What was it like?
Did you know you were hypnotised?
Can you remember what it was like when you were?
I sat in a lovely relaxing chair with a fleece blanket over me. I remember hearing the therapist's voice and her touching my shoulder. It was pleasant and relaxing. Afterwards I felt completely normal, and very chilled and relaxed. I never felt out of control or uncomfortable.
Did you notice the change straightaway? And how simple is it. Do you just not want to eat chocolate anymore?
I went for the zero chocolate option
. The therapist did offer me the option to have less chocolate but I wanted to cut it out altogether. It was instant, but I can't remember if it was after the first or second session . But I do remember leaving the practice and going to a shop and freaking out when I saw chocolate!
At the beginning of the session during the chat, the therapist had asked me to name three things that repulsed me and she then linked chocolate to those three things.
When I say freaking out, I mean that I involuntarily jumped back and put my hand over my mouth
while giving a little scream. I then realised what I'd done, laughed and moved quickly away from the chocolate. Initially, the response was quite large. I couldn't be in the same room as anyone eating chocolate. I couldn't go down the chocolate aisle in the supermarket without a real effort of looking in the opposite direction and deep breathing. I once had to leave the table in a restaurant as the lady at the next table, which was very close, was eating a chocolate bomb dessert. That has all gradually eased off. I still have absolutely no desire to eat chocolate but now I view it a tad more like I would jellied eels or liver, ie it makes me uncomfortable and I turn my nose up.
Interestingly, as I'm typing this and thinking about this I'm actually starting to feel quite sick.
How accessible is it at the moment?
I don't know. Perhaps Celticmissey can tell us.
Do you eat no chocolate at all now or is it a case of being able to eat it when you want but being able to just have a small amount?
I don't / can't eat any but that was my choice.
Could hypnotherapy help me lose weight and make better decisions about food?
Absolutely. As long as you want it to.
Did you stop straight away after first session or did you gradually decrease?
Stopped immediately. Not eaten any chocolate since.
Do you think it would help with an eating disorder?
I would think so but only if the person with the eating disorder wants it to help.