Why Virtual Gastric Band Hypnotherapy Makes Slimming So Easy

Recently the BBC led with the headline, "Ten-fold rise in gastric bands". The unprecedented rise in people seeking weight loss surgery took place between 2000 and 2007. And the number of people choosing gastric banding is still rising quickly in 2010. Many top celebrities, such as Fern Britton, have raised the profile of this approach by having the treatment. Hypnosis offers many advantages compared to gastric band surgery: one of the cutting-edge approaches I pioneered in my clinical practice is Virtual Gastric Band Hypnotherapy.

Before we look at the benefits of having an imaginary "virtual" hypno band fitted, it is important to look at the dangers of having gastric band surgery.

"Gastric banding" is designed to reduce the size of the stomach. A silicone band is tied around the top part of it, in order to "shrink" the belly. As a result, the stomach is divided into two parts. The smaller part at the top forms a separate "sac". When food is eaten, it gathers in this upper chamber. Because it is around a quarter of the size the stomach used to be, a person feels full much faster.

There is a small gap so the food can slowly "drop through" to the main part of the stomach to the lower "sac" or chamber.

Having a gastric band fitted might sound like a good idea, and can be effective in reducing appetite. However this surgery has well-documented side-effects:

Vomiting and nausea are common for most patients who undergo surgeryPatients can't eat a large meal anymore, and some people have become depressed or felt more isolated socially as a resultInfections are a risk of any surgeryDiarrhoea is commonFainting from not getting enough nutrition is common because patients struggle to eat as much as beforeConstipation

One study on post-operative gastric band patients saw an increase in suicides. The author, Samantha Scholtz, says that patients need the right post-operative care. Many patients were disappointed that they did not feel better or have a better "body image" after surgery.

Another challenge with Gastric Band surgery revolves around the reasons why a person is over-eating. Often it is not because they are excessively hungry, but because they are desperately unhappy. Going through the mechanical motions of having a gastric band fitted simply does not address deeper psychological or emotional issues. It will not necessarily change habits or ways of thinking.

So how does having Virtual Gastric Band Hypnotherapy compare?

One of the real benefits of hypnosis is it allows clients to get negative emotions handled. In my clinical hypnotherapy practice in Cardiff, I have worked with hundreds of clients to lose weight. The main challenge almost all of them face is some form of "comfort eating".

The other problem is that in comforting themselves with food, they have been over-riding the signals that tell them when they are full. Hypnotherapy is a powerful way to help a person comfort themselves without the need for food.

Hypnosis is the fixation of attention. Anytime you have been absorbed in something like watching a favourite TV show, you have been in trance. You know what it is like when you are in a "TV Trance" and no one can disturb you. Or perhaps you remember driving from one place to the next and can't even remember the journey: you were experiencing "Highway Hypnosis".

All of us go into trance-like states all day long. Anytime we are trance-fixed on one thing to the exclusion of all else: you're in a trance. Hypnosis is a natural and very powerful way to relax a person. In a trance state, it is possible to simulate the sensations of having a stomach tightened, as if having surgery.

As a result, you start to feel fuller and more satisfied. Another benefit of the Hypno Gastric Band is that you start to slow down the rate you eat. That means you have more chance to stop when you feel full.

Trance is a perfect way to help a person start to feel better about themselves. One of the greatest setbacks to a person getting slimmer is believing, "I will feel happy and good about myself when I lose 5 stone and I am at my ideal weight." The problem with this is it means they get to be miserable every step of the journey there. And an unhappy person is very unlikely to stick with a regimen long enough to see results.

So using Hypno Band Hypnotherapy to fit an imaginary gastric band means your body will start to re-set its "satiety signals" back to normal. This is a proven and safe way to lose weight. As long as you are motivated to stick with your sessions, slow down your rate of eating, and listen to an Advanced Hypnotic Weight Loss recording, then you will notice benefits very quickly.

There is also the huge benefit of not requiring anaesthesia or an actual operation. You don't have invasive surgery to recover from. Hypnosis is natural, and there is no danger of infection or dizziness.

For a person who has not addressed the emotional side of their eating, having a physical Gastric Band fitted can be stressful. By contrast, hypnosis specifically deals with emotions as part of installing a Virtual Gastric Band. There is plenty of opportunity to give lots of positive suggestions of self-worth, self-acceptance and to leave behind that feeling that drives so many people to over-eat: boredom.

Gastric Band Surgery currently costs around ?7,000 (over $11,000) to have. It also carries the risk of it not working or a host of physical side effects and possible infections. Worse, the psychological root of over-eating is not addressed.

Many folk who have gastric bands end up despondent and disappointed by the result. There is also about a chance of death in worst cases. The UK-based newspaper 'The Daily Mail' carried a warning in its headline in August 2009, "Gastric band killed 18st mother desperate to be thinner for her daughter".

Virtual Gastric Band hypnotherapy is safe, proven and has no side effects. It works and can be a great alternative for someone who wants to change and feels ready to try therapy. It means a person can get to the core of what is really keeping the weight on. As long as the client feels ready to let go of what is holding them back and is motivated to have different results, then hypnosis can speed up this process.