Category Archives: Weight Management

The Dragon Does Not Live Here Anymore!

Dear Miriam, 
I am sick and tired of being tired, of constant dieting, of being always hungry. It seems to me that there should be a better way to live!
Lora M., 42

Dear Lora,

We need to understand what it means to be in good health, before we can regain (or maintain) wellness. The new approach to health and wellness has been evolving in our society for the last 20 years. To summarize it: our biography has become our biology. In other words, we need to realize that our state of being, our degree of wellness (or illness) is a result of our being and doing in the world. There is a direct correlation between who we are and our state of health. Let me share with you what I consider to be one of the most accurate and effective ways to explain the dynamics of illness (be it eating, shopping, sex, smoking, drinking, or any other form of addictive behavior).

From ancient mythology comes an image, an archetype of the Three-Headed Dragon, who could not be slain by cutting off just one head. All three heads must fall. Similarly to slaying the Three Headed Dragon, the battle from habitual (or addictive) behavior also consists of a three-fold approach: the first head of the dragon is the behavior (e.g. overeating), the second is the feelings we experience (our emotions on the subject), and the third is our thought process. These represent the three fold system that must be dealt with, in order to journey from illness to wellness; to slay our dragon!

Every therapist who is involved in weight control is well aware that dieting and taking pills to reduce one’s appetite is not the answer. Appetite is a psychological inclination to eat (it makes us feel like eating), but eating is a behavior – an outer manifestation of our mental and emotional state. This is why dieting is not an answer to permanent weight management. The main causes of unhealthy eating habits are stress, anxiety, frustration, anger, family and sexual problems, feelings of guilt, and self-punishment. These negative emotions are mostly unconscious. That is why I believe that the treatment for the emotional roots having to do with poor eating habits could be hypnosis and/or therapy.

The problem of overeating is mainly psychological (emotional and mental) and when the emotional causes of unhealthy eating habits are corrected through hypnotherapy and mental attitudes are changed through a combination of hypnosis and cognitive – the necessary foundation for change will be built. When we change all three aspects of our being and doing: emotional, cognitive (thinking), and behavioral (our habits), the result will be permanent: The Three Headed Dragon will never live within us, ever again!

Love,
Miriam

How To Release Your Weight – And Suffering – And Keep It Off

Dear Miriam, 
I have been on so many diets… I’ve lost and found my extra pounds so many times. I’m starting to realize that there may be more to my situation than meets the eye. Any suggestions?
Sincerely,
Rita F.

Dear Rita,

If you’ve been on many diets and have found yourself returning to your old eating habits, there’s most probably an emotional cause which requires release. One that comes with many pounds of pain. Some of us constantly struggle with our weight, feeling hopeless when it comes to overcoming our craving for food. If this is how you feel, then most probably, there are some areas of your life that are toxic or unresolved. Here are a few of the most probable ones:

Current issues; love and/or work relationships, finances, and money issues, motherhood guilt, and adult sexual traumas

Childhood and/or adolescence; unresolved (and unexpressed) pain and suffering, psychological abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse

I would like to stress the link between traumatic sexual experiences (past, recent, or current) and decreasing self-esteem and chronic overeating. Every weight over-conscious woman I’ve ever worked with has searched for a sense of self-acceptance and relief in her relationship with food. Another way to say it is: Many of us have an unhealthy coping mechanism that involves emotional hunger, which manifests as a physical necessity to eat. The whole issue of being ’emotionally overweight’ can be summarized easily.

If we were not so emotionally hungry, we would not be eating as much. If we didn’t eat as much, we wouldn’t have so much extra weight. The primary feelings that lead to that emotionally fueled hunger are unresolved and under-expressed (sometimes even unremembered) anger, fear, and shame. Only after you release the pain and suffering of stress and abuse, can you come to redefining your self-worth and begin accepting yourself and rebuilding your self-esteem. When we are ready to release the past with all of the attached pain, the weight is no longer needed; it will be released, and our chronic unhappiness will be lifted. My newer clients often ask me, “Why should I go through the pain of my past? How long will it take? Why can’t you just hypnotize me to lose weight?” I urge my clients to uncover that buried pain from the past that deprives them from today’s happiness, joy, and aliveness.

It takes as long as it has to. Obviously, your desire and readiness to release the past are major factors.

Love,
Miriam

P.S – In case you don’t catch why people ask about hypnotism, I use hypno-counselling for habit-modification, stress reduction, discovering family patterns, weight releasing goals, sources of anxiety, depression, and compulsive eating, among other things.