Can Hypnosis Help You Finally Reach Your #Fitness Goals?
AskMen’s editorial team researches and thoroughly reviews the best amenities, services and basics for life. AskMen can be paid if you click a link in this article and purchase a product or service.
You’ve probably heard of hypnosis being used as a trick for a wedding reception or as a smoking cessation tool, but it turns out that modern hypnosis can be used for a lot more than that. In fact, hypnosis might even be the solution to finally sticking to those health and fitness goals that you keep putting on the back burner.
RELATED: Best Relaxation Techniques
“Think of hypnosis as a guided meditation that produces real results for mental and physical health,” says Christine Deschemin, former Rocket scientist and hypnotherapist. “Hypnosis is more and more widespread. It is the only body-mind technique used in hospital operating theaters and is approved by many medical and psychological associations around the world.
What else, recent studies have even shown that hypnotherapy can improve mindfulness practice and help highly stressed people promote better balance in their lives.
Below, we’ve asked Deschemin to explain exactly what hypnosis really is – and how it can help just about anyone create a healthier relationship with health and fitness. Read on if you’re curious about the relatively new wellness practice.
What is hypnosis and what are its main benefits?
According to Deschemin, hypnosis allows access to a state of focused consciousness that accelerates learning. “In this state, you are more likely to accept suggestions related to the improvements you want to achieve.”
Many medical and psychological associations recognize various benefits of hypnosis, Deschemin explains. Hypnosis is used for the following problems: stress management, anxiety and depression, bad habits, skin disorders, gastrointestinal problems like IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), pain management and hypnoanalgesia (instead of hypnoanalgesia). general anesthesia, medical staff use hypnosis and an anesthetic)
How can hypnosis help with motivation?
Motivation is powerful. It’s like an engine inside of you. As soon as it stops, you start to stagnate. Why would this engine stop? According to Deschemin, this is because people are too overwhelmed by several sources of stress and spend too much energy to deal with them. We are wired to save energy.
How many people have made a resolution over the Christmas holidays to exercise and not go to the gym just weeks after the start of the new year? Too much. But, according to Deschemin, by reframing events in a way that empowers people, hypnosis can allow them to restart that engine and rekindle motivation.
How can hypnosis help promote a healthy state of mind?
A healthy state of mind is a positive state of mind that enables a person to envision possibilities. This positive mindset allows growth but can be hampered by stress and fears. People feel stress when they perceive danger.
The changes in their body – the heart rate quickens, the breathing quickens – are just the result of their assessment of a situation at that time. By helping people reframe their outlook, hypnosis can eliminate the event of this perceived danger. What remains is a greater ability to deal with stress and a healthier mindset. This is possible through in-person visits to a hypnotherapist or via a self-hypnosis app from the comfort of your home (more on those below), Deschemin explains.
RELATED: Best Workouts for Mental Health
Can hypnosis promote healthier eating habits?
Food is more than just fuel for many people. It can become a crutch they rely on whenever they’re not feeling well. For example, some people may bribe themselves with a treat to go for a workout, or they may eat certain types of unhealthy foods to help them feel better emotionally. But these two behaviors do them a disservice and only create more problems. According to Deschemin, hypnosis can help a person deal with these sources of discomfort naturally without the need for a snack intervention.
What about sticking to the workouts?
“Yes, hypnosis can help engage in a regular workout program,” Deschemin says. “Provided your training program is exciting enough and provides real benefits, by gaining motivation to exercise, you can begin your fitness journey. She adds that a few weeks after you start training, you start to form habits, your body begins to crave exercise, and you naturally continue to engage in regular training.
How to access hypnosis
Hypnosis has become much more accessible than before – in fact, you don’t even have to leave your house or make an appointment with a professional if you’re curious about testing the waters without jumping right away. We’ve rounded up some of the best hypnosis apps for health and wellness to get you started:
Until now
Deschemin created UpNow to be a resource for anyone looking to replace bad habits with better ones – without the need to commit to regular visits with an in-person hypnotist. The app actually allows anyone to perform self-hypnosis to take advantage of the mind / body connection, achieve greater well-being, and improve your physical performance.
SuccessMinds
Are you looking for a hypnosis practice specifically designed to help you achieve your weight loss goals? SuccessMinds offers weight loss specific audio hypnosis that will only take you about 22 minutes a day, but continues to help millions of people curb food cravings and mend their relationship with food.
Harmony Hypnosis
If you’re still curious about what hypnosis is but don’t want to see a real person right away, consider Harmony Hypnosis. This award winning hypnotherapy app aims to simulate what it is like to see a real hypnotherapist as close as possible so that you can try it out in private before consulting with local hypnotists.
You could also dig:
AskMen can be paid if you click a link in this article and purchase a product or service. To learn more, please read our full
Terms of use.
