Hypnosis vs weight loss drugs in the UK – which is right for me?

I’m guessing you want to lose weight, but are unsure which route to take? Perhaps you have heard about hypnosis for weight loss, and you have doubts. Maybe you have looked into weight loss drugs, but you're worried about the side effects. Well, I’m here to dispel some myths and give an overview of both, so you can decide for yourself, hypnosis vs weight loss drugs – which is best for you? 

Overview 

What is hypnotherapy?

Hypnotherapy is a therapeutic technique that helps you to reach a state of deep relaxation. In this state, our conscious brain is relaxed, and the unconscious is more open to suggestions.

It is very much like the moment before we go to sleep. We are relaxed, yet if someone said jump out of bed now, we could.

No one can force you to think or behave in a way that you do not want to. You are in full control of the hypnosis session.

The hypnotherapist is there to guide and help you to retrain your brain for the outcome that you want. 

What are weight loss drugs (UK)?

Weight loss drugs come in the form of injectable drugs that aid the slowing down of your digestion and reducing your appetite. Or they are in tablet form, which reduces fat absorption from food.

Purpose

Hypnotherapy

To understand how hypnotherapy can help you, it helps to understand its purpose. It is not a magic wand that makes you change whilst you sit back and relax. People come for hypnotherapy for weight loss because they want to make changes not just to their eating, but for their own personal development.

You may have tried many diets and realised that diets only help in the short term. You end up going back to eating the same way as you did before the diet. You probably are aware that there is a deeper reason as to why you eat the way you do, you just don't know what that is.

Hypnotherapy helps you to access your unconscious, which is the part of us that dictates many habits and ways of thinking. When we try to make changes, we are only focusing on our behaviours. Underneath those behaviours are our thoughts and emotions. These are created by our perception of events and programming from our childhood. To help us live an efficient life, the unconscious part of us suppresses these emotions, so we often don't know why we are thinking or behaving the way we do.

Therefore, a hypnotherapist will help you to become aware of the thoughts and emotions keeping you stuck. When we become aware, this enables us to start changing. We become aware of our behaviours around food, which then leads us to build a better relationship with food and ourselves.

Weight loss drugs (UK)

Originally, weight loss drugs were developed to help diabetes patients. They work by reducing your appetite, slowing digestion, which keeps you fuller for longer and increasing insulin secretion, which manages your blood sugar levels. Studies have shown that they can be effective for weight loss.

Benefits

Benefits of hypnotherapy

A qualified clinical hypnotherapist will seek to understand your struggles with weight loss. They will help you to understand your eating patterns and why you eat the way you do. This is so you can start working on the cause of your emotional eating. 

Hypnotherapy helps you relax the conscious part of your brain that keeps you stuck in your habitual patterns. When we relax that part, we are open to changes. With the help of a therapist, we can start to question our behaviours to understand why we do them, which helps us to change.

In hypnotherapy sessions, we are making changes in the unconscious. This means we are changing our habits for good. We have full control and are changing them to what we want them to be changed to. The therapist will not tell you what to do, rather help you work out what you want to change and how.

Because we are relaxing the conscious part, many people also notice feeling more confident, more in control and empowered to make the changes they want.

Benefits of weight loss drugs (UK)

Weight loss drugs work by mimicking certain hormones within your body. They reduce your appetite by acting on brain receptors that control your appetite. This helps you reduce your overall food intake. They can also help you process glucose more efficiently and improve your insulin sensitivity, which makes it easier for your body to regulate your blood sugar levels. Weight loss drugs also help you to delay gastric emptying into your intestines. This makes you feel fuller for longer.

Costs

Cost of hypnotherapy

Depending on which therapist you visit, the cost can be anywhere from £50 for one session to a few hundred pounds for several hypnotherapy sessions. Some hypnotherapists are happy for you to pay for each session separately, while others will sell packages.

Depending on your issues, you may need more than one session. Some hypnotherapists work online, which will reduce travel costs and time spent travelling, whilst some people prefer to visit a hypnotherapist face-to-face in their office.

Cost of weight loss drugs (UK)

In some cases, you can be prescribed weight loss drugs, though you have to meet certain criteria. You may still need to pay the prescription charge. Costs can range from £120 for 0.25mg pens, increasing with each dosage and each month. After the initial months, some costs can rise up to £299 per month.

Risks

Risks of hypnotherapy

Hypnotherapy is not suitable for everyone. If you are cynical, it is not going to help. If you think hypnotherapy is going to be a magic wand and you can just go to sleep and wake up a different person, you may be disappointed.

We are working with the unconscious. This is great in many aspects, though it can open a door that you may not be ready to open. The good news is that you are in control of that door. No one can force you to open up your psyche if you are not ready to.

Hypnotherapy is not recommended if you have a mental health condition, such as psychosis or schizophrenia. This is because it can put you into an alternative state that may cause you to go into a manic episode.

Unfortunately, hypnotherapy is not regulated in the UK. This means anyone can set up a hypnotherapy practice with no training. The Hypnotherapy Directory only lists qualified hypnotherapists who are registered with accrediting bodies. This means they are qualified to practise clinical hypnosis and are practising safely and ethically.

A good hypnotherapist will also work under supervision. Meaning they have meetings with a more senior and experienced hypnotherapist who is qualified to oversee and check people's work. It's a safety check to ensure each client is being worked with in the best way for them. 

Risks of weight loss drugs (UK)

The risks are going to vary depending on your health conditions, the dosage and duration of use. Some of the common side effects are: nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea or constipation, headaches, and extreme loss of appetite. Some serious side effects could be: inflammation of the pancreas, gallbladder problems, and kidney problems due to dehydration.

They are not recommended for people who are pregnant and breastfeeding, or people who have eating disorders.

Which is right for me?

If you want to make long-term changes to your eating, I would consider hypnotherapy. If your eating is disordered in any way, hypnotherapy is going to be able to help with that. If you are prepared to do some psychological work on yourself and you want to improve yourself, hypnotherapy will benefit you.

Hypnotherapy works on your mindset. It is giving you other benefits such as improving your confidence, self-love, feeling in control, and the ability to empower you to make decisions that will be helpful for you. As you are working on yourself and your mindset, it can empower you in other areas of your life as well.

Weight loss drugs are designed to assist you medically. They could help you in the short term, but consideration is needed for long-term use. If paired with improvements to your diet and lifestyle, they can be a quick boost to help you lose stubborn weight. They could be used alongside hypnotherapy to help you medically and to change your mindset.

You have to consider what will happen once you stop taking weight loss drugs. If you have not worked on your mindset or changed your diet and lifestyle in any way, you could go back to eating the way you did before taking any drugs.