Benefits of Hypnotherapy to Stop Emotional Binge Eating, Food Addiction, Body Hate & Weight Issues.
Even though we all have one brain, but we have two minds—the conscious or logical mind and the unconscious or emotional mind. The conscious mind or logical mind is the conscious part of our thinking where we use logic to explain everything, and everything is physical at this level.
The unconscious mind or the emotional mind, on the other hand, is "The Master Mind." It controls our basic survival needs, such as breathing, heart pumping, blood pressure, kidney functions, immunity, digestion, etc. You get the idea. This is also the "Survival mind" or the reptilian mind. This is the mind that is like our security guard. It protects us, keeps us away from harm, and tries to make sure that we survive.
Why is the Unconscious Mind Important to Stopping Emotional Binge Eating, Food Addiction, & Body Hate?
We all have a little voice in our heads—that’s our inner self. Sometimes, that inner voice makes us do crazy things that we don’t want to do. According to Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theory of personality, the unconscious mind is a reservoir of feelings, thoughts, urges, and memories that are outside of conscious awareness. Freud believed that the unconscious mind continues to influence our behaviors even though people are unaware of these underlying influences. Indeed, we do a lot of things unconsciously on “autopilot” on a daily basis. Here are a few of those things.
Driving: For experienced drivers, much of the process becomes automatic. We might arrive at our destination without remembering the specifics of the journey.
Daily Habits: Everyday habits like brushing your teeth, tying shoelaces, locking doors, eating mindlessly, or eating until everything is gone on your plate become automatic with repetition.
Emotional Responses: Our emotional reactions to situations can be automatic and unconscious, such as feeling anxious in certain situations or around a certain type of people without consciously choosing to.
A feeling of Deja vu: Experiencing a feeling of déjà vu, where a situation feels eerily familiar, can happen unconsciously. This phenomenon often occurs without conscious control or understanding.
Posture: We often maintain our posture without actively thinking about it, even though poor posture can lead to discomfort.
Microexpressions: Subtle facial expressions that reveal our emotions can happen involuntarily and quickly, often without our awareness. Think “poker face.” That’s why poker players now wear sunglasses during the game to avoid revealing their unconscious emotions.
Automatic Responses to Names: When someone calls our name, we often turn our attention towards them without consciously deciding to do so.
These are examples of unconscious moments, where your mind is operating on autopilot. Hypnotherapy helps you become more aware of these moments and the underlying beliefs that drive your behaviors, including binge eating, food addiction, body hate and weight issues, such as fear of eating too much, need to clean plate, love for food, etc.
Hypnotherapy is an excellent technique for delving into the realm of the unconscious mind. If you’ve heard of mindfulness or meditation, hypnotherapy is very similar. Think of hypnotherapy as a guided meditation, with a tour guide or “therapist” to help you navigate your inner self.
Mindfulness, meditation, and hypnosis are all ways to help you get in touch and in tune with your inner self, where your true self exists. Most people associate hypnosis or hypnotherapy with mind control because of what they see on TV. Real hypnosis or hypnotherapy is nothing like that. If anything, hypnosis or hypnotherapy helps you become more in tune and in control of your body.
People often fear that they will lose control during hypnosis or hypnotherapy, or fear of revealing personal information unwillingly, and the fear of being manipulated. However, these fears are not true when it comes to ethical and professional hypnosis practices.
Firstly, the fear of losing control is a misconception. During hypnosis, you are not unconscious or asleep; you are in a state of heightened focus and relaxation. You cannot be made to do anything against your will or values. Remember, your unconscious mind is always there to protect you. Your mind remains aware, and you can reject any suggestion that goes against your beliefs.
Secondly, the fear of revealing personal information unwillingly is also unfounded. Hypnotherapy is a collaborative process, and you are always in control of what you choose to disclose. Your unconscious mind will only reveal what's necessary to help you solve the problem you're in the session for. It's not going to do a "brain dump" just because. A skilled hypnotherapist creates a safe and confidential space, and you will only share what you are comfortable with.
