International Handbook of Clinical Hypnosis - E-Lib FK UWKS

15
Hypnotherapy in Obesity
JOHAN VANDERLINDEN
University Center St-Josef, Belgium
INTRODUCTION
International Handbook of Clinical Hypnosis. Edited by G. D. Burrows, R. O. Stanley, P. B. Bloom
Copyright # 2001 John Wiley & Sons Ltd
ISBNs: 0-471-97009-3 Hardback); 0-470-84640-2 Electronic)
In this chapter, we review the possibilities and limitations of hypnosis and
hypnotherapeutic techniques in the treatment of obesity. Note that hypnosis is not
used alone as a separate treatment such as, for instance, behavioral or family
therapy: hypnotherapeutic techniques should always be combined with and integrated
into an existing therapeutic model. Hypnosis is therefore always part of a
multidimensional approach, since it is assumed nowadays that biological and
psychological factors can function in combination as pathogenic factors in the
development of eating problems. Our own approach Vanderlinden, Norre &
Vandereycken, 1992) can be characterized as a form of directive therapy: the
therapy is pragmatically oriented and eclectically inspired. The approach contains,
among others, behavioral, cognitive, and interactional components.
PROGNOSTIC FACTORS
Obesity or corpulence, meaning an excessive percentage of body fat, has grown
into a gigantic problem in recent years. Epidemiological studies give the fraction of
obese people in the United States as 35% of the total population, whereas in Europe
®gures range from 10 to 25%. There is a considerable number of theories about the
etiology of this problem, but they will not be discussed here for an overview see
Beumont, Burrows & Casper, 1988). However, it is generally accepted that the
in¯uence of physiological, biological and genetic factors may be much more
important than was initially presumed. Overall, ®ve separate factors have been
identi®ed in the literature as having a favorable prognosis Smith & Fremouw,
1987):
1. It is well documented in the literature that rigorous restriction of calorie intake
causes a 15±30% reduction in the basal metabolic rate. This puts a strong
International Handbook of Clinical Hypnosis. Edited by G. D. Burrows, R. O. Stanley and P. B. Bloom
# 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd