November 2020
Today I had the honor and pleasure of working with an 80-year-old client whose goal is to curb and reduce her food cravings, mostly her craving for sugar in the form of unhealthy candy bars. Twenty years earlier she worked with a hypnotherapist for smoking cessation, it was so effective that she returned to the hypnotherapist to stop her craving for chocolate bars where he used the previous technique of auto-suggestion. After this session she was revolted by the sight of candy bars, this technique worked for many years before her sugar cravings crept back in. Because of her previous experience, I suggested that we take another path in hopes to find the root cause of these sugar cravings and extra helpings. This is what was discovered.
A: I will count you from three to one and on one, you will access a happy memory. Go with the first memory that appears. Three, two, one, be there now.
C: It’s Christmas and my father has just gifted me a donkey. He's actually a burrow I call Canary. I'm not allowed to keep him on the property. (Pause) I am on my bike and am riding to see my donkey. I don't mind having to ride my bike a mile each way to see him. (long pause)
A: What's happening now?
C: I am bringing him a pail of food (Pause) he is running towards me with his small hoofs.
A: Describe him.
C: He is soft, his nose is white his eyes, large and dark and his lips are smooth and soft. He puts his head on my shoulder. (Pause) I am on his back riding with my younger sister seated behind me. I love him so much. (Pause) I’m sad.
A: Why are you sad?
C: I had to leave him when we moved. My father found Canary a new home with two foster boys.
A: Let’s go to this scene, I will count from three to one and on one, you will be there in the scene in which you are saying goodbye to Canary. Three, two, one, be there now. (Pause) What is happening?
C: I'm crying, Canary is looking at me, his soft furry ears are tilted back. (Client is quietly crying) Now, I am in the backseat of the car with my sister, looking out through the window. I see the two foster boys riding my donkey. I can't stop crying. (Pause) I cry for an entire month. I feel such sadness.
A: I want you to go inside your body now and describe where this sadness resides, what you see, and or feel?
C: (Pause) I feel it in my stomach. (Pause) It feels like an emptiness. (Pause) The picture I drew of him made me feel better.
A: Okay, I want you to go to the scene in which you are drawing the picture of your donkey. Three, two, one, be there now. (Pause) Where are you?
C: I am in my bedroom, drawing my donkey.
A: What colors are you using?
C: I'm using mostly grays, whites, and some browns. (Pause) I am now drawing myself standing next to him with a blue and green sweater and I am also drawing a blue and green sweater on my sister. I draw my sister and I pigtails. (Pause) I feel much better. (Pause) I hang the picture on my bedroom wall. (Pause) The crying stops after I draw this picture.
A: Okay, let's go to another important scene in your life. I will count you from three to one and one you will be there. Three, two, one, be there now. (Pause) Are you inside or outside?
C: I’m outside (Pause) I’m two years old and I’m sitting on the porch. My parents have just returned from the hospital with my new baby sister. When I go to the living room many people are gathered around her, she is lying in a bassinet. (Pause) She is entertaining everyone. I peer into the bassinet, she smiles at me, she is so pretty and so confident. (Pause) I walk back out to the porch and sit down. I wish I was pretty like her and could entertain everyone like she does and had the confidence she has. (Pause)
A: I want you to go inside your body and describe what you are feeling.
C: I feel sad.
A: Where do you feel sad?
C: I feel sad in my stomach and maybe my mind. I’m not sure about my mind.
A: Ok, go to your stomach, and then your mind and describe what you might see and feel.
C: My stomach feels empty and I guess my mind does too.
A: Now, I want you to be your adult self and see that two-year-old sitting on the porch, wishing she had the confidence and entertaining qualities her new baby sister has. And If you could tell this 2-year-old anything what would you tell her right now?
C: I guess I would tell her that I like her.
A: Okay, tell her that.
C: I like you.
A: She hears this, now I want you to respond as your two-year-old self to your adult self. What do you say when you hear, I like you.
C: I like you too.
A: Is there anything else you would like to tell your 2-year-old self?
C: Yes, be happy.
A: What does she say in response?
C: She smiles.
A: Is there anything else you wish to tell your two-year-old self?
C: No that's it.
I then gave my client an auto-suggestion cue to apply the next time she has a craving for more food and sugar, with the cue to be continuously applied whenever a craving appears.
When the session was over my client was surprised to recall these two very old memories. She was happy to feel very relaxed and energized and is looking forward to our next hypnotherapy session.
Two months later my client called to share with me that she wasn’t craving sugar nor was she having extra helpings of food.
This post is made possible with the consent of my client. All rights reserved.