If you struggle to lose weight or simply want to drop a few pounds, you’ve likely considered a few different strategies. One option that can be appealing to many people—because it may seem to offer a painless and relatively easy solution—is hypnosis. But does hypnosis really work for weight loss? The answer may not be so simple to determine. Some research has shown that hypnosis can be effective in treating obesity, with few downsides. As researchers involved in one study noted, “Hypnotherapy is easy to apply, cheap, and effective; has no potential for side effects and can be applied both alone and in combination with other treatments.” But there are several factors to consider when evaluating the outcome of hypnosis treatment, which can make it tricky to definitively gauge its results.
How weight loss treatment with hypnosis works
When used in a clinical setting as part of a treatment plan for a medical or psychological condition, hypnosis is often referred to as hypnotherapy. It’s important to note that this isn’t hypnosis like you might imagine based on how it is often depicted on television, where people are shown doing silly things such as clucking like a chicken. Instead, hypnotherapy uses guided relaxation to encourage intense, focused concentration where the person blocks out everything around them so they can center all of their attention on the behavior modification suggestions and techniques performed by the therapist. Eli Bliliuos is a certified hypnotist based in New York City who specializes in helping clients lose weight, exercise regularly, and eliminate emotional and binge eating. “In hypnosis, any unhealthy connections to food, like stress, can be eliminated. The mind is programmed to eat only for hunger and survival.”
Hypnosis as part of an overall weight-loss treatment plan
Hypnotherapy seems to work best when it is incorporated into a comprehensive weight-loss strategy. “It can be useful, when combined with other strategies for weight loss to increase the effectiveness,” says Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. “A lot of people use psychological approaches to weight management to help with things like motivation.” Hypnotherapy is often used in conjunction with other forms of treatment, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). Dr. Stanford says, “Motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioral therapy are some really key things that you will see done in that kind of psychological care for patients with obesity, and what you might see is they may complement this with things like hypnosis to improve dysfunctional eating and help with stimulus control.” There is some research that makes a good case for why hypnosis might at least be worth a try. Dr. Stanford cites the 2020 study involving a small group of patients with obesity who underwent a 10-week treatment regimen that included hypnotherapy. “They actually found that body mass index (BMI) did decrease, and they saw improvements in levels of leptin. adiponectin, and irisin [hormones that affect weight and metabolism] in these individuals.”
Choosing the right hypnosis practitioner
One of the most important factors that determine whether hypnosis can be effective for weight loss is the capabilities of the therapist performing the treatment. “There’s some usefulness for this, I just think that most people aren’t well-trained and may take advantage of the fact that people with obesity are often willing to try many things to help them address their weight, without a lot of deep studies on which things could be beneficial for the individual," says Dr. Stanford. If you are considering trying hypnosis for weight loss, do your homework and carefully research the credentials of the therapist or practitioner. Ask about their qualifications and training with this specific form of treatment.
Other forms of treatment may achieve the same functions
Although Dr. Stanford doesn’t personally use hypnosis as part of her typical treatment plan, she does use other forms of treatment that have similar objectives. “It’s not something that I typically recommend in therapy—none of the guidelines that we use for evaluating individuals with obesity incorporate hypnosis, but they do incorporate mindfulness and stress control, for which hypnosis can play a large role. So I see it more as something that can help in that role, helping with impulse control and stimulus control, as opposed to itself, by itself just leading to weight loss.” Stress and trauma are some of the main influencers of unhealthy habits that Bliliuos addresses in his work with clients. “We can also identify what the actual triggers are by exploring past memories," he says. “Overeating due to stress can be a learned habit. If as children we see our parents eating mindlessly after a hard day, we can accept this as normal. In hypnosis, we can identify these memories and help clients let them go or reframe them.” Dr. Stanford says the pivotal catalysts that help people achieve the most success with weight loss positively impact mindset and stress management—and you can pursue those results through whatever forms of treatment that work best for you, whether that’s hypnosis or other options. “Hypnosis by itself has not been proven to show major weight shifts that are sustainable over the long course for most individuals,” says Dr. Stanford. “But I think practicing mindfulness, calmness, and reducing anxiety and stress are cornerstones of addressing the chronic disease of obesity. And for some people that might be gleaned through the use of hypnosis.” Next up: Find Out How to Use Walking to Get In the Best Shape Ever
Sources
Eli Bliliuos, certified hypnotist based in New York CityErşan S, Erşan EE. Effects of Hypnotherapy on Weight Loss and thus on Serum Leptin, Adiponectin, and Irisin Levels in Obese Patients. J Altern Complement Med. 2020 Nov;26(11):1047-1054. doi: 10.1089/acm.2020.0104. Epub 2020 Jul 21. PMID: 32716207.Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Massachusetts General HospitalHypnotherapy. Cleveland Clinic. Accessed 12/09/2021Nurul Afiedia Roslim, Aryati Ahmad, Mardiana Mansor, Myat Moe Thwe Aung, Farrahdilla Hamzah, Haszalina Hassan, Pei Lin Lua, “Hypnotherapy for overweight and obese patients: A narrative review.” Journal of Integrative Medicine, Volume 19, Issue 1, 2021.
