Can Hypnotism Help You Finally Meet Your #FitnessGoals?
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You’ve probably heard of hypnosis being used as a wedding reception party trick or a smoking cessation tool, but it turns out, modern hypnosis can be used for so much more than that. In fact, hypnosis might even be the answer for finally sticking to those health and fitness goals you keep putting on the backburner.
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“Think of hypnosis as a guided meditation that produces real results for both mental and physical health,” says Christine Deschemin, Former Rocket Scientist and Hypnotherapist. “Hypnosis is becoming mainstream. It is the only mind-body technique used in operating theatres in hospitals and it is approved by many medical and psychological associations in the world.”
What’s more, recent studies have even shown that hypnotherapy can enhance a mindfulness practice and help highly stressed people foster more balance in their lives.
Below, we asked Deschemin to explain exactly what hypnosis really is — and how it can assist just about anyone in creating a healthier relationship to health and fitness. Read on if you’re curious to find out more about the relatively new wellness practice.
What Is Hypnosis and What Are Its Main Benefits?
According to Deschemin, hypnosis allows you to access a state of focused awareness that accelerates learning. “In that state, you are more likely to accept suggestions related to the improvements you want to achieve.”
Many medical and psychological associations recognize various benefits to hypnosis, says Deschemin. Hypnosis is used for the following issues: stress management, anxiety and depression, bad habits, skin disorders, gastrointestinal problems such as IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), pain management and hypnoanalgesia (instead of general anesthesia, the medical staff uses hypnosis and a local anesthetic)
How Can Hypnosis Help With Motivation?
Motivation is powerful. It is like an engine inside of you. The moment it stops, you start stagnating. Why would that engine pause? According to Deschemin, it’s because people are too overwhelmed by many sources of stress and spending too much energy dealing with them. We are wired to conserve energy.
How many people have made the resolution over the Christmas holidays to exercise only to give up going to the gym just a few weeks into the new year? Too many. But, according to Deschemin, by reframing events in ways that empower people, hypnosis can allow them to re-start that engine and reignite motivation.
How Can Hypnosis Help Foster a Healthy Mindset?
A healthy mindset is a positive mindset that allows a person to envisage possibilities. This positive mindset enables growth but can be impeded by stress and fears. People feel stress when they perceive danger.
The changes in their body — heart rate accelerates, breath quickens — are just the result of their assessment of a situation at that time. By helping people reframe their perspectives, hypnosis can strip the event from that perceived danger. What is left is a greater ability to manage stress and a healthier mindset. This is possible through in-person visits to a hypnotherapist or through a self-hypnosis app from the comfort of your home (more on those below), says Deschemin.
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Can Hypnosis Encourage Healthier Eating Habits?
Food is more than just fuel for many people. It can become a crutch they rely on whenever they feel unwell. For instance, some people might bribe themselves with a treat to go and exercise, or they might eat certain types of unhealthy food to help them feel better emotionally. But those two behaviors are doing them a disservice and only end up creating more problems. According to Deschemin, hypnosis can help a person manage those sources of discomfort naturally without the need for snack intervention.
What About Sticking to Workouts?
“Yes, hypnosis can help in committing to a regular workout plan,” says Deschemin. “Provided that your workout plan is exciting enough and brings real benefits, by gaining the motivation to exercise, you can get started on your fitness journey.” She adds that a few weeks into the training, you start forming habits, your body starts to crave exercise, and you naturally continue committing to a regular workout.
How to Access Hypnotism
Hypnosis has become much more readily available than it once was—in fact, you don’t even need to leave your home or book an appointment with a professional if you’re curious to test the waters without jumping right in right away. We’re rounded up some of the best hypnosis apps for health and wellness to help you get started:
UpNow
Deschemin created UpNow to be a resource for anyone looking to replace their bad habits with better ones — without the need to commit to regular visits with an in-person hypnotist. The app actually allows anyone to perform self-hypnosis to leverage the mind/body connection, achieve greater wellness, and improve your physical performance.
SuccessMinds
Looking for a hypnosis practice specifically geared toward helping you meet your weight loss goals? SuccessMinds offers weight loss-specific hypnosis audio that will only take you about 22 minutes a day to complete — but continues to help millions of people cut cravings and repair their relationship with food.
Harmony Hypnosis
If you’re still curious to see what hypnosis is all about but you don’t want to see a real person right away, consider Harmony Hypnosis. This award-winning hypnotherapy app aims to simulate what it’s like to see a real hypnotherapist as closely as possible so you can try it out in private before checking out local hypnotists.
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