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Self-Hypnosis, thanks to TV shows and the movies, the very word conjures up the of a hawlk-eyed hypnotist swinging a pendulum and chanting, "You are getting sleepy."

Use any search engine and you will find several million pages devoted to the subject. Unfortunately, many websites that sell pre-recorded self-hypnosis CDs make wild and crazy, unsubstantiated claims. I've been in the industry since 1978. So I think that I'm more than equipped to set the record straight on weight loss hypnosis.

First of all, self-hypnosis is a tool, just like a scalpel is a tool. Just as all of the various surgeons have varying skill levels in the use of a scalpel, different hypnotists have varying skill levels in the use of self-hypnosis. And to complicate the matter, there are many different methods of self-hypnosis.

Listen to a couple of the ridiculous assertions about weight loss hypnosis that I've read about on websites, along with the the real story:

"Hypnotic suggestion will speed up your metabolism." If you want to know the facts, the fact is that self-hypnosis can't directly speed up your metabolism. But it can be very useful at helping to re-program your subconscious with increased motivation to exercise. And that exercise can dramatically speed up your metabolic rate. Similarly, self-hypnosis to speed up the metabolism for quick weight loss can be effected by re-programming the subconscious to motivate the intake of increased amounts of protein, because that intake will step up the metabolic rate.

"Hypnotic suggestion will make you get rid of your excess weight." This is false. But self-hypnosis can be used to help case out your appetite, so that you eat less. And eating less can help you to get rid of your excess weight. Your appetite and urges for food and compulsion to eat are triggered by two unconscious programs:

A. When you pair eating with any other behavior, the other behavior will trigger cravings for food and a strong desire to eat. This is called a conditioned response. For example, if you eat as you drive your car, you will get an urge to eat every time you drive your car.

B. When you feel tense, you feel an urge to put something into your mouth for relaxation and pleasure. This is because of programming that you received as a baby. When you got grouchy, your mom or dad put a bottle in your mouth. You got distracted, relaxed, and probably fell asleep. Now when you get cranky (anxious or tense), you feel compelled to put something into your mouth for relaxation and pleasure.

C. There is a third unconscious program that is present for some people. It's called emotional eating. Emotional eating takes place when someone is motivated to make him or herself fat, because by being fat they will protect themselves in some way. For example, if someone gets their heart broken in a relationship, their subconscious will very often motivate them into a behavior that will prevent them from getting their heart broken again. Example: They are motivated to get fat to keep them out of another relationship, because that will eliminate the possibility of another broken heart.

So just how can self-hypnosis for losing weight get rid of the above problems? Click here to read the rest of this weight loss hypnosis article.

I have written several articles on this complex topic that available on my website. These articles illustrate some powerful and effective ways to use hypnosis for compulsive eating.