Does Hypnosis Work For Weight Loss? Review of The Hypnosis Network’s “Enjoying Weight Loss”
The first question I asked myself as I began to review the newly arrived “Enjoying Weight Loss” (a 4-disc weight loss hypnosis program by Dr. Roberta Temes from The Hypnosis Network), was one you have probably also asked yourself numerous times…
“Does hypnosis really work for weight loss?”
Of course, there are other obvious questions as well, such as…
Will hypnosis work for my weight problem? How will hypnosis help me lose weight?
To be honest, I’ve always been a little skeptical about hypnosis, probably the result of those late night “quit smoking through hypnosis” infomericals I sat through a few years ago. So I decided to do a little research. The first thing I did was phone a friend of mine who is a psychometrist (a psychometrist is a recognized professional, one “level” below a psychiatrist), and ask her about the validity of using hypnosis as a treatment option.
What she told me is that hypnosis is not without controversy in the professional community. In other words, some professionals are full-blown advocates of it, others think it’s total baloney. She did say two other things — one, that it was actually growing in acceptance as professionals become introduced to it, and two, she had several colleagues who had experienced good results using its techniques.
OK, that’s good then. Hypnosis is worth looking into!
So what is hypnosis, exactly?
The concise Oxford dictionary defines hypnosis as “a state like sleep in which the subject acts only on external suggestion.”
That’s probably not much help, right?
Well, after reviewing the “Enjoying Weight Loss” discs I’d say it’s about attaining a state of intense relaxation in which your subconscious is particularly open to suggestion. Dr. Roberta Temes Ph.D. (the author of Enjoying Weight Loss) calls hypnosis a “suggestible state” or a trance state — a state of deep concentration.
The “suggestions,” in this case, are helpful weight loss and diet related comments. In other words, Dr. Roberta works on programming “good” weight loss habits into your subconscious mind, so they become part of your everyday routine.
So, I hear you asking… “how does it work?”
The “Enjoying Weight Loss” hypnosis series is pretty simple to use. Find a comfortable chair in a quiet space without distractions, and make sure you won’t be disturbed. Press play on your CD player, and you’re good to go!
The first disc covers an introduction to hypnosis, plus a general overview of some of the latest breakthroughs in obesity research, followed by your first session.
In my first review, I was not on board with all the theory here. For instance, the program originally emphasized the importance of eating three meals a day. I indicated that it was far more important that you eat 5-6 evenly spaced small meals, to keep both energy and blood sugar levels elevated.
However, the program has now been updated… for the better. Now the program recommends that you eat the number of meals that the plan you choose instructs (more on this below!)
A brief run-down of the contents of the 2-4th disc is as follows — disc 2 covers selecting a food program, and eating smart. Disc 3 covers eating regular meals, and the importance of regular exercise, and the last disc covers self esteem and appreciating yourself, and maintaining your weight loss.
I wasn’t sure what to think as I sat down the first time… but Roberta answered my questions and reassured me that I didn’t have anything to worry about.
No, I didn’t have to concern myself about getting stuck in a trance, or suddenly waking to find myself running through the local shopping mall naked and clucking like a chicken (OK, so I need a little help!), and that sort of thing. After a few minutes, I was feeling pretty confident that I could handle whatever Dr. Roberta had to throw at me.
One thing Roberta points out is that the whole hypnosis process is pretty relaxing and even invigorating. I have to agree with this. When I finished my first session, I opened my eyes to feeling absolutely refreshed and totally relaxed. It was quite wonderful.
Perhaps even more interesting is how easy it is to become hypnotized by Roberta’s voice and her comments. I don’t really know how to explain this except to say that although Roberta’s voice takes a little getting used to, it is as if her voice was specifically designed for hypnosis. You’ll see what I mean when you try it. Heck, I nearly feel asleep numerous times trying to give the program a final overview as I wrote this review.
One thing I do like about this program is that it doesn’t force you to follow any particular diet. You can use the good practices Dr. Roberta provides you with on any diet plan — Weight Watchers, Atkins, South Beach… whatever. I’m not going to go into a complete breakdown into what’s covered on every disc… suffice to say it’s all credible stuff.
At this point, you’re probably wondering whether or not I think this program actually works. Well, I only reviewed this product for the purpose of presenting a balanced overview here on this site. I was not on a diet, nor was I attempting to lose weight. However, I must say this…
For a couple of days after each disc’s session, I could almost “hear” Roberta’s voice in my head saying “drink your water” and so on. It was pretty amazing really. If you were to make a commitment to listening to this discs as often as necessary (you may need to listen to the series over and over on a fairly regular basis — one disc per day), I’d be very, very surprised if Dr. Roberta’s suggestions did not percolate down to your subconscious and really have a major impact on your success.
Bottom line?
This program is not cheap (about $120), but I think it’s a very worthwhile adjunct to any credible diet program. If you have major problems with willpower, it may also be worth investigating.
Although I approached this program with a hearty dose of skepticism, it won me over in the end (I have been looking into a few of The Hypnosis Network’s other products). I have no doubt at all that this will be helpful for a lot of people.
If this article has intrigued you, or you’re interested investigating hypnosis for weight loss a little more thoroughly, visit the web site of The Hypnosis Network.
P.S. “Enjoying Weight Loss” is not a digital (downloadable) product. It is a 4-disc program that arrives exactly as pictured above. Thought you might like to know! 😉
