Using Self Hypnosis to overcome Bulimia

A treatment program using hypnosis downloadable MP3s.

US$ 24.95

Email me: admin@vancouverhypnotherapy.org

When I started working as a hypnotherapist I was surprised how many people came to me with anxiety problems.  Many of them, as I got to know them better, revealed that they had at one time or another used binging and purging as a form of release. 
For some people it’s something they find leaves them feeling cleansed. For others is seems an inevitable path down which they can’t avoid moving. The feeling comes, and then they realize it can only end one way.
As I worked with these clients it began to become obvious that hypnotherapy worked very effectively in the vast majority of cases. Perhaps the process of talking about the issue contributed; perhaps it was the knowledge that hypnosis effects people at a deep and profound level.
As I learned more about my friends with bulimic issues, I began to create a program based on the success I found in treating them.  While some techniques worked for some, and other techniques worked for others, I began to build a library of tools that would be available to anyone suffering this debilitating affliction.
While I see many clients personally, I also get many enquiries from people far away from my office in Vancouver. As a result I put together the Bulimia Treatment Program using downloadable MP3s. It offers you a way to share in these techniques. You can load the files directly to your mp3 player if you choose to, or run the directly from your computer. This allows you to listen discretely,  without the worry of anyone overhearing you. Simply play the file when you go to bed. The sound file will ease you to sleep while giving you subconscious instruction that will help you overcome bulimia. This isn’t magic. It works and is based on well proven psychological principals.
Together we are able to beat this. I do it all the time with other clients, and I really can do it with you too.
It’s very important you understand something as you start out on this path that will end your bulimia. There is no more shame in having bulimia than there is in have the flu. This is something you have experienced, but that does not define you. The more you remove the feelings of sadness and shame around bulimia, the more you remove its power. Soon it will be just a detail in your past.
The Bulimia Treatment Program consists of 4 sound files. It costs US $24.95.

Learn more about Bulimia.