Does hypnosis work to lose weight?

Obesity has reached epidemic levels on a global scale in recent decades. As the World Health Organization (WHO) indicates, weight disorders have almost tripled from 1975 to the present. This means that approximately 1.9 billion adults (or more) are overweight worldwide at the moment, or 39% of the total population.

Obesity is not only an aesthetic characteristic that tends to be not very "normative", but it also translates into an increased risk of suffering from ischemic heart disease, aging accelerated cellular, increased probabilities of appearance of cancers in the colon and rectum, greater probabilities of depression (up to 55% more) and many other pathologies, both physical and emotional

For all these reasons and many more, it is normal for people to want to lose weight. However, various sources estimate that only 2 out of 10 people who start a diet lose weight significantly: This type of process requires knowledge, education, supervision, mental health and in many cases purchasing power, something that not all have. In order to overcome obesity, extensive psychological treatment is necessary, so not everything is as easy as "eat less" or "exercise more."

Based on this premise, more and more alternative methods are emerging that try to combat overweight and obesity without having to undergo surgery. Today we are examining one of the most emerging and committed: Does hypnosis work to lose weight?

• Related article: "Obesity: psychological factors involved in being overweight"

What is hypnosis?

The term hypnosis is used to define an altered state of consciousness and the process by which this event is achieved in the patient. During the hypnotic trance, certain psycho-affective, physiological, cognitive and behavioral processes can be addressed and modified. In addition, it should be noted that the hypnotic state can be promoted by a professional (therapist) or by the individual himself (self-hypnosis).

The subjective experimentation of hypnosis is characterized by two different fronts: authenticity (the experience is real) and involuntariness (“it happens by itself”). Once the patient enters a hypnotic state, a suggestive verbal and non-verbal content is used that corresponds to internal expectations and has powerful effects on mentality and somatic processes in the individual.

Contrary to popular belief, hypnosis is neither authoritarian nor passive, nor is it about the therapist controlling or manipulating the patient. This is conceived solely as a resource and tool used for the individual to be able to control your emotions, know more about yourself and achieve your goals, not for an external entity to achieve some he. To this day, hypnosis from a clinical point of view is very far from what we are shown in the movies.

Can hypnosis help you lose weight?

In the medical and research arena, guesswork stays at the door. We could lengthen the lines of the space saying that "it may work for you and not for another person", but we would be missing The truth is that we need hard facts to support each approach, especially when it comes to individual health.

The good thing about the world of research and statistics is that, luckily, the numbers don't lie. The fact that there is a correlation between 2 events (measured with objective parameters such as the P-value) does not always indicate a reality, but it certainly points us in the right direction, unless the experiment is a real disaster.

Therefore, we are going to expose you the summary of 3 different scientific publications that try to answer this question. Let science speak for itself.

1. Compared the influence of hypnosis on body mass

In this study called "Controlled trial of hypnotherapy for weight loss in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea", published in the International Journal of Obesity in 1998, It is about evaluating the effects of 2 types of hypnosis in comparison with a dietary follow-up in 60 patients with obstructive sleep apnea.

Weight loss was monitored in the sample groups at 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18 months after treatment, regardless of whether patients were treated with hypnotherapy or with follow-up / advice dietary. It was observed that, at 3 months, all the sample groups had lost 2-3% of their body mass, an indication that something was working.

At 18 months after treatment, only the hypnotherapy group showed a significant mean weight loss compared to the rest of the patients, although this was very small, 3.8 kilograms. Analyzing the entire time interval, it was observed that the group with hypnotherapy and dietary follow-up reached a weight loss greater than the other remaining segments, so a spear is split in favor of this technique, truth?

Not at all. The problem with this research (recognized by the authors themselves) is that the benefits of hypnotherapy, although numerically significant, were clinically negligible. Furthermore, a sample number of 60 provides very little information, since studies with much more statistical power are required to establish strong causality.

