The gastric band operation is a surgical procedure that helps the patient lose weight by reducing the size of the stomach, thus limiting the amount of food necessary to tell the brain that the body is full. This procedure it considered very effective; however, it has several downsides, including a high price tag and a number of potential health complications. Fortunately, there is an alternative known as gastric band hypnosis, which is thought to accomplish similar results without the use of surgery. This form of hypnosis is said to use suggestion and misdirection to lead the patient to believe that he or she has actually undergone a gastric band operation, which will then cause the patient's subconscious to react to hunger in the same way a person would after the surgical procedure.
Hypnosis has long been used to treat a number of problems, such as stress or depression, a smoking habit, or even a lack of confidence. Considering all of the conditions that this form of therapy can be used to treat, it is not surprising that many try to use it for weight loss. Gastric band hypnosis is one of many forms of weight loss hypnotherapy and, in some cases, is thought to be an effective method. Although there are several different programs that differ in some ways, most work in a similar manner.
Gastric band hypnosis often begins by bringing the patient into an operating room setting. The patient will often be bombarded with the sights, sounds, and smells of an operating room and will then be placed under hypnosis. During this stage of the session, the patient is given the suggestion that he has undergone surgery, and will often be made to forget that he has actually gone through the process of hypnosis. In subsequent sessions, the patient may also undergo band tightening procedures should he require further assistance.
Once this has been done, the patient will often be convinced that his stomach is now about the size of a golf ball, which may result in him feeling full at a quicker rate. This may not always be the case, however, and some people may not respond to gastric band hypnosis at all, or may respond better to different forms of hypnotherapy. Even if this therapy is effective, the results may be altered if the patient becomes aware that no surgery has taken place.