Kate has tried just about everything imaginable to lose weight. Recently, one of her friends suggested that she try clinical hypnosis. Kate thought her friend was joking and responded -Oh, you just want to see me clucking like a chicken, like they did in those old movies.-

Actually, Kate-s friend was quite serious. Clinical hypnosis is a legitimate tool used by many licensed psychotherapists to help their patients overcome many disorders, including weight problems. Although hypnosis has gotten a reputation as a gimmick used by quacks (fake or fraudulent doctors) or as a mind-control device, it is actually a learnable skill that people attempting to lose weight may benefit from.

What is Hypnosis?

The American Psychological Association-s Division of Psychological Hypnosis defines hypnosis as technique in which a mental health expert suggests to someone undergoing treatment that he or she experience changes in behavior or feelings. Note that these are just suggestions; a hypnotist cannot make the person being hypnotized do anything that she or he does not want to do. Fear of being controlled by the hypnotist makes some people shy away from , but the idea that hypnosis is mind-control is a myth.

Other common misconceptions about hypnosis include:

People get stuck in a hypnotized state and cannot come out of it. This is not true. Although people are generally relaxed during hypnosis, they are always fully aware of what is going on around them and they can come out of the hypnotized state at will

Only certain people can be hypnotized and if you are very strong-willed it probably won-t work. This, too, is not true. While hypnosis works better for some people than for others, the majority of people can learn to use hypnosis. Being able to be hypnotized does not mean that you are -gullible- or -weak-willed.-

Someone must hypnotize you; you cannot hypnotize yourself. This is another misconception. Although a psychologist or other mental health professional is the expert who initiates hypnosis, in fact hypnosis is a learnable skill. Once a person has learned to go into a hypnotic state, he or she can then duplicate that state at will and use it to produce beneficial behavior changes.

How is Hypnosis Done?

Hypnosis is not something to be feared. It is not painful and most people describe their hypnosis experiences as interesting and agreeable. A typical clinical hypnosis session takes place in two phases: induction and application.

Induction is the initial phase. The therapist will help you to relax, perhaps asking you to imagine a pleasant scene. He or she will help you to become more focused so that you can get the utmost benefit from hypnosis.

During the second phase, application, the therapist will give you suggestions. These suggestions will be specifically focused on your particular problem. For example, if you are a binge eater, the therapist might suggest other, more healthy behaviors (such as taking a walk or calling a friend) that you could do when you feel the urge to binge, rather than giving into to the urge. If stress is one of your overeating triggers, the therapist will suggestion healthy ways to relax when you are under stress, rather than giving into excess eating.

How can Hypnosis Help me Lose Weight?

You will be an active partner in your hypnosis session. By learning to relax and to focus on the suggestions given to you, you allow the suggestions to sink deeply into your subconscious. Researchers are now using neuro-imaging to study the effects of hypnosis on brain.

When a person under hypnosis is asked to visualize doing some activity, such as walking rather than engaging in binge eating, the part of brain normally involved in this activity becomes active; in other words, the activity becomes -real- to the person. This fact may be one factor in how hypnosis helps retrain the subconscious.

The subconscious plays a critical role in behaviors that have become habits; by retraining your subconscious mind through hypnosis you can gradually change unhealthy eating patterns. Of course, this does not take away from the role of conscious choice and self-control in the struggle with unhealthy behaviors. You will still have to choose to make healthy food choices and not to overeat, but hypnosis is an aid in breaking deeply ingrained habits which often did not start out as conscious choices.

The therapist will teach you to how enter the hypnotic state on your own. You may be given audio tapes which help this process. Hypnosis is not considered psychotherapy, but it should be conducted only by a trained health professional who has been especially trained to use hypnosis.

Local mental health agencies can help you find a qualified therapist and there are also many Internet sites which can help you locate a professional near you. So don-t be afraid to try ; it is rapidly becoming a mainstream weapon in the battle of the bulge.

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