Hedonic (Happy) System

Our brains are hard wired for pleasure and reward in the mesolimbic system (a.k.a. “twinkie circuit”) which can make food act like a drug addiction. Dopamine motivates our behavior and strengthens our anticipation. It encourages us to engage in a complex set of pursuit- and- acquisition behaviors. Dopamine drives desire through a survival-based capacity known as “attentional bias”, which is the exaggerated amount of attention paid to highly rewarding stimuli at the expense of other (neutral) stimuli. This gives rewarding foods (and other rewarding experiences) prominence in our minds so that we focus our attention on pursuing them. We get a hit of “happy.”

Food activates brain reward circuitry both through palatability (involves endogenous opioids and cannabinoids) and through changes in ghrelin, insulin and leptin concentrations (this is how homeostatic and hedonic systems normally interact in the control of food intake and regulation of body weight).

Drugs activate this same circuitry via their direct effects on dopamine cells or indirectly through neurotransmitters that modulate dopamine cells such as opiates, nicotine, y-aminobutyric acid or cannabinoids.

Slender For Life™ clients learn hypnosis for weight loss and are able to end the addiction to food and create healthy and natural ways of  happiness.

My challenge to you today is to do at least one healthy activity that provides you happiness.

Click here if you’d like more information about the Bariatric Counseling and Hypnotherapy Certification course that Richard Nongard and I are teaching in Dallas, Tampa and Seattle.

Check out Slender For Life™ and call (206) 903-1232 or email for your free consultation.

Remember to sign up for your FREE 8-part audio course, Understanding Hypnosis, at the right side of this page NOW!

When you lose weight do you ever feel sabotaged and that not everyone is rooting for you? Today in America, it is abnormal to be at a healthy weight. It is abnormal to eat fruits, vegetables and grains and to stop eating when your body tells you it has enough fuel. If you choose to let go of the excess pounds, you’ll likely have people around you who consciously or unconsciously try to sabotage you. The  Slender For Life™ hypnosis for weight loss program provides you self-hypnosis tools so that you can lose weight and keep it off. In my book, Becoming Slender For Life and its hypnosis CD set, I offer you ideas on how you can conquer sabotage.

Not everyone may be rooting for you

As sad as this is to imagine, not all of your friends and family may be thrilled that you are releasing weight. The reasons for this are complex, and don’t necessarily imply that you have mean-spirited people in your life. It is often inadvertent on the part of the saboteurs—they rarely realize what they are doing. This can be one of the toughest hurdles to leap, especially if the saboteurs are in your immediate circle. So if this is your reality, the first key to dealing with it is awareness. Here are some signs of diet sabotage—how many have you experienced?

• “Honey, you know I like you just the way you are.”
• “I think your love handles are cute.”
• “It’s Christmas…you can’t diet during the holidays.”
• “Just have a few bites…this is the best cake I‘ve ever tasted.”
• “You’re wasting away to nothing.”
• “What—now you’re too good for my cooking?”
• “What do you mean you’re not eating meat anymore—have you lost your mind?”
• “I wondered why you were so grumpy lately—it must be because you’re on a diet.”
• “The gym can wait…I haven’t seen you in ages.”
• “You’re doing so well on your diet—let’s go out for ice cream to celebrate.”
• “It’s too cold to go for a walk—let’s watch a movie instead.”
• “But I made this pie just for you—it’s your favorite!”
• “Why bother dieting—you know you’ll just gain it all back and then some.”
• “Oh come on, have the last cookie.”
• “Just finish up these potatoes—there aren’t enough to save for another meal.”
• “Let’s celebrate your birthday at that French restaurant you love so much…you know how you adore their chocolate tortes.”
• Then there are friends who repeatedly pass bowls of junky snack foods to you every time you come over.
• Co-workers who always have a candy bowl on their desk and bring donuts into the office once a week.
• Spouses who offer boxes of candy and other treats as gifts.
• Don’t go getting too skinny on us now.
• You look great! You don’t need to lose anymore weight.

Julie’s experience is typical. “Whenever I make an effort to improve my eating and reduce my weight, my friends, my mother and even my husband seem intent on undermining me. They bring rich foods into the house, they push desserts in front of me and tell me I don’t need to diet.”

