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HEALTH AND BEAUTY ARCHIVE:
538: Pool party
Keep your cool this summer with a visit to one of Tokyo’s many pools.
Metropolis shows you where to take the plunge.
536: Don't sweat it
With the hot and humid months upon us, Cristy Burne share some tips on staying
cool.
534: Swept away
Put away your broomsticks—all you really need to soar through the clouds
is an armful of nylon and a good gust. Cristy Burne checks out the air up there.
532: Tee time
Can’t keep it on the fairway? The ‘yips’ invaded your game?
Rob Smaal finds a few experienced golf pros who can work out your kinks on the
links.
530: Balancing act
An ancient science is helping modern men and women find peace, health and
the always elusive “balance.” Tama M. Lung takes a closer look at
ayurveda.
528: Kicking on
Former K-1 Japan champion Nicholas Pettas shares his love of martial arts
at the new Spirit Gym in Nogizaka. Chris Betros goes along to watch.
526: On call
A revolutionary daily disease self-management system is making life easier
for diabetics. Chris Betros finds out about Lifewatcher.
524: Team spirit
From rugby to roller hockey, Tokyo is teeming with sports clubs for the
expat athlete. Rob Smaal shows you how to get in the game.
522: Type casting
Second-generation blood-type expert Toshitaka Nomi looks at the links between
blood classifications and health. Mick Corliss reports.
520: Like a rock
Climbing instructor Luke Kearns gets a grip on Tokyo's best indoor climbing
gyms.
516: The personal touch
Madonna and Matsui aren't the only ones who need help staying fit. Hanna
Kite pumps it up with the top personal trainers in Tokyo.
514: From here to maternity
Kavitha Rao turns to a handful of Tokyo experts to track down baby basics
for nervous expat mothers-to-be.
502: Tour de Morton, part deux
Don Morton gets back on two wheels for a leisurely ride out toward Haneda
Airport.
ISSUES 499-
ISSUES 449-
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Mind over matter
Forget fat content,
low metabolism and counting calories: Weight control is a
mind game. Cathy Frances investigates hypnosis, the new personalized
method of dieting.
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| Picture by Christine
Engelberg |
Despite Japan's abundance of healthful foods and general
devotion to health, its capital's residents find it easy
to succumb to the temptations of everything from cigarettes
to fast food. And after struggling with their willpower and
weight, many Tokyoites are now turning to hypnosis to help
tip the scales in their favor. “If people realized how
much potential power they contained within themselves they
would be absolutely amazed,” says Tokyo hypnotherapist
Tim Harrington. “The mind is like an iceberg with the
subconscious part 90 percent submerged. Hypnosis can tap directly
into this and, correctly used, guide people towards self-help.”
The American Society of Clinical Hypnosis defines hypnosis
as “a state of inner absorption, concentration and focused
attention.” Indeed we have all experienced this “trance”
state to some extent. Like when you're on the Yamanote
line and become so engrossed in a thought or a book that you're
oblivious to your surroundings and before you know it you're
in Ikebukuro—when you meant to get off at Shinjuku. Hypnosis
effectively reproduces the same condition, but focuses attention
on a specific pre-determined task, like appetite control.
Hunger pangs
“Since eating habits usually have very little to do with
merely satiating hunger, hypnosis can be particularly effective
for long-term weight control,” says Beth Phillips-Pogan,
founder of the Phillips-Talbot Therapeutic Center in Minami-Azabu.
A 40-year study by psychologists at the University of Connecticut
found that the average client receiving cognitive-behavioral
hypnotherapy showed greater improvement than 70 percent of
clients receiving non-hypnotic therapy, and the effects were
“particularly pronounced for obesity patients, who continued
to lose weight after treatment had finished.”
“Weight gain of over 70 pounds can sometimes be related
to deeper, older issues held onto as protection, creating
a ‘shield' around the body,” Phillips-Pogan
explains. “If a client is willing to go deeper and explore
these issues through hypnosis, they can identify and heal
the issue, eliminating the need to protect themselves, and
the weight will melt away permanently.”
On again, off again
Lydia and Mike are classic cases of Tokyo expats who needed
more than a Weight Watchers diet sheet. “Since I was
16, I tried every diet under the sun,” says 32-year-old
Lydia. “For me it wasn't just a matter of losing
weight; it was a whole emotional, lifestyle merry-go-round.
I'd be upset or bored—I'd eat, gain weight,
become more upset, eat more…then go on a ridiculous crash
diet, like the five-day egg and grapefruit diet, and celebrate
my new, svelte figure with a slap-up meal.”
Moving to Tokyo exasperated the emotional extremes, adding
homesickness, loneliness and frustration to the equation.
A financial advisor, Mike says not understanding the kanji
on menus made fast food an easy, addictive option. “With
Big Mac breakfasts and late-night socializing in izakaya,
I put on 10kg in as many months,” he confesses.
In desperation, they both turned to Tim Harrington at the
Tokyo Hypnotherapy Center, who has spent the last 13 years
helping Tokyoites with habit control—especially smoking,
but also phobias, relationship problems, cultural adjustments
and work performance issues.
“I always take a holistic approach when clients consult
me,” Harrington explains. “It is important to address
other issues that may have an influence on the problem at
hand. For example, in Mike's case, enhancing his ability
to read and memorize food kanji made him able to select healthy
options from the menu, putting him back in control of what
he ate. Hypnosis can help emotional eating; in Lydia's
case, I incorporated stress management and exercise into her
program.”
Just relax
In another success story, Phillips-Pogan recalls a client
who was doing really well on his weight loss and exercise
regime, but whose progress was being sabotaged by his addiction
to chocolate. “It took a single session for him to be
able to control his desire, instead of chocolate controlling
him,” she recalls.
As with all healer/patient practices, relaxation is key.
“A good practitioner will have rapport with the client
and be able to induce this naturally,” she continues.
“For example, many people associate relaxation with a
tropical beach, but for someone who hates lying in the sun,
and prefers reclining in front of an open fire, this may have
the opposite effect. “During a consultation I listen
to what the client says, picking up the exact words and images
a client uses and will therefore be familiar to their subconscious.
This can greatly enhance the effectiveness of a hypnosis session.”
According to Phillips-Rogan, repetition and suggestiveness
also contribute to the technique's effectiveness. “I
use the positive parts of the pre-trance consultation to formulate
a self-help plan, then reinforce the positive images direct
to the subconscious mind. For example: ‘My body is getting
leaner and healthier every day. I love eating healthy foods
and drinking water. I love my body.'”
She and Harrington agree that most clients will notice dramatic
alterations in their eating habits after just one session,
but it usually takes six to eight sessions to reinforce and
fine-tune the hypnotic message.
Another point all the experts agree on: It's necessary
for the patient to be motivated. Hypnosis cannot force you
to have an experience or be susceptible to a suggestion unless
that desire already exists within. Take the previous example
of reading a book on the Yamanote line. No one, not even a
hypnotherapist, can force a person to read a book against
their will. What hypnotherapy can do, however, is to take
your intrinsic interest in a particular book and filter out
all thoughts to the exclusion of the book and positively focus
your concentration.
Uses and abuses
In an effort to improve hypnosis' utility, some practitioners
record sessions for their clients. “This has the additional
benefit that the client can listen to the tape at home, where
they are likely to reach a greater state of relaxation and
continue their own treatment long term,” Harrington explains.
One final important point is that hypnosis should not encroach
on matters more suited to treatment by a medical doctor. “I
generally screen potential clients by telephone. For example,
it is important to ensure that weight problems aren't
caused by hormonal or thyroid disorders.”
In other words, before seeking out hypnotherapy, make sure
your problems are all in your head.
More information
Tim Harrington, Tokyo Hypnosis Centre, near Shinjuku.
Tel: 03-5305-5066. One session: ¥10,000. First session
approximately 1.5 hrs; subsequent sessions 1 hr.
Beth Phillips-Pogan, Phillips-Talbot Therapeutic Center,
Mind, Body and Soul, Minami-Azab, Minato-ku. Tel: 03-3446-6071,
email: bpogan@gol.com
One session: ¥10,000. First session approx. 1.5 hrs;
subsequent sessions 1 hr.
DIY
A brief search of the Internet will reveal a myriad of do-it-yourself
hypnosis tapes. “Self-help tapes are good,” says
Harrington. “In fact, I have used them myself, but they
do have limited use. It is like buying a tape on tennis coaching.
Nothing can replace a person correcting your personal mistakes
and tailoring the coaching to your needs.”
Want to read more about hypnosis for weight control? The
following are websites that provide useful information:
http://pages.globetrotter.net/drknight/Dump.htm
www.hypnosiscenter.com/weight-loss-hypnosis-sessions.htm
www.achievement.com/autodiet.htm
www.mdhypnotherapy.com
http://how-can-i-lose-weight.com
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