Lastly, the fear of being manipulated is addressed by understanding that hypnotherapy is a tool for positive change. Ethical hypnotherapists work to empower you, helping you access your inner resources to achieve your goals. They do not impose their will on you; instead, they guide you towards your own solutions and insights. If it's so easy to manipulate people with hypnosis, the wealthiest person on earth would be a hypnotist, not Bernard Arnault, Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, or Elon Musk.
Did Bernard Arnault hypnotize you to spend $10,000 on a Louis Vuitton bag? Did Elon Musk hypnotize you to spend $100,000 on a Tesla Model Y?
No. But their marketing sure makes you believe that spending that kind of money and owning their products is an amazing investment and makes you feel good spending that money.
So, the reality is that hypnosis is not mind control, it is not manipulation. It is just a therapeutic tool that can be highly beneficial for breaking unhealthy habits, resolving past trauma, overcoming fears, and managing stress. When conducted by a trained and certified professional, it is a safe and gentle process, and the fears associated with it are generally unfounded.
Often, binge eating or food addiction behaviors develop as a coping mechanism in response to past trauma or emotional distress. For some individuals, binge eating may have served as a way to numb painful emotions or provide temporary relief from stress. Through hypnotherapy, individuals can explore the origins of their binge eating behaviors and uncover the underlying trauma or emotional wounds that may have led to their development.
Similar to guided meditation, hypnotherapy helps individuals connect with their inner selves, allowing them to explore their thoughts, feelings, and beliefs on a deeper level. Through the use of imagery and suggestion, hypnotherapy can help individuals uncover the unconscious moments and beliefs that contribute to self-sabotaging behaviors like binge eating.
By accessing the deeper layers of the subconscious mind, hypnotherapy allows individuals to heal from the original source of their pain. Through techniques such as regression therapy, individuals can revisit past experiences and reframe them in a more positive and empowering light. This process enables individuals to release the emotional burdens associated with past trauma and develop healthier coping mechanisms for dealing with stress and difficult emotions.
Overall, hypnotherapy offers a holistic approach to treating binge eating disorder by addressing the underlying psychological and emotional factors that contribute to the behavior. By connecting with the inner self and accessing the subconscious mind, individuals can gain a deeper understanding of their behaviors and, ultimately, find healing and freedom from binge eating.
How Does Hypnotherapy with Me Feel Like?
You are in full control during the whole therapy. No one is controlling you. Also, it is not my job to tell you what to do. Only you know what is best for you. You've been told what to do all these years, see where it had gotten you.
Unlike popular belief, I don’t, I can't, it's impossible to implant new ideas into your head. I’m just a tour guide to help you find your way around your head to solve your problem.
It's like using the Head Key in the show Locke & Key.
No one is controlling or telling you what to do during hypnosis. It is all you. I'm just here to help you understand the root causes of your self-sabotaging behavior and find new solutions to your problems.
People normally go in and out of consciousness unconsciously throughout the day. I start by asking questions about your problem. It feels very normal, like a normal conversation. You may experience physical sensations and/or emotions or recall past events as we discuss your problems. As we explore each of your problems, emotional knots will be untied, and you’ll discover new solutions to your problem.
The unconscious mind communicates through unintentional cues, known as unconscious communication or intuitive communication. It relies on images, emotions, sensations, and intuition, such as dreams, random thoughts or images, emotional and physical symptoms of illness, bodily sensations, and slips of the tongue. These cues can be verbal or nonverbal. Verbal cues include Speech patterns, Physical activity while speaking, and Tone of voice. Nonverbal cues include Facial expressions and Body language.
Some psychologists call unconscious communication "honest signals" because these cues are involuntary behaviors that often convey emotion. Many decisions are based on unconscious communication.
Let me know what you think, and comment below.