Your weight loss program forces those around you to examine their own weight, and that may make them uncomfortable because they aren’t ready to change. Or perhaps they’ve witnessed your past weight loss failures and are simply trying to prevent another one. Or they could be simply jealous and fear that you may seek out new relationships to match your new body and improved self-image.

Whatever the cause, the answer is speaking your truth to those you experience trying to sabotage you. Let them know how you view their actions and words and request their support. It’s fair to ask your mother to fix more vegetables when you come over to eat. It’s okay to tell your friends to put the Cheetos away before you stop by. It’s reasonable to ask a co-worker to consider bringing healthier treats into work—or to at least put her donuts someplace less conspicuous. Even better—if it feels comfortable to do so, consider suggesting to your boss that the company adopt a healthy eating policy and dissuade employees from bringing in junk food. In any case, be sure to keep healthy snacks at the office so you can join in a birthday celebration—without the cake. When people try and shove food in your face, just say firmly: “No thanks—maybe later.” A conditional response will often make them go away, when a firm “No” elicits an argument. Above all, don’t be afraid to be assertive about what you need to succeed. You are the only one who gets to decide what you eat, and you need to enforce that right.

Others may need reassurances from you that you will not abandon them once you reach your target weight. Rather than nagging and pleading, be a good example for them, and some of them may well join you in your quest. Perhaps you’ll need to find new ways of participating in familiar social rituals. If you’re accustomed to going out for drinks after work with pals, you can still go—just order mineral water and a veggie plate instead of a pitcher of beer and a heap of onion rings. Or if you need to turn down food offered by friends and family, make sure they understand it’s the Boston cream pie you’re rejecting, not them.

But there’s no doubt your priorities will change as you get healthier. You may prefer going to the gym after work instead of a pub. You may want to go for a nice long run on Saturday mornings rather than go out for a big greasy brunch. You may learn to love different restaurants than the ones you’ve been used to frequenting. All these things can be cause for concern among those who are invested in your not changing. When they complain to you about your new habits, simply but firmly explain that you now place a high priority on your health, and let them know they are welcome to join you. If they insist on telling you how you should eat and what worked for them, simply smile, nod your head and say, “Thank you, but this is working for me.” Inevitably, some friends may indeed fade away from your life—but they will be the ones who are most toxic for your longterm success—so just remain clear what matters most to you, and you’ll be fine. For every potato who won’t get off the couch with you, there’s a new friend waiting who’ll love to join you on your daily walks.

Spouses can present the worst situations. A New York diet doctor studied data from more than 6,000 of his patients, and found that 70 percent of the women had difficulty eliciting support from their mates, as opposed to 5 percent of his male patients. He learned that a man often considers his wife’s diet as her problem, not his, and is unaware how his actions affect the outcome. Fears and concerns about sexual attractiveness may also be part of the mix. Communicating why you are intent on releasing your excess weight and enlisting your spouse as a partner is key. Emphasize that your motivation is better health and more time to enjoy life together—it’ll be hard to argue with that.

Remember, every time you say “yes” to something you know is not good for you, when what you really want to say is “no,” you can create passive anger within yourself. Passive anger can gnaw away at you in the form of guilt and depression, making lifestyle changes much more difficult. Until you can say “no” whenever you want to, “yes” means nothing. When others sabotage you, remember that the problem lies with them and not you. You have taken charge of your life.

If sabotage remains an ongoing issue for you, journal about it. Your reality may be that you will just have to have stronger resolve and constant clarity about your intentions. Venting about it to your journal is at least an outlet. And you are especially likely to find comfort from a support group. Just don’t give away to anyone the power to determine the fate of your body!

~Chapter 7, Becoming Slender For Life pages 213 -216

Stop looking to everyone else for support. Starting rooting for you! Hypnosis is the ultimate display of control and with self-hypnosis you can be your best cheerleader.

Purchase your copy of Becoming Slender For Life
and its hypnosis CD set now

Check out Slender For Life™ and call (206) 903-1232 or email for your free consultation.

