Reckon hypnosis for weight loss is a big, fat scam? We asked professional Harley St hypnotherapist Tom Fortes Mayer to give us the low down...
It sounds too good to be true, but experts genuinely believe that by changing our thought processes, we can self-hypnotise our way to better health. We caught up with professional hypnotherapist Tom Fortes Mayer to find out how we can practise his techniques at home...
STOP THINKING ABOUT THE FUTURE
'Start today! If we tell ourselves we’re going to start going to the gym 'next week', or that we’ll be thin 'in six months time' then all that our unconscious hears is that right now 'we don’t go to the gym and we’re fat' - and that blocks all of our attempts to change. Instead, we need to do whatever we can to focus on feeling fit and healthy right now.'
GET OUT OF YOUR HEAD
'One of the best ways to feel good in your body is to stop thinking and actually start moving. Create an inspirational playlist of music that inspires you and simply start to move your body to it everyday. When you do that you will be much more likely to make healthier and happier choices. So many people go to the gym and remain completely in their heads, totally unaware of how their body feels. Move very gently; roll around on the floor, stroke every part of your body and dance if it feels good - soon you'll begin to naturally want to look after yourself.'
HAVE AN EMOTIONAL DETOX
'When I work with clients, the single biggest factor in being overweight is unresolved emotional upset. This doesn’t mean that to lose weight you have to go into intensive therapy, but it’s very worthwhile to take some time to see if there are any past upsets that you are still holding onto. By letting yourself feel these feelings, the fat tissues that store your emotions naturally dissolve away. It's like lifting an emotional weight off you, and that always makes a difference on the scales too'
REDEFINE WHAT A 'TREAT' MEANS
'Constantly denying yourself something you really want never works in the long term. The flood bank will always break. But it is impossible to put highly addictive sugar into your body without subsequently craving it for the rest of the day. Instead practice the art of systematically falling out with every aspect of sugar. Break the spell. It is much easier if you cut it out completely. This cannot be done in moderation.'
PRACTICE DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING
'Most people in today’s world are constantly in a state of mild to moderate stress. When you eat in a stress state - even in a very mild one - your body is much more likely to store that food as fat. That's why working on reducing stress and being happier really helps. One great practical tip is to do some simple breath work. Ensure that when you breathe in your abdomen goes out, and when you breathe out your tummy flattens. This 'diaphragmatic breathing' can take some practice, but it is brilliant for relaxing the body and being healthy.'
...AND PRACTISE BUTEKYO BREATHING TOO!
'Butekyo breathing involves taking very small breaths of air in and out through the nose in an attempt to reduce the amount of oxygen you are using. Most people actually over breathe (generally through the mouth) and this keeps the body in a stress state. Reducing your breath hugely reduces stress, aids digestion and sleeping and can therefore significantly reduce the amount of calories you crave. It can feel a bit panicky when you first try breathing less, but in a very short amount of time it feels refreshing and relaxing. Practice this before every meal'
BE PRESENT
'All of the above tips and techniques are designed to help you become more present and listen to what your body truly needs. When you are fully present, you will not only enjoy your food (and everything else) more, but you will digest it more effectively, notice when you are full more rapidly, and healthier foods. Plus you won’t have to deny yourself anything because there will be no part of you that wants to put anything unhealthy in your system anymore.'
Tom Fortes Mayer is a Harley Street clinical hypnotherapist and creator of the FreeMind process – a self-hypnosis system that enables people to do deep healing on themselves. Tom’s book The Freemind Experience: The Three Pillars of Absolute Happiness is available in paperback for £10.99. Visit The Freemind Project here
