This section refers to people who are overweight due to unhealthy eating patterns. If your weight issues are due to health problems, such as diabetes or an over/under active thyroid, then it is essential that you discuss your diet with your doctor before making any changes. Indeed it is always wise to have a health check for any underlying medical conditions before changing your diet.

It should also be noted that hypnotherapy can help with eating problems such as anorexia nervosa, binge eating or bulimia nervosa but these are not dealt with in this section. Please contact me if you want to discuss being helped to relieve those conditions.

How can hypnotherapy help you lose weight?

There are various ways in which hypnotherapy can help you to lose weight and none of them involve scales or dieting. In fact it is well recognised that dieting is usually unsuccessful in the long term with dieters putting back on not only the weight that they have lost but a few pounds on top of that.

The only way to lose weight and maintain the weight loss safely is to eat a healthy diet with the right balance of nutrients for your body.

I am not a nutritionist and do not give advice on what food to eat but I can help you to replace unhealthy, high fat, high calorie foods with healthier options.

Why we overeat

My approach to overeating involves looking at the reason we overeat.

There can be an instinctive drive to eat just because food is available. In terms of survival, many years ago (and currently in some areas of the world) we were very dependent on locally grown food and if the harvest failed, we could face starvation. We also had difficulty in keeping food over a period of time without it going bad and potentially making us eat. It therefore makes sense that we would eat well during times of plenty and store the excess energy in the form of fat on our bodies. That instinctive urge is still active in many of us, despite the fact that in our Western society food is always available. The fact that it is potentially an instinctive urge is not an excuse to do nothing about it. Humans have the intellectual capacity to control their behaviour and adapt to the current situation.

People often “comfort” eat, that can be to alleviate boredom or to avoid dealing with uncomfortable emotions.  We learn as babies to associate being fed with being comfort and attention. We also learn to associate food as a reward or a distraction. My aim is to help you to learn to see food for what it as – a fuel for your body and in some cases, to  learn to find more appropriate ways to deal with the feelings which are behind the drive to overeat.

In today’s busy world we often eating without even being aware of it. The chocolate biscuit is gone before we have sat down with the cup of tea, so we have to have another one.

Whatever the reason for an unhealthy eating pattern, the aim is to help the client to

• recognise hunger and only eat when hungry
• be conscious of eating
• eat more slowly, paying attention to eating

Groupwork

I have found that some people work well in groups when looking at their issues regarding their eating habits while others prefer working on a one-to-one basis. Indeed some people start in the group and then want to go onto working on specific issues one-to-one. I offer both approaches.

Working in a group allows people to share their experiences and often people realise that they share similar difficulties in their relationship with food. They can gain support and understanding from the others in the group. 

In group work it is important to share only that which you are comfortable to share with others and it is often advantageous to come along on your own rather than with a friend, unless you are absolutely comfortable with discussing your viewpoint in front of that friend. I often find that people with weight issues are uncomfortable with expressing their views in front of others, particularly those they socialise with outwith the group setting.

There is no weigh-in and no formal advice on what to eat, as most people who come along have already tried many diets and are aware of the calorie and fat content of all kinds of food. We will look at what it may be which triggers you to eat more than your body requires. Each session also involves a session of hypnotic relaxation related to the work being covered in that session.

While group work can be very helpful to many people, the work covered is a more general approach. Working on a one-to-one basis allows me to tailor the sessions particularly to your individual needs.

I want to lose weight how do I sign up?

The course consists of  8 weekly sessions  from 7.00 – 9.00pm and take place in the the Hawthorn Health Clinic, 318 Gilmerton Road, Edinburgh. The cost for the course is £95.00, which includes materials, a book and CD. To find out more about booking use our enquiry form or call 0131 664 3633.

Individual sessions are available at the Hawthorn Health Clinic at a cost of £50 per session. You should allow approximately one and a half hours for the first session and approximately one hour for subsequent sessions. It is difficult to say how many sessions will be required but you should be prepared for a minimum of 3 sessions. To find out more about booking use our enquiry form or call 0131 664 3633.