Happy Mind: The Philosophy and Science of Happiness

 

A new treatment is available in Brighton. It's called PSYCH-K and it promises to help with a number of issues, including stress, prosperity, relationships, self-esteem, spirituality, health, weight and addictions. It combines a number of therapeutic techniques into one approach and claims to reprogram the unconscious mind, replacing the beliefs that hold us back with positive ones like “I am free to be happy and healthy”.
 
Sceptical, but intrigued, I meet therapist Cazzie Dare to find out more about PSYCH-K and try it out myself. Cazzie is warm and friendly, and makes me feel at ease straight away. She explains that her interest in the treatment started in November 2005, when she attended a conference which exposed her to the ideas of Robert Williams, the originator of PSYCH-K.

 

Katherine Power asks hypnotherapist Jonathan Conway what role hypnosis can play in weight loss.

 

It's January again, the month of resolutions, when goals like losing weight and looking toned are on people's minds even more than usual – and that's saying a lot, considering a poll by Grazia this year found that the average British woman worries about her body every 15 minutes.
 
Making the same resolutions year after year suggests we may be wise to pick new resolutions, or change how we go about achieving our goals. Personalities like hypnotist Paul McKenna, author of I Can Make You Thin, have popularised the use of hypnosis to deal with the mental causes of weight problems. The general idea is that achieving the desired body weight will be easier if the unconscious mind can be made to cooperate.
 
Although few studies show hypnosis alone to have an effect on weight loss, the combination of hypnosis and behavioural weight management seems to be more effective than the behavioural treatments alone, and psychologists such as David Bolocofsky have theorised that hypnosis may act as a reinforcer, helping subjects to learn healthy food habits.