• You may be interested in: "The 5 most common study methods in Psychology"

2. Analyzing physiological markers

This study called "Effects of Hypnotherapy on Weight Loss and thus on Serum Leptin, Adiponectin, and Irisin Levels in Obese Patients "is much more current, as it was published in 2020 in the Journal of alternative and complementary medicine. This time, an attempt was made to investigate the effect of hypnosis to lose weight in obese patients using physiological markers, such as leptin, adiponectin and irisin, hormones and compounds highly related to adipose tissue.

Following the parameters of 30 obese patients, it was observed that the Body Mass Index (BMI) and serum leptin levels decreased significantly after treatment. Irisin and adiponectin levels increased after the approach, something to be expected, since the concentration of this last hormone is inversely proportional to BMI, as it is secreted in the tissue adipose. Again, this study breaks a spear in favor of hypnosis.

• You may be interested in: "Basal metabolism: what it is, how it is measured and why it allows us to survive"

3. An overview of various studies on hypnotherapy

In another paper called "Hypnotherapy for overweight and obese patients: A narrative review", published in January 2021 in the Journal of Integrative Medicine, it is undoubtedly the most interesting of the three. In this case, a sample group is not analyzed, but the results of 119 different studies are collected, of which only 7 meet the necessary inclusion criteria. In the end, data were obtained from 539 patients between 17 and 67 years of age, a much larger and more reliable sample group than those shown so far.

The analyzed studies concluded that hypnosis promoted weight loss, not only during treatment, but in subsequent periods. In any case, we are faced with the same problem as before: many of these investigations have methodological flaws and the number of publications available is very limited. For this reason, the authors themselves recognize that it is necessary to carry out more well-founded studies to be able to safely apply hypnosis methods to lose weight.

A final thought

The numbers do not lie, as long as they are well planned and the methodology is reliable. A study with a sample group of 60 patients says little or nothing, even more so if the average weight lost in those subjected to hypnotherapy is only 3.8 kilos higher than in the rest of the individuals. It is clear that the authors may try to disclose these data for discovery, but luckily, all Subsequent review worth its salt will treat these claims with a high degree of skepticism, as we have been able to see.

As indicated by the Mayo Clinic, a government medical body, many of the results of these studies have been subjected to scrutiny and failed the reliability test, which has made it very difficult to link hypnosis to weight loss effectively and irrefutable. Obesity is fought with therapeutic care, exercise, and emotional support, and if all else fails, stomach reduction surgery is often necessary..

So, does hypnosis work for weight loss? Unfortunately, we cannot give you a definitive answer, because at this point we have the same data as you. There are sources that will tell you yes and others that will not, so the best thing you can do is put yourself in the hands of a nutritionist and / or psychiatrist, so that together you can address your problem in a multidisciplinary way, in the way that professionals consider most adequate.

Bibliographic references:

• Erşan, S., & Erşan, E. AND. (2020). Effects of Hypnotherapy on Weight Loss and thus on Serum Leptin, Adiponectin, and Irisin Levels in Obese Patients. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 26 (11): 1047-1054.
• Häuser, W., Hagl, M., Schmierer, A., & Hansen, E. (2016). The efficacy, safety and applications of medical hypnosis: a systematic review of meta-analyzes. Deutsches Ärzteblatt International, 113 (17): 289.
• Is weight-loss hypnosis effective? Mayo Clinic. Picked up on March 17 in https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/expert-answers/weight-loss-hypnosis/faq-20058291
• Roslim, N. A., Ahmad, A., Mansor, M., Aung, M. M. T., Hamzah, F., Hassan, H., & Lua, P. L. (2020). Hypnotherapy for overweight and obese patients: a narrative review. Journal of Integrative Medicine.
• Stradling, J., Roberts, D., Wilson, A., & Lovelock, F. (1998). Controlled trial of hypnotherapy for weight loss in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea. International journal of obesity, 22 (3): 278-281.