Hypnotherapy in Eating Disorder Treatment

Contributor:  Tammy Holcomb, LPCS, CEDS, NBCCH, Executive Director at Carolina House and Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist 

I have found that clients with eating disorders are often receptive to incorporating hypnotherapy techniques into their therapy.  Hypnotherapy is very helpful for those working on issues around fear and anxiety.

Stop for a moment and put yourself into the shoes of a client with an eating disorder.  Imagine that you have received an invitation in the mail from your favorite person, and they have invited you to their favorite restaurant to celebrate a special occasion with them.  Imagine the various fears that may be triggered by such an invitation:  fear of going to a restaurant, fear of being seen in public, fear of the actual food, and the list goes on.

Hypnotherapy can be a tool to use to help a client work on these fears in order to be able to join their friend in a meal, but also to help with other situations that trigger anxiety for them.  Hypnotherapy fits very well with other therapeutic modalities like Dialectic Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).  Hypnotherapy can also incorporate elements of Breathe work, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Biofeedback, Therapeutic massage, Reiki, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, and Exposure Therapy.

Hypnotherapy is meant to be a brief therapy used to create subconscious change in a client in the form of new responses, thoughts, attitudes, behaviors or feelings.  The first stage of hypnotherapy is to help a client create an atmosphere of deep relaxation for them.  This is called induction.

An important piece of this is to always remind them that they are in control of their experience and are safe.  Your role is to offer support and guidance to keep this experience safe and productive. My experience is that this stage fits very nicely with teaching DBT mindfulness.

Working Phase

Once a client is in a relaxed state, they have a variety of experiences that you can help them create.  This is called the Working Phase.

One is the idea of a “perfect day”.  The therapist would work with the client to develop in detail both what a perfect day would be like, but also the sensory elements to the day (i.e. smell, taste, sound, tactile experience, visual). Once the client learns how to create and store this experience in their memory, they can use this as a form of self-hypnosis to assist them in being able to regulate their mood in stressful situations.  Again, this goes very nicely with DBT Emotional Regulation.

Often, this “perfect day” experience can be used at the beginning of a therapy session to help a client create a state of deep relaxation and readiness to change.  The therapist might then introduce a creative situation to trigger the stress response to allow them the opportunity to work on exposure therapy without putting them in a true life situation that might not be safe for them at that point in their therapy.

For example:  I might tell a client to imagine driving by the restaurant and looking inside.  Then, a client would have a chance to practice skills to use in the “real life” experience.

Regression

A more controversial usage of hypnotherapy is helping clients work through blocks in memory work.  This is called Regression.

The reason this is controversial is the idea that a client is very vulnerable to suggestion while in a hypnotic state.  For therapists trained in trauma work, the goal is to use the hypnotic trance to help a client see their past without being overwhelmed by the emotions surrounding the memory. It is very important to move blocks out of a client’s way and not to suggest anything for them to see.  This work is best done by those trained and experienced in advanced trauma work.

Verbal and Imaginative Restructuring

One of my favorite uses of hypnotherapy is helping clients learn to view their story/narrative in new ways (Verbal and Imaginative Restructuring).  By joining with them as they have these guided meditation type of experiences, it gives the therapist a chance to really introduce new ways of viewing themselves, their body, and their life experience.  For those who are very creative and visual, this can be a wonderful new way to do body image work.  While they are in a relaxed state, having a therapist guide those to viewing themselves in a positive loving light can be extremely powerful.

An example of this might be that I am working on a client who is self-conscious about how muscular her arms are.  She might wear clothing to try to hide them and avoid situations where she would feel “exposed.”  I might paint a scene where she is in a position to save a child by using her strong wings to fly across a dangerous area.

I would spent time allowing her to feel gratitude for her strength and courage.  I would also reinforce at the end of the session that is ok for her to take pride in her strength and that it is ok for her to be a strong person.  She doesn’t have to make herself “small” to please others.  I might write an affirmation down on a piece of paper and send it home with her such as “strength of eagles.”

 

For those interested in adding hypnotherapy to their current treatment plan, I would suggest a couple of options. One is to ask their therapist about these techniques.  They may already have some of these skills or they may work with another therapist who does.  The National Board of Certified Clinical Hypnotherapists provides resources on their site.  This is also a good resource for therapists who want to develop new skills.  I completed this certification about 4 years ago, and feel that it has been a wonderful addition to prior training.  In some areas, you can also find workshops where people learn more about hypnotherapy in a group setting.

 

Community Discussion – Share your thoughts here!

What has been your experience with hypnotherapy in the treatment of disordered eating?  How did you find your hypnotherapist?

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About the Author:

Tammy Holcomb is a native of Savannah, GA, and earned her Master’s Degree in Community Counseling and Specialist Degree in Counseling Education from Georgia State University in Atlanta.

Tammy began working with the Eating Disorder Community in 1987 on an acute care inpatient eating disorder unit at a psychiatric hospital in Atlanta. For 19 years, she ran her own private practice, Stargazer Counseling, and was widely recognized in the metro Atlanta area for her work in treating sexual trauma, eating disorders and addictions.

Tammy worked on inpatient eating disorder units at Brawner Psychiatric Hospital, Peachford Hospital and Ridgeview Institute. In addition to working in inpatient facilities, she created outpatient programs at Kaiser Permanente and Stargazer Counseling. Since education is a big part of prevention, Tammy has been a featured speaker at many colleges and universities, school districts and treatment facilities. Tammy believes that eating disorders are best treated by a team approach. This is one of the many factors that lead to her move to North Carolina in 2012 to join the Carolina House team. After many years of working with some of the best programs in the Georgia area, she wanted to be part of a program that provided a haven for women to heal on many levels. At Carolina House, Tammy found a beautiful wooded atmosphere for clients to take a break from their busy lives and reconnect with both nature and themselves. It provided all of the elements that she believes lead to long-term recovery from an eating disorder.

 

The opinions and views of our guest contributors are shared to provide a broad perspective of eating disorders.  These are not necessarily the views of Eating Disorder Hope, but an effort to offer discussion of various issues by different concerned individuals.  We at Eating Disorder Hope understand that eating disorders result from a combination of environmental and genetic factors.  If you or a loved one is suffering from an eating disorder, please know that there is hope for you, and seek immediate professional help.  

 

Last Updated & Reviewed By: Jacquelyn Ekern, MS, LPC on August 10, 2015. Published on EatingDisorderHope.com