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Does Weight Loss by Hypnosis Work?

Overview

A July 2009 statement by Human Health and Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius says that six in 10 Americans are overweight. The same number want to lose weight. However, some find traditional weight-loss methods do not work for them, so they might choose alternative approaches, such as hypnosis. Weight loss by hypnosis works, but it will not magically melt pounds away.
History

Modern hypnosis begins with Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815), who postulated that "disease was caused by imbalances of a physical force, called animal magnetism" (Institute for the Study of Healthcare Organizations and Transactions, or SHOT). Through the redistribution of this magnetic field, Mesmer believed, diseases could be cured. Believers in his theory improved on his methods, and by the 1920s experimental work on hypnosis was being carried out at the University of Wisconsin. Today, hypnosis is defined by the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis as "a state of inner absorption, concentration and focused attention." The Society lists 32 uses for hypnosis in medicine, dentistry, and psychotherapy and behavioral medicine, including its use as a tool for weight loss.

The Facts

Hypnosis to lose weight, says Bianca Hitt of the Vanderbilt University Psychology Department, "run[s] the gamut from simple relaxation techniques to formal inductions administered by hypnotists" (Weight Loss Through Hypnosis?"). Typically, the process, when used in conjunction with a behavioral program, will help participants focus on and follow up on suggestions made in these programs. She concludes, "Hypnosis combined with a behavioral weight-loss management program contributes significantly to weight loss."
Effects

The Institute for the Study of Healthcare Organizations and Transactions cites a 1995 study by I. Kirsch, appearing in the "Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology," which says that total weight loss by participants who received individual hypnotic suggestions and who also set goals lost two times as much weight as a comparison group receiving no hypnosis. The same study says that participants' weight loss continued after the hypnotic treatment concluded.
Considerations

However, there are some caveats. The Institute for the Study of Healthcare Organizations and Transactions notes that the weight lost through hypnosis was not enough to affect patients' overweight status. And although Hitt agrees that weight loss through hypnosis appears to work when combined with behavioral management programs, she questions studies that seem to indicate weight loss can take place through hypnosis alone. For example, subjects had varying ages and backgrounds, and one study did not make use of a control group. For that reason, she does not recommend hypnotic treatment alone for weight control. What's more, she adds that hypnotic treatment seems to be most effective for only moderate weight loss. Finally, Hitt states that group hypnosis for weight loss does not seem to be as effective as individual hypnosis.
Misconceptions

You will not emerge from one hypnotic session with an entirely new way of thinking and lose 100 pounds without trying. Hypnosis, Hitt says, will not "magically reprogram people's minds." She emphasizes, "One should approach any claims that hypnosis can naturally alter the inherent workings of the mind with extreme caution." Rather, hypnosis is a state of heightened attention, which, Hitt notes, requires regular sessions as well as behavior management therapy in order for weight loss to take place.