Hypnotizability and weight loss in obese subjects

Abstract

This study tested the effects of hypnosis for weight control. Hypnotizability was assessed by the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale: Form C (SHSS:C). Forty-five subjects completed the study with examiners who were blind with respect to hypnotizability scores. Subjects exposed to a simple self-management technique and to the Spiegel and Spiegel (1978) hypnosis intervention, modified to include specific food aversion, lost significantly more weight at a 3-month follow-up than subjects exposed only to the self-management treatment. The specificity of hypnosis in the program was supported by a significant correlation between weight loss and SHSS:C scores for the same group. Subject attrition was about equal across all treatment groups, suggesting all treatments were perceived as active.