Everyone understands that to achieve optimum weight and maintain it we need to eat less and exercise more, right? It sounds so simple, and, in fact, it IS simple; just an uncomplicated, easy-to-comprehend formula: eat less and exercise more. So why is something so theoretically simple often so difficult to put into practice? Why, time and again, do we set reasonable goals for ourselves, only to find our resolve crumbling, our motivation dwindling and our desire to enjoy a lean, trim and healthy body being thwarted? Why do our best intentions seem to “self-destruct?”

The answer to these questions lies in the subconscious aspect of our own minds. The source of all the behaviors we experience at the conscious level, in other words, the very fabric of our lives, has its origins in the subconscious, and it is especially important with issues of weight and body awareness to look deeply into that source and discover why a premise that is apparently so simple as “eat less and exercise more” becomes so exceedingly difficult when we put it into practice.

Sometimes even the most trivial-seeming incident from our childhood has made an indelible impression at the subconscious level that is even now having direct impact on our inability to master our weight. For instance, if we were urged to “clean our plate” at the age of five, we may still find ourselves doing just that as adults, and not even know why we do it. Perhaps we endured hardships or some form of abuse as children and we learned to comfort ourselves with food. If so, we may be continuing to use this type of comfort, even after the hardship or abuse has faded from memory, and we are successful, responsible adults. Most eating patterns, when analyzed, turn out to be nothing more than habits learned in our younger years, and those habits are imbedded at the subconscious level where we are seldom, if ever, aware of their existence.

Not all our wishing, hoping, dieting or good intentions at the conscious level are going to make anything but a temporary difference in our ability to manage our weight, as we can easily see from the frustrating “yo-yo” syndrome, and the abject failure of even the most fashionable diet systems. Even these sometimes-successful plans and weight control systems work only for a limited time and then, inevitably the weight returns. Why? Because these plans don’t - indeed, they CAN’T - help us make permanent changes in the life-long habit patterns that are virtually ruling our lives from the region of the subconscious.

The tremendous value of hypnosis, then, is in its unique ability to give us access to our own subconscious minds and let us actually become aware of the events that have given rise to our habitual behaviors. Knowledge is power. When we know why we are doing something, we become empowered to change it. And here again hypnosis demonstrates its worth by offering the single most efficient way to promote behavioral change - by direct suggestion virtually planted in the fertile ground of the subconscious mind. Embedded there, at our most sensitive and imaginative level, the phrase “I eat less and exercise more” stops being just some good idea that it would be nice to implement but instead becomes a powerful motivating force, integrated into our belief system - a Truth upon which we are inspired to act at the conscious level. The same would prove true of any other wholesome, positive, life-affirming statement, such as, “healthy food satisfies me completely,” or, “I love working out on the StairMaster at the gym!”

As effective and valuable as it is, we want to emphasize that hypnosis is not an “instant fix.” A person using hypnosis to master their weight and body image will still need to do the same things someone not using hypnosis will need to do: consume smaller portions of healthier food; drink more water; participate in activities such as work outs, walking or swimming. The difference is in the subjective perceptions. With hypnosis, that constant warfare between the mind and body is gone; doing the healthy, active, empowering things that assure weight mastery becomes pleasurable, and one begins to look forward to opportunities to make sound, healthful choices, rather than feeling deprived or “victimized” by a stringent diet and exercise regimen. In short, it makes the entire process enjoyable. And, if one’s commitment is genuine and includes positive participation with the therapist, the changes made with hypnosis don’t fade away or wear off with time, but become a permanent part of our client’s awareness; they can, and often do, last a lifetime.

Truly, there is only one weight management plan that will get you to your goal AND allow you to stay there forever - it’s Hypnosis for Weight Mastery.

For more information and to schedule an appointment, please call us at 303.424.2331. At Eastburn Hypnotherapy Center we have your success in mind.