Some of you may be aware of the ‘gastric hypnoband’ – a technique used by many hypnotherapists for weight loss, where the individual wants to lose a substantial amount of weight, and has a BMI in excess of 30. This works by literally convincing the subject that they have had a real gastric band fitted, and so they are only able to eat tiny amounts of food. For those people who are clinically or morbidly obese, this represents a healthy, safe way to lose a large amount of weight, without resorting to actual surgery, which at best causes extreme discomfort, and at worst can even be fatal. It is also important to stress that during the hypnotherapy, the client is also helped to confront the psychological and emotional reasons for his overeating, which is not the case with actual bariatric surgery.
I have had many requests for this type of treatment, and up until now, this is not something I have offered. One of the reasons for my hesitation to offer this type of treatment was that it seemed to be somewhat of a gimmick, and possibly capitalising on the popularity and more widespread acceptance of actual gastric banding surgery. However, having spoken to a number of colleagues who are using this method to extremely good effect, I have now decided to offer gastric hypnobanding, and I will shortly be taking a course, which will qualify me to offer this treatment.
What has made me change my mind?
The cynical amongst you would say that I am now ‘jumping on the band wagon.’ I would reply that yes, I do have to make a living, and if most other hypnotherapists are now offering this treatment, then I have to be able to compete with them. However, it is not only this factor which has made me decide to go in this direction. The obesity crisis is a disturbing fact, and all around us we see people struggling with their weight, trying new diets, going to slimming clubs, taking diet pills, but this does not seem to be having any effect – in fact it only seems to be making things worse. Therefore if I can help somebody to shed weight in a healthy way, at the same time helping them to cope with the anxiety and the emotion that has made them big in the first place, then I feel that this is a worthy cause. Sometimes extreme health issues call for ‘extreme’ treatments and so to me, the gastric hypnoband option offers a much more healthy and natural alternative to painful and sometimes life-threatening surgery.
If you would like to chat to me about weight loss treatment, I would be pleased to see you for a free consultation – please call me on 01449 780352 or 0781 7158429, or email me on wendy@wendychalk.co.uk. I look forward to speaking to you soon!
