Hypnotherapy for a problem

Hypnotherapy for Body Image and Your Relationship With Food

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Can hypnotherapy help you feel better about your body and calmer around food? It may help with stress, self-criticism and rehearsing new habits, but body image problems and difficult eating can also be signs of conditions that need specific treatment. The first step is to rule those out, and not to start any weight-focused hypnosis until you have.

When is it more than ordinary dissatisfaction?

Two conditions are worth checking for.

Eating disorders. The NHS guidance on eating disorders describes an eating disorder as using control of food to cope with feelings and other situations. Signs include:

  • spending a lot of time worrying about weight and body shape;
  • avoiding social occasions involving food;
  • eating very little, or making yourself sick or using laxatives after eating;
  • exercising too much, or having very strict food rules;
  • mood changes, and physical signs such as feeling cold, tired or dizzy, or missed periods.

Body dysmorphic disorder. The NHS guidance on body dysmorphia describes spending a lot of time worrying about flaws in your appearance that are often unnoticeable to others. Signs include comparing your looks with others’, checking mirrors a lot or avoiding them altogether, going to great lengths to hide perceived flaws, and picking at your skin. The NHS warns that it can lead to depression, self-harm and thoughts of suicide, and that symptoms probably will not go away without treatment.

If either description fits, see a GP. In England you can also refer yourself to NHS talking therapies.

What treatment works for these conditions?

For body dysmorphic disorder, the NHS recommends cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), usually including exposure and response prevention, which involves gradually facing situations that would normally trigger obsessive thoughts about your appearance, while your therapist helps you find other ways of dealing with the feelings. For moderate or severe symptoms, an SSRI antidepressant may be offered alongside or instead. For eating disorders, the NHS notes that with treatment most people can recover.

Where can hypnotherapy help with body image?

If eating disorders and body dysmorphic disorder have been ruled out, or if hypnosis is used with the agreement of your treating clinician, it may help with:

  • Stress and self-criticism: a calming routine for moments when harsh thoughts about your body start.
  • Rehearsing a new response: picturing a trigger, such as a mirror, a photo or a clothes shop, and practicing a different reaction.
  • Eating with less tension: rehearsing a meal eaten slowly and without commentary.

What it should not do is focus on losing weight or changing your body if you have a history of disordered eating. Ask the practitioner directly what suggestions they plan to use, and stop if sessions leave you more preoccupied with your appearance.

What should make you cautious about a practitioner?

Promises to “fix” your body image in a set number of sessions, pressure to buy a package, or a program that mixes body acceptance with weight-loss targets. A responsible practitioner will ask about eating disorder history and refer you on when needed.

A warning to take seriously

If thoughts about your appearance or food are taking up much of your day, if you are restricting, bingeing or purging, or if you have thoughts of harming yourself, put hypnotherapy aside and get medical help first. In the United States, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline if you are in crisis. Outside the United States, contact your local emergency number or crisis line.

This article is general information, not medical or psychological advice; talk with a licensed clinician about your own situation.

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