woman. She should be relaxed while undergoing these sessions. The first thing to focus on would be Relaxation -- By learning to relax and letting go, she can concentrate her mind better and become receptive to new and helpful suggestions. This can be done through an induction phase wherein she is brought into a hypnotic state. There are many techniques that can be used, but the most preferable would be imagery. The patient should be made to imagine herself in a peaceful, safe place, and then she should be guided gently into her specific problem area. This state allows the body and mind to move into a state of complete relaxation and prepares the mind and body to move to the next step of the hypnotic process. Breathing techniques, relaxation and visualization imagery should be used to induce the mind to alter its state of awareness The second point to consider would be Realization – She should be able to realize that some of her difficulties stem from negative thinking and feeling. We would need to help her learn to restructure those negative attitudes and create a more positive outlook and frame of mind. By using a hypnotic trigger we should try to increase the depth of the hypnotic trance state. This trigger can then be used in the normal waking state to achieve the same state of calmness and relaxation that was experienced during hypnosis. This can also be used by her to bring back to the conscious mind any association or suggestion that the unconscious mind has visualized or heard during hypnosis. Next, we should try to establish a much deeper hypnotic trance such that the critical conscious mind fades into the background and the unconscious mind to come into the foreground. This state is associated with a vivid imagination and involvement. When she achieves this state, we should implant positive suggestions in the soil of her subconscious mind. The Repetition is necessary. The more she will repeat something, the more it will become permanently implanted in her mind. She should be encouraged to imagine herself as a person who has overcome her eating problems, has a handsome boyfriend and is happy and successful and attractive. Emotional needs can easily become confused with physical ones. And when physical hunger and emotional hunger begin to feel similar, emotional eating can become a major problem. So, rather than resolving what is making her angry, disappointed or anxious, the signals get crossed and she responds by eating. This needs to be corrected. During her treatment she should be encouraged to recognize the difference between emotional promptings and real healthy hunger pangs. Once this happens she can begin to lose weight instantly and start to have the physical shape that she so strongly desires. Similarly her habit of Binge eating should be controlled. This is not only a lonely and desperate experience, it damages the self esteem, impacts health and causes weight gain However to stop binge eating she will need to be motivated. Stopping binge eating will make her feel so much better. By showing her how stopping binge eating will help her become more attractive, she will need to be motivated. All this can be done by speaking to her unconscious part of the mind, as it is more comfortable and ready to accept more precise language. We should offer both direct and indirect suggestions. We should also encourage the unconscious part of the mind to accept and experience new ideas, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Then she will experience the actual event or events that she is struggling to deal with. This time she will only experience positive sensations, she will see the goal she wants and actually be there. She should be helped to visualize herself as attractive and wanted. At this stage we should introduce the post hypnotic anchors. This will enable her to make an instant connection between the thoughts, feelings, and emotions she will have experienced during the hypnotic state, to the real day-to-day situations she may find herself in later, when in a fully wakeful state. Using a variety of techniques such as deep relaxation, therapeutic language, positive imagery, metaphors, indirect or direct suggestion, and post hypnotic anchors, the unconscious mind is reprogrammed such that it can positively influence the conscious mind in any given situation or series of events. This control will increase her confidence to deal with any kind of situation. Specially, the part where she is still struggling with the image of her ex boyfriend who was a control freak. Possessive control freaks do anything to get their own way, including manipulation  and even outright bullying. They feel they have to dictate every aspect of a person. They are basically stealing the autonomy and independence of that person. This is exactly what has happened to her. The effect is so bad that she feels herself responsible for his attitude. Since this is one of her major problem areas, she has to shake off her negative belief about herself. She has to be brought out of this negative behavior as well. She should be asked to repeat positive suggestions to improve her state of mind. By providing positive reinforcements during her treatment, we should improve her self confidence and self esteem. The Ideomotor responses (IMR's) are the Motor representatives of unconscious activities. They occur naturally and constantly during trance as well as in any other state. They are the manifest relation between ideas and physiodynamic body responses Ideomotor responses reveal the autonomy of the unconscious mind and it is a well known fact that unconscious mind is a most powerful agent in our lives (Erickson, M.H. 1998). In fact, the communication with unconscious processes omits the need to work with the client's conscious. Hence, the suggestions and positive thoughts could be induced in a dissociative and effective way. They are simple basic physical responses. Since such responses arise from unconscious thought processes, they are utilized to tap into the workings of the unconscious mind. The principle on which it is based is very straightforward. Individuals respond to suggestion, and included in the suggestion can be given specific instructions about how to respond at the unconscious level. Thus by providing appropriate suggestions to deal with people like her ex boyfriend, we can try to help her behave in a more confident manner. By using this new information, new suggestions, she will have to rehabilitate her own thinking and incorporate it in her daily life. And by reinforcing these positive thoughts through hypnosis and mental concentration, they should be applied to her daily routine. She should be taught self-hypnosis to further enhance her self-control. References: 1. Allen P. R., 2004, Scripts and Strategies in Hypnotherapy: The Complete Works 2. Bocco, D., 2005,Using Hypnosis for Weight Loss: The Why's and How's 3. Brickman, H., The Thin Book: Hypnotherapy Trance Scripts For Weight Management. 4. Dowd, E., Healy, J. Case Studies In Hypnotherapy. Read More