Hypnotherapy?

I bought Paul McKenna’s “I can make you slim” a while ago. I’m not sure if it’s the same one that’s being advertised on TV at the moment, I’ve a feeling it may have been updated. I’m a fan of Mckenna on TV and he does some great stuff in business seminars too I hear, but I was very underwhelmed with the CD and couldn’t get into it.  It started with an introduction that said all I had to do was follow a “few simple rules”, and he would do the rest, or something.

OK Paul, what are the rules? First, eat when you’re hungry. Ok, I can do that. Second, stop immediately when you’re full. Hmm, I don’t do that, but that does make sense. Listen to your body he said. Hmm, I heard a few creaks and groans, the odd fart even, but nothing to tell me what to eat. Eat whatever you like said Paul. Cool, said I. There’s one exception to this, said Paul cheerily – “avoid sugar”. WOOOAAHHHHHHHH. I just spotted the flaw. I mean, I know it makes sense, but is this advice worth £12.95? I’ve never been a smoker so I don’t know what his quit smoking CD says, but if it cheerily advised me to follow the simple rule of “avoiding fags” I would feel a bit cheated. And so I did. Avoiding sugar is not a simple rule, not for me anyway. It is a lifelong, and thus far unsuccessful, 24/365 battle of wills against all odds, surrounded as I am by temptation and compelled as I am to give in.  And yes, I know I sound like a girl.

But strangely, I wasn’t put off hypnotherapy. I’ve seen Paul on telly teach people who are scared of getting wet to swim, or people with massive phobias to hold and stroke whatever it is they are scared of. The invisible force which draws me like a magnet to the first batch of Cadbury’s Cream Eggs each year is strong, but not as strong as the force which made that poor woman shriek and recoil at the sight of a snake, and he sorted her out in no time.  So it probably just loses something in mass production I think. Therapy is a very personal thing, it doesn’t lend itself to CDs.  I can’t afford to go and see Paul Mckenna (at least, I assume I can’t – I haven’t asked to be fair, but he’s minted, why would he get out of bed for less than 10 grand a day?). So I’ve found a nice lady called Wanda on the internet, and we got on OK so I’ve stumped up £260 in advance for a four session course with a bit of support by email and an so on in between. That sounds like a fair crack of the whip, and if it doesn’t work, I’ll try something else. No stone unturned but no repeated failures is my philosophy for 2009.

Tags: change lifestyle, diets, get fit, hypnotherapy, paul mckenna, weight loss blog