The Mirror - 5 July 2009
Losing weight is almost always down to mind over matter, but never more so than in Joh Smith's case.
Joh, 37, was hypnotised into thinking she had been fitted with a gastric band - and lost an incredible FOUR STONE within months of the treatment.
The 5ft 4ins mum-of-one has never felt better after dropping three dress sizes without going anywhere near the surgeon's knife.
Legal assistant Joh has slimmed down from 13st to 9st 4lb, and from size 18 to a slinky size 12 with weight loss hypnosis.
She says: "I was really sceptical this would work but the results have been truly amazing.
"I had tried every diet under the sun and nothing worked. But I felt actual surgery was just too risky so this seemed like the perfect alternative."
In a real gastric band op, the size of the stomach is reduced with an adjustable band so the patient can only eat small meals before feeling full.
Instead Joh, from Twickenham, South-West London, but now living in Malaga, Spain, had hypnotherapy at the Elite Clinic in Fuengirola - which claims to be the only place offering the pioneering £800 treatment.
"Before I had the hypnotherapy my problem was always overeating and snacking on sugary junk food," says Joh, who had four one-hour sessions.
"Now that I think I have a band I've cut my portion size in half. My mind thinks my stomach is tiny so I feel full much quicker. It's also caused me to stop snacking on junk as I simply don't feel like eating it anymore."
At Joh's first session with the hypnotherapist, she was asked to talk about her bad relationship with food.
But by the fourth session she was being talked through a gastric band op as though she was really going through the surgery.
To help with the illusion, special equipment pumped out the smells of an operating theatre and a recording of surgical tools being picked up and put down was played. Joh says: "When they actually come round to the final session and the therapist convinces you you're having the op, it's so realistic you actually believe you are lying in that operating theatre.
"Obviously there's no pain whatsoever as you are so relaxed. But the fact you can smell anaesthetic and hear sounds like a surgical tool makes it completely believeable.
"So when you go to eat something you can only have a small portion or healthy food as your subconscious has been tricked into believing you have a band fitted." After the treatment Joh's weight quickly began to fall.
But if she starts losing too much weight she can have the "operation" reversed and the band "removed" with another hypnotherapy session.
Delighted Joh adds: "My husband Fernando loves the way I am. I know I look good when I'm going out with him now. I can go swimming with my fiveyear-old Bertie, which I couldn't before, and I have a whole new wardrobe.
"The only problem now is how to pay for all my new clothes!"
Weight loss hypnotherapy is a very effective treatment in enabling clients to lose weight without dieting. Our trained hypnotherapists are leaders in the filed of hypnosis for weight loss and are achieving great results. Speak to one of our expert weight loss hypnotherapists about losing weight with hypnosis at London's leading weight loss hypnotherapy clinic - The Harley Street Hypnotherapy Clinic.
