For those that are persistently underweight or overweight, food can be an all-consuming burden. How much to take in and how much to burn off becomes more complex when a client’s psychogenic state is put into the mix. How does emotional injury or a negative belief system affect one’s pattern of weight gain or loss?

Leslie A. Graff, principal hypnotist at Graff Hypnotherapy Clinic, LLC, helps to address these issues for her clients that are experiencing unconscious eating, binge and starvation, binge and purge, and the latest disturbing trend of “thinspo”.

For most clients, these behaviors are rooted in decisions made during traumatic events in childhood, or perhaps an innocuous statement from an authority figure, abusive parenting or even womb time memories. Events filled with sadness, shame, stress or violence can leave a client living out such declarations as, “No one will hurt me if I am big,” or “Dad only loves skinny girls.” These automatic responses, honed over years
of use, can be changed, and quite easily, when entered into with a real desire to find the seeds of destruction.

Hypnosis is an effective tool for this change, which can occur in two ways during a hypnotherapy session. First, by the “uncovering” of those events which caused those distorted decisions and secondly, by accessing the client’s innate store of strength and ability. During the hypnosis process, Graff acts as a guide by helping the client not only to find, but also to replace those faulty solutions and beliefs.

Different techniques are used during a hypnotherapy session, as well as different levels at which changes are made. The changes on the physical level involve implementing natural eating and exercise habits. Changes on the mental level include affirmations such as, “I am more than good enough,” and “My body deserves to have healthy food.” On the emotional level, new strategies and tactics are learned to deal with high states of stress.

There are also two major connections between the body and mind that need to be restored. The first one is natural hunger. The body knows exactly how much food it needs and it naturally becomes hungry. However, this connection is easily lost in early childhood and other emotions and feelings take over, disguised as hunger. Because the subconscious mind is closely connected with the body, natural eating habits are easy to implement and restore.

Once the natural connection is restored, physical hunger is experienced only when the body needs food. The second connection concerns food choices. The body naturally knows which food and which nutrients it needs and it is natural for it to crave what it needs. When this connection is restored in hypnosis, other, unneeded food becomes unattractive.

Enjoyment is an important component for success at any task, so an a big factor to remember is that life is to enjoy, the body is to enjoy, food is
to enjoy and exercise is to enjoy. Allow yourself to enjoy your life and your body, and the rewards will indeed be great.

Leslie Graff can be reached at 520-548-0143 or by email at [email protected]. For more information about hypnosis, hypnotherapy, group and private sessions, visit AddictedAdult.com.