Remember to sign up for your FREE 8-part audio course, Understanding Hypnosis, at the right side of this page NOW!

Autoimmune Color Shrinking is the new hypnosis MP3 download featured this week in the Hypnosis Health Info Store. Studies have shown that the use of various sorts of imagery and relaxation exercises can indeed improve the function of specific parts of the immune system. Use your imagination for your health with Autoimmune Color Shrinking.

Autoimmune Color Shrinking

Put your imagination to work to  improve the function of your immune system.

Autoimmune Color Shrinking is available for immediate download for only $12.97. Length 29:05

Click here to purchase
Autoimmune Color Shrinking

Visit the Hypnosis Health Info Store for this and other quality
hypnosis books, CDs and MP3 downloads

Check out Seattle hypnosis and Bainbridge Island hypnosis.
Call (206) 903-1232 or email for your free consultation.

Remember to sign up for your FREE 8-part audio course, Understanding Hypnosis, at the right side of this page NOW!

Irritable Bowell Syndrome & Fibromyalgia ~ An Overview: Training The Chronic Illness Monster is this weeks featured hypnosis training DVDs in the Hypnosis Health Info Store. This 4 DVD set features Melissa Roth and Roger Moore and is one of the day-long training programs at the Seattle Counseling and Hypnotherapy Conference Fall, 2011, sponsored by Roger Moore’s Institute of Hypnotherapy.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a chronic digestive disorder that affects up to 20% of the population. One out of every five people in the general population and one out of three adult women are affected to some degree by IBS. The incidence of IBS among teenagers is skyrocketing. Melissa Roth, PhD, developed this program in 1996 to alleviate her own severe IBS symptoms. Like the majority of clients who have used this program, she remains symptom-free. And after almost fifteen years of worldwide use, 86% of clients have become and remained symptom-free. 94% of clients experience a minimum 50% reduction in symptoms. The symptoms do not return when the sessions end. Unlike other programs, there are no symptoms left for the client to “manage.” It includes anatomy, physiology, medications, conventional treatments, hypnotic theory, nutritional information, and more. Learn this valuable therapy process from the developer herself!

Fibromyalgia, or FMS, is estimated to affect 10% of the general population. As the baby boomer generation ages, those numbers are predicted to rise. Melissa Roth, PhD, developed this course in 1997 to eliminate her own severe FMS symptoms. Like most of the clients who use this program, she remains symptom-free. This package contains everything you need to know to perform this therapy for your clients and get the same levels of results that Melissa gets with her clients. Over 80% of clients become and remain symptom-free after the sessions end. 97% of clients experience a significant reduction in symptoms. For many FMS clients the changes are dramatic, allowing them to return to a higher level of functioning very quickly. It contains anatomy and physiology, conventional tests, information on drugs and their side effects, conventional treatments, hypnotic therapy, nutritional information, client educational information, marketing tips and more.

You will learn:

• How to build a thriving practice using medical referrals and addressing both the physical and emotional aspects of Auto-Immune Disorders.
• Specific methods for pain control, symptom relief and management of chronic health conditions
• Hypnotic methods of treatment that can be used as part of either hypnotherapy or traditional counseling
• Strategies that have been demonstrated to improve a client’s level of functioning.Practical Interventions for Healing both the Emotional and the Physical Needs of Clients in Counseling and Hypnotherapy

Melissa J. Roth CHt., PhD, and
Roger Moore CHt., PhD Instructors

DVD recording from the Fall 2011
Seattle Counseling and Hypnotherapy Conference

Click here to Purchase Irritable Bowell Syndrome & Fibromyalgia ~ An Overview
4 DVDs of this 8 hour training at the
Fall 2011 Seattle Counseling and Hypnotherapy Conference

The evidence is overwhelming that Hypnotherapy produces  dramatic results in  improvement in symptoms for over 80% of IBS sufferers.

On a National basis, this Fibromyalgia therapy provided greater than a 50% reduction in symptoms for 94% of the people who tried it and these symptoms remained improved even after the sessions ended.

Check out Roger Moore’s Institute of Hypnotherapy
Call (206) 903-1232 or email for your free consultation.

