HYPNOTHERAPY FOR EMOTIONAL EATING

Emotional eating is a common behavior where individuals turn to food for comfort, stress relief, or as a reward. Hypnotherapy for emotional eating can work on binge eating, disordered eating, sugar cravings, overeating junk food, and overall unhealthy eating habits. We will work together to uncover the roots of your way of coping with food, reprogram triggers and automatic responses that bring you to experience different food compulsion, or being unable to stop, we will reduce anxiety and stress and develop tools that you can take home and use to regulate your nervous system. Below I will explain in more details how hypnosis can help you with emotional eating. 

Emotional hunger is not caused by physical hunger, instead is dependent on the experience of positive and negative emotions. Though emotional eaters often feel better and experience a positive mood shift once they begin to eat, they might not necessarily feel satisfied or better once they are full. Emotional eating is often leaves individuals feeling dissatisfied, ashamed, or uncomfortable once the emotional eating episode ends.

How Can Hypnotherapy Help with Emotional Eating?

1. Uncovering the Emotional Roots  

   Emotional eating often stems from unresolved psychological factors such as stress, anxiety, or past trauma. Hypnosis will help you access your subconscious mind to uncover and understand these emotional triggers. By addressing the underlying distress that drives emotional eating, we can reframe your relationship with food, whether it is sugar cravings, junk food, late night eating etc. Research shows that hypnosis can help individuals identify the origins of their emotional struggles, reducing the need to use food as a coping mechanism [(Anbar & Savedoff, 2005)].

2. Reprogramming Automatic Responses  

   Many emotional eaters develop automatic habits in response to stress or emotions. Hypnotherapy helps to reprogram these ingrained behaviours, replacing the impulse to eat with healthier coping strategies. Techniques such as ego-strengthening and cognitive restructuring can empower you to regain control over your responses [(Torem, 1992)].

3. Improving Self-Control and Impulse Management  

   Impulsive eating is a key aspect of emotional eating, where the immediate gratification of food overshadows healthier choices. Hypnotherapy strongly enhances mindfulness and self-awareness, giving you the capacity to pause and consider better alternatives before reacting. Research has shown hypnosis to be effective in strengthening self-regulation and managing emotional impulses [(Pellegrini et al., 2021)].

4. Reducing Stress and Anxiety  

   Stress and anxiety are often at the heart of emotional eating. Hypnotherapy promotes deep physiological and nervous system relaxation and regulation. I can also work to equip you with stress-management tools, such as improving your breathing, and learning other practical ways to regulate your stress levels. These techniques help reduce reliance on food as a way to cope, creating a sense of calm and balance [(Whorwell et al., 1992)].

5. Fostering Long-Term Change 

   Beyond addressing immediate triggers, hypnotherapy supports lasting behavioural transformation. By building positive associations with healthy eating habits and developing new cognitive strategies, you can break free from the cycle of emotional triggers leading to overeating. This approach is especially helpful for a variety of disordered eating, and binge eating patterns. [(Delestre et al., 2022)].

The Path to a Healthier Relationship with Food  

Hypnotherapy offers a holistic approach to overcoming emotional eating by addressing its root causes, enhancing self-control, reducing stress, and fostering sustainable change. By incorporating hypnotherapy into your wellness journey, you can gain control over your eating habits and develop a healthier, more positive relationship with food.

References: 

Anbar, R., & Savedoff, A. (2005). Treatment of Binge Eating with Automatic Word Processing and Self-Hypnosis: A Case Report. American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, 48, 191 – 198. https://doi.org/10.1080/00029157.2005.10401516.

Torem Ms et al. “The use of hypnosis with eating disorders..” Psychiatric medicine, 10 (1992): 105.

M. Pellegrini et al. “The Use of Self-Help Strategies in Obesity Treatment. A Narrative Review Focused on Hypnosis and Mindfulness.” Current Obesity Reports, 10 (2021): 351 – 364. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13679-021-00443-z.

P. Whorwell et al. “Physiological effects of emotion: assessment via hypnosis.” The Lancet, 340 (1992): 69-72. https://doi.org/10.1016/0140-6736(92)90394-I.

Fabienne Delestre et al. “Hypnosis reduces food impulsivity in patients with obesity and high levels of disinhibition: HYPNODIET randomized controlled clinical trial..” The American journal of clinical nutrition (2022). https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqac046.