To lose weight, you have to learn to change your eating habits. And hypnosis can help you change your behavior! Dr. Jean-Marc Benhaiem, hypnotherapist and head of training in medical hypnosis, reveals the secrets of a method that seems very effective. When the pendulum tips the balance in the right direction…
Summary
Doctissimo: How can hypnosis actually help you lose weight?
How do you practice during your sessions to change these bad habits?
What is the success rate of this method?
Besides the relationship to food, do you work on self-image?
You were talking about anorexia and bulimia. Is hypnosis effective against these eating disorders?
Besides weight problems, who is medical hypnosis for?
Besides weight problems, who is medical hypnosis for?
Doctissimo: How can hypnosis actually help you lose weight?
Dr. Benhaiem: Through hypnosis , we can change the behavior and the relationship a person has with their diet . For example, if she sees sweets as a form of reward, she won’t be able to do without them without feeling it as a punishment. In order for her to lose weight, this perception will have to be changed. Similarly, if a person finds vegetables too sad, alcohol cheerful, or thinks that one must eat a lot to show that one has health, these behaviors must be changed.
How do you practice during your sessions to change these bad habits?
First, several interviews make it possible to identify the patient’s position with regard to hypnosis : in general, in two sessions, we can determine if he is sensitive to this approach. Because while everyone can benefit from hypnosis, some are not ready for change . For example, they do not have enough support around them, or consider the questioning of their way of life too important. Then we begin the therapy in groups of 2 to 4 people , in which everyone intervenes and can discuss their problems . The hypnosis sessions then begin, I then take up what was said during the suggestion.
What is the success rate of this method?
Changing eating behavior is difficult. All the more so when there is permanent undermining, whether it comes from advertising, parents, friends… Because you have to fight against the pressure of society and family ! Faced with these pressures, some resist and others crack. Overall, 20% of people lose weight in a stable way, 20% are influenced by their environment and manage their eating habits more or less well. Others fail to change their behavior. But by comparison, this undermining is less important for tobacco, and it is thus easier to quit smoking than to lose weight ! On the packets of sweets and cakes, it should be indicated “Risk ofhypercholesterolemia !
Besides the relationship to food, do you work on self-image?
We have obese, anorexic , bulimic patients … so we often have to work on self-image . What I tell them is that they don’t have to love the fat under their skin, but they have to love their body , and they don’t have to punish it . They are asked to feel affection for their physique, even if it means expelling the extra pounds. Because you can only really change your behavior if you first reconcile with yourself .
You were talking about anorexia and bulimia. Is hypnosis effective against these eating disorders?
Anorexia and bulimia are disorders that are more difficult to treat , because they involve deep problems of self-image , relationship with parents… If the disorder is very recent, we can intervene with hypnosis. On the other hand, if the problem has been present for many years, and it threatens the vital prognosis, full care, possibly with hospitalization is essential.
Besides weight problems, who is medical hypnosis for?
Medical hypnosis can treat many problems . Addiction to food, tobacco or alcohol. We can intervene on chronic pain, migraines … We also see depressions , phobias … We also treat children and even students who lack self-confidence before an exam. But each therapist has their orientations and preferences, depending on their training.
