What is the best therapy for Anorexia Nervosa?
In my experience the best therapy for Anorexia Nervosa is to address the key underlying psychological causes which mostly tend to relate to low self esteem and/or self/worth as well as a variety of suppressed emotions and/or limiting beliefs.
At the bottom of the page you will find references to a number of research studies demonstrating the effectiveness of hypnotherapy in the treatment of Anorexia Nervosa.
Tell me more about your Anorexia Nervosa treatment
I use advanced hypnotherapy techniques to provide fast and effective relief from Anorexia Nervosa.
Most clients experience significant relief within three to four sessions.
Nutritional advice is also available from our Naturopath.
With my 100% Money Back guarantee you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. You have seven days after your therapy to get your money back if you are not completely satisfied.
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How Can Releasing Suppressed Emotions Help With Anorexia Nervosa?
Firstly, I am not a medical professional. My treatment for Anorexia Nervosa is based on over twenty years experience as a Clinical Hypnotherapist.
I will now outline how I believe Anorexia Nervosa can be corrected through releasing suppressed emotions and limiting beliefs.
I believe every human being has three major components – Mind, Body and Spirit.
Your Body is your physical body that you are quite familiar with. It is the vehicle used by your Soul (your true identity) to experience the physical world we live in.
Your Mind is a powerful computer interface that allows your Soul to control your physical body and experience the world through your five physical senses – Sight, Sound, Taste, touch, Smell.
When I talk about the Mind, I refer to the brain, the entire nervous system as well as your genes. Together these components create a powerful computer network. It is kind of like your personal internet running your body and your interactions with the outside world.
The number one program that your Mind runs is SURVIVAL. This highest priority program is the same for every human being. It is hard coded into your DNA. If you don’t survive nothing else matters.
The drive for survival is translated into MINIMIZE PAIN (ongoing pain is associated with dying) and MAXIMIZE PLEASURE.
How Are Pleasure and Pain Related To Anorexia Nervosa?
Pleasure and Pain or rather perceived pleasure and pain are related to all of our decision making. We make the choices that we believe will maximize pleasure and minimize pain in our life. Many of these daily choices are made without conscious awareness. Most of our choices are made habitually by our unconscious mind.
What Does All This Have To Do With Anorexia Nervosa Treatment?
My theory is that most cases of Anorexia Nervosa originate from suppressed emotions that are distorting our ability to make beneficial choices. Suppressed emotions can trigger painful associations (mostly at an unconscious level) that sabotage our decision making. It is not so much that the decision making is faulty. The problem is that the data used to make decisions is flawed. What makes it worse the data causing the problem is effectively invisible to the conscious mind.
Since the emotional triggers at the root of the problem are largely invisible to the conscious mind it is difficult to correct the problem without outside assistance. With proper guidance the unconscious mind can quickly remedy the situation.
Anorexia Nervosa is a symptom not the underlying cause. When the underlying mental/emotional causes are resolved then the symptom of Anorexia Nervosa also disappears and your enjoyment of life increases.
With my 100% Money Back guarantee you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. You have seven days after your therapy to get your money back if you are not completely satisfied.
Call 9650-6520 Today To Make An Appointment!
Anorexia Nervosa Hypnotherapy Research
According to Baker and Nash (1987) and Nash and Baker (1993) hypnosis was introduced to anorectic patients as a means of gaining enhanced self-control associated with various opportunities for increased security and mastery. The induction techniques used were structured and permissive. Hypnotic interventions were specifically designed to enhance the patient’s personal sense of power, to increase capacity for autonomous functioning, to support the therapeutic alliance, to provide a sense of ego support that leads to mastery and expectations for success. Hypnotic techniques were also used to correct body-image distortions seen as closely associated with the issue of integration or an appropriate and mature sense of personality. Improvement of body imagery and general identity integration led to enhancement of the client’s general capacity for mastery. This treatment approach was used successfully with 36 women with anorexia. Follow-up data at 5 and 12 months indicated that 76% of the patients demonstrated remission of symptoms and an acceptable, stabilized weight. In contrast, of 38 women who were treated identically without the use of hypnosis, only 53% achieved the same level of symptom remission and stabilized acceptable weight.
Hornyak (1996) presenting a case of treatment of anorexia nervosa that lasted 20 months provided detailed presentation of the issued involved in hypnotherapy. At different stages of the treatment, hypnotherapy focused on self-regulation, relaxation for mastery and control of tension states, affect identification and symptom management, ego-strengthening, “parts metaphors” based on ego-state theory, hypnotic intervention for the frustrated self state, autonomy and separation concerns, hypnotic interventions designed to accentuate the experience of separateness, hypnotic imaginary-mirror exercises, internalization and integration . According to Hornyak “hypnotic interventions can strengthen the self structure by providing needed self experiences within the context of a supportive relationship” (p.70). Three years after treatment, the client reported continued progress and, although at one point she had lost 5 lbs, she had regained the weight.
Barabasz (2000) used hypnotic techniques of integration/replication to treat a case of a woman with anorexia with body image distortion.
Baker EL & Nash MR (1987). Applications of hypnosis in the treatment of anorexia nervosa. American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, 29, 185-193.
Barabasz M (2000). Hypnosis in the treatment of eating disorders. In L. M. Hornyak & JP Green (Eds), The use of hypnosis in women’s health care. Washington DC: American Psychological Association
Hornyak LM (1996) Hypnosis in the treatment of anorexia nervosa. In SJ Lynn, I Kirsch and JW Rhue (Eds), Casebook of clinical hypnosis (pp 51-73). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Nash MR & Baker EL (1993). Hypnosis in the treatment of anorexia nervosa. In JW Rue, SJ Lynn & I Kirsch (Eds), Handbook of clinical hypnosis (pp. 383-394). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.