Remember to sign up for your FREE 8-part audio course, Understanding Hypnosis, at the right side of this page NOW!

Jon Kabat-Zinn defines mindfulness as “the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally to the unfolding of experiences moment by moment.” Mindfulness, being present and conscious in your body is essential for weight loss and for maintaining your healthy ideal weight. Having to have a second bowl of ice cream because you don’t remember the first bowl is a classic example of being out of your body – of being anything but mindful. One of the many benefits that I have received as a result of self-hypnosis is learning to be more mindful. I am much more aware of my feet on the floor, my butt in the chair and of breath in my body.

Mindfulness is being used to treat many physical and psychological problems, including stress, anxiety, depression, borderline personality disorder, chronic pain, addiction, and eating disorders. Mindfulness is used as a methodology for treating a variety of emotional problems, among which are borderline personality disorder, anxiety and depressions, eating disorders, and substance abuse. The way most people think about anxiety is as a chronic focus on worries about the future, without acknowledging the reality of the present. An anxious person worries about what might happen in the future, rather than focusing on what is happening in the present. Even a non-anxious person, during the process of worrying, is engaged in future-oriented thinking, talking to self, and focus on anticipated events. Mindfulness provides an alternative focus as attention is drawn to the present moment, thus breaking the maladaptive cycle of worrying.

Afflictive emotions— our jealousy, anger, hatred, fear—can be put to an end when you realize that these emotions are only temporary, that they always pass on like clouds in the sky. My mental state, I think, is quite peaceful, quite calm. If there’s some sad news, some heart-breaking news that comes, for a short moment, I am very disturbed, very sad, but then it goes. So like an ocean, the waves come and go, come and go. – Dalai Lama, 1999

Jon Kabat-Zinn tells us that the “real mindfulness meditation never comes to an end – it is your life. Breath will go go, taste will go on. The real meditation practice is your life.” Showing up in your life is not trivial. It is one of the hardest things in the world is to be in your body. At Slender For Life™ I teach clients to use a stress reduction technique to become present in their body so that they can notice the food before them and then eat slowly….consciously……mindfully.

Stop eating a short distance from your body. Turn the TV off and stop texting when you eat. Allow your mouth to full appreciate the tastes and textures of the food you eat. Learn self-hypnosis and be mindful – show up in your life!

Read Eating Mindfully

Check out Slender For Life™ and call (206) 903-1232 or email for your free consultation.

Remember to sign up for your FREE 8-part audio course, Understanding Hypnosis, at the right side of this page NOW!

Family Involvement May Help Overweight Kids Change Habits

WebMD, January 23, 2012: Parents and grandparents can play a unique role in reversing obesity by encouraging healthy lifestyle changes in overweight children, suggests the American Heart Association. A new statement issued by the organization calls for more family involvement when treating childhood obesity. It describes specific ways parents and caregivers can be “agents of change” to support healthier behaviors in overweight and obese kids.

In many cases, the adults in a family may be the most effective change agents to help obese children attain and maintain a healthier weight. To do so, the adults may need to modify their own behavior and try some research-based strategies.

According to the AHA’s recommendations, some successful weight loss strategies that parents can use with children include:

• Identifying, as a family, specific behaviors that need change
• Setting goals and monitoring progress; clearly defining weight loss goals, such as limiting TV and computer screen time to no more than two hours a day
• Providing a home environment that encourages healthier food choices, such as having fewer tempting sweets in the home but having more fruit available
• Encouraging physical activity and being a positive role model for an active lifestyle
• Praising a child’s progress and avoiding food as a reward or punishment
• Treating “slips” as learning opportunities — a chance to make different choices the next time they happen

Read Family Involvement May Help Overweight Kids Change Habits

I love supporting families with weight loss hypnosis. My book, Becoming Slender For Life and its hypnosis CD set can help support you and your family in being agents of change. If someone in your family needs to lose weight, get the whole family involved.

Check out Slender For Life™ and call (206) 903-1232 or email for your free consultation.

Remember to sign up for your FREE 8-part audio course, Understanding Hypnosis, at the right side of this page NOW!