The recent announcement by Prime Minister David Cameron that people who cannot work because they are obese or have alcohol or drug problems could have their sickness benefits cut if they refuse treatment, has put the focus firmly on our lifestyles. 
There are many treatments for weight control and addictions and among those with a high success rate is hypnotherapy. It is a non-invasive form of treatment which works directly with a person’s sub conscious.
Goals are discussed and, after a session the client may feel uplifted, lighter and very relaxed. Often change is very subtle, as the hypnotherapist will be working with the subconscious mind, and the client may just notice a very positive shift in how they are feeling.
Last week the BBC reported that Cameron has launched a review of the current system, which he says fails to encourage people with long-term, treatable issues to get medical help. Some 100,000 people with such conditions claim Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), the government says.
There is currently no requirement for people with alcohol, drug or weight-related health problems to undertake treatment.
Mr Cameron has asked Prof Dame Carol Black, an adviser to the Department of Health, to look at whether it would be appropriate to withhold benefits from those who are unwilling to accept help.
“It is not fair to ask hardworking taxpayers to fund the benefits of people who refuse to accept the support and treatment that could help them get back to a life of work,” Cameron said.
The National Council for Hypnotherapy (NCH) holds one of the largest registers of independent Hypnotherapists in the United Kingdom and strives to maintain the highest standards among its members.
Regarding addictions, the NCH defines an addiction as something a person feels they have no control over which affects their lives and the lives of those they care about.
Habits such as overeating or smoking are the most common, but there are many other behaviours that affect people’s lives, like drug addiction, which make them unhappy or cause a risk to their health and the health of those around them.
If you have an unwanted habit or behaviour, says the NCH, it may often feel as if you are out of control, that there is someone else or something inside of you that is making you do this. The good news is that you are in control, you can change how you react to certain situations, and you can protect yourself in ways that are healthy and which allow you succeed and grow stronger in body and mind. You just need to know how to change it, and to believe you can.
The reason why hypnotherapy works so rapidly with bad habits and behaviours is because it works directly with the subconscious, bypassing the critical mind and getting to the root of the issue so that changes can be made that support your goals quickly and efficiently.
The NHS says an obese person may also benefit from psychological support from a trained healthcare professional, to help change the way they think about food and eating. The body says there is no ‘quick fix’ for obesity as weight loss programmes take time and commitment, but they work best when people are able to complete the programmes fully and are offered advice about maintaining the weight loss achieved.
An NCH hypnotherapist will help a person set realistic goals and teach the client that a weight loss programme is about changing their habit with food for the rest of their life. Unlike crash diets it changes the root of the compulsive eating or lack of interest in exercise.
