Are you reaching for cookies or ice cream when you feel lonely, stressed or upset? There is a biological reason we reach for sweets when we’re feeling low. Elizabeth Somer, R.D., in her book Food & Mood says “The very taste of something sweet on the tongue immediately releases endorphins, our body’s natural morphine like chemicals that can produce feelings of euphoria and satisfaction.”
In Calm Energy: How People Regulate Mood with Food and Exercise, Robert Thayer, PhD., a psychology professor at CSU Long Beach, says he believes the key to breaking the emotional eating cycle is finding some way to deal with stress.
Self-hypnosis may be the answer. When you are in the hypnotic state, you experience a sense of calm and well being and the body naturally produces endorphins. Self-hypnosis can help you to imagine your ideal self, your ideal body, and create the mind-set which will help you to achieve that image of yourself. This process involves concentration on your breathing, which has a stronger effect on emotional change than any other function of your body.
Like any new skill, the degree of success one achieves with self-hypnosis conditioning is determined by the amount of practice time involved. I have found that once a person is conditioned to the hypnotic state through hetero-hypnosis (induction by another person), it is far easier to achieve the self-hypnotic state.
If you would like to learn self-hypnosis techniques to achieve your ideal body or your ideal life, I can help.