Weight and eating habits
Online hypnotherapy for weight loss
Not another diet. Hypnotherapy may help you manage cravings, ease comfort eating and stick with the healthy plan you've chosen, working privately from home, a few steps from the kitchen where the habits live.
How hypnotherapy helps with weight loss
Hypnotherapy may help you manage cravings and stick to a calorie-controlled diet and exercise plan. Adding it to a structured programme has research behind it: in a 1996 analysis of controlled trials, people who had hypnosis as well as a cognitive-behavioural weight programme lost more weight on average than people on the programme alone, and the gap grew at follow-up (Kirsch, 1996). A re-analysis that year found a smaller extra benefit, but in the same direction (Allison & Faith, 1996).
Your own commitment still counts. Hypnotherapy works with your willpower rather than replacing it, and it makes the choices you've already made easier to keep. Most people don't overeat for lack of information. They eat for comfort, from boredom, as a reward, or on autopilot, and sometimes food is doing a job that goes back years. That's the level we work at.
What we can work on
- Comfort and emotional eating
- Evening snacking and grazing
- Sugar cravings and the foods that undo your good intentions
- Eating on autopilot, and noticing when you've had enough
- Motivation to move more, and to keep going past the first few weeks
- A kinder, more positive picture of yourself (see confidence)
Why online works especially well for weight
Eating habits are formed at home: the fridge after a long day, the biscuit tin, the sofa in front of the television. Working online puts us right where those patterns run, so what we rehearse in a session is set in the same surroundings where you'll need it that evening.
Many people also feel self-conscious talking about weight face to face. At home, with nobody else in the room and my voice quiet in your headphones, clients often tell me they speak far more openly about food and how they feel about themselves. And with no travel, regular sessions fit around work and family, which matters for change that needs keeping up over weeks.
What a course looks like
- A free consultation. 15–30 minutes by phone or video to talk about your goals and what has and hasn't worked before.
- Your first session. We look at when, why and how you eat, and you have a first, relaxing experience of hypnosis.
- The sessions that follow. Tailored work on cravings, triggers and motivation using Ericksonian hypnotherapy and NLP, alongside the healthy eating and exercise plan you've chosen.
- Self-hypnosis to keep. For the moments that used to derail you.
Sessions are an hour, by Microsoft Teams or Zoom. There's no one-size-fits-all programme. After 7 hours (usually five sessions), any further sessions for the same issue are £97.50 an hour: see my halve-fees promise. For other patterns, see habits, and for the practical side, how online sessions work.
Questions about weight loss and online sessions
Is this a virtual or hypnotic gastric band?
No. I work on the habits, emotions and motivation behind how you eat, alongside a sensible eating and exercise plan.
Do I still need to watch what I eat?
Yes. Hypnotherapy helps you stick to a calorie-controlled plan and keep active; it doesn't replace one.
Will you weigh me or ask me to show myself on camera?
No. I only need to see your head and shoulders, the same as any video call. What you share about your weight is entirely up to you.
What if I have a medical condition or an eating disorder?
Check with your GP first, especially if you take medication that affects your weight. Eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia or binge eating disorder need specialist support, so please speak to your GP or the eating disorder charity Beat. See is it right for me?
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Format | Online by Microsoft Teams or Zoom |
| First step | Free 15–30 minute consultation |
| Fee | £150 per hour; see fees |
| Typical course | Usually around five sessions (7 hours) |
| Session length | 1 hour |
Who you'll be working with
I'm Tim Dunton, an Advanced and Ericksonian Hypnotherapist with more than 20 years' experience, a Master Practitioner of NLP trained by Richard Bandler and John Grinder, a life coach, and a member of the General Hypnotherapy Register. More about Tim.
The research
- Kirsch I (1996). Analysis of hypnosis added to cognitive-behavioural weight-loss treatment. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 64(3):517–519. PubMed 8698945
- Allison DB, Faith MS (1996). Re-analysis of hypnosis as an adjunct to cognitive-behavioural therapy for obesity. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 64(3):513–516. PubMed 8698944
Individual experiences vary. See everything I can help with on what can be treated.
15–30 minutes by phone or video, no obligation. Or call 07923 495558.