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| Photo by Rick Hustead |
Hypnosis Motivation Institute founder John
Kappas, Ph.D. advocated addressing the emotional problems that
caused the eating disorder when working with someone who suffered from anorexia nervosa or bulimia. The hypnotherapist believed
that this process would alleviate the symptoms of the disease in order to
address them directly. However, he warned against specifically mentioning the
client’s bingeing and purging behaviors because these would be inferred during
the hypnotherapeutic process. “If you’re not bingeing and purging, you’re not
as concerned about the weight,” Dr. Kappas said.
Therapy with
someone who is suffering from an eating disorder is a long process which may
take many sessions to overcome, Dr. Kappas warned. Furthermore, it is may take
many sessions for the hypnotherapist to build rapport with the client to
address these issues.
When working
with someone who has an eating disorder, he recommended changing the client’s
suggestibility from herself to the therapist in order to facilitate
treatment. “[She must] turn over conscious control to the therapist to take
control of the unconscious process,” Dr. Kappas explained. While she is in
hypnosis, provide suggestions to increase the client’s perception of having
self-control, feeling better about herself and being calm, he advised. “Think
of yourself feeling good physically, emotionally, psychologically. You’re
becoming important to yourself. You’re beginning to control old habits and
compulsions. You’re not controlled by old habits.”
Meanwhile, the hypnotherapist and other members of the client's medical/psychological team should monitor the person's eating and bingeing behaviors. “If they get worse, the hypnotherapist] will have to move in and attack the behavior," Dr. Kappas said.
Meanwhile, the hypnotherapist and other members of the client's medical/psychological team should monitor the person's eating and bingeing behaviors. “If they get worse, the hypnotherapist] will have to move in and attack the behavior," Dr. Kappas said.
As I explained in my blog
titled, Eating
Disorders Are Not an Extreme Diet, anorexia nervosa and bulimia are very
complicated, dangerous conditions that can cause severe physiological
destruction and even death. The symptoms and etiology (medical/psychiatric
origin) of each are addressed in the Diagnostics and
Statistic Manual of Mental Disorders, a basic reference guide for
various psychiatric disorders. Typically, these conditions are out of scope
of my or most other certified hypnotherapists’ professional expertise to
address in hypnotherapy (Business and Professions Code 2908). To do so, I would need to receive a referral from
the person’s (licensed) medical doctor and/or mental-health worker to work with
the individual. Even then, my input as a hypnotherapist would be only to help the client fortify her or
his self-confidence and self-esteem and reinforce new healthy-eating behaviors
recommended by the person’s medical and psychiatric team. Ultimately, the
treatment (management) of anorexia nervosa and bulimia is often a lifelong
process which must be done under such medical supervision.
Sara R. Fogan, C.Ht. is a certified
hypnotherapist based in Southern California. She graduated with honors
from the Hypnosis Motivation
Institute in 2005. For more
information about Calminsense Hypnotherapy® and to set up an
appointment, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/.
© 2016
