Hypnotherapy in weight loss treatment.

This study investigated the effects of hypnosis as a treatment for weight loss among women. The sample consisted of 60 women between the ages of 20 and 65 who were at least 20% overweight and were not in any other treatment program. Six client variables (suggestibility, self-concept, quality of family origin, age of obesity onset, education level, and socioeconomic status) and one process variable (multi-modal imagery) were analyzed in relation to the dependent variable (weight loss). Two experimental groups, hypnosis plus audiotapes (Hy-T) and hypnosis without audiotapes (Hy), and the control group (Cont) were investigated for weight loss immediately after treatment and again after a 6-month follow-up. The primary hypothesis that hypnosis is an effective treatment for weight loss was confirmed, but the seven concomitant variables and the use of audiotapes were not significant contributors to weight loss.