Weight Loss Hypnosis: More Harm Than Good?
More Teenagers Turning To Technique
July 16, 2004
BOSTON -- It's been used for entertainment, to help
smokers quit, to manage pain, and treat anxiety -- but
can using hypnosis to lose
weight do more harm than good?
NewsCenter 5's Heather Unruh reported that hypnosis is not new, but increasingly, children and teenagers are turning to the technique to try to lose weight.
Laurel Mitton, 17, has turned to hypnosis to lose the weight she's struggled with since childhood.
"About since I was probably 4. It wasn't anything major then, but then it just gradually got worse," said Mitton.
Certified hypnotherapist Tom Nicoli said he can help by inducing Mitton into a hypnotic trance, or state of focused attention, and then giving her suggestions of what's healthy and what's not.
One technique is to have clients imagine an 800-pound person.
"Now imagine this liposuction surgery of a clear tube sucking the fat from their thighs, butts, stomachs -- yellow, slimy, disgusting, oozing fat and it comes through this clear tube and it ends up in bowls of ice cream, candy, cakes, breads, butters, etc. And sometimes you'll see people making disgusting faces," said Nicoli.
But using hypnotherapy on children and teens for weight loss isn't without controversy. Some in the medical community warn it can hurt kids who are already in a vulnerable state.
"Indeed it can be problematic if you go to the wrong person," said Dr. Carol Ginandes of McLean Hospital.
Ginandes, a licensed psychologist with advanced training in hypnotherapy, said hypnosis can be a powerful tool, but warns the field is unregulated. Anyone can take courses and get certified. And, without proper medical training, she thinks lay hypnotists can be dangerous.
"And if they go into a hypnotic state and you give them a suggestion that doesn't work for them or that's negative in some way or harmful for some reason that you don't know because you haven't evaluated them, you can actually end up doing harm," said Ginandes.
But Nicoli disagrees.
"It's not as if you have mind control. It's just assisting the person in doing what they already want to do," he said.
"I feel like I'm finally on my way to being healthy," said Mitton.
Mitton is walking regularly, and after three hypnotherapy sessions, feels confident it's working.
"When I'm presented with certain foods -- fattening foods -- I'm able to say no, I'd rather eat a salad," said Mitton.
The American Society of Clinical Hypnosis is the training society for medical professionals. Ginandes said that's the best place to find a reputable professional if you decide hypnosis is right for you.
Source:www.thebostonchannel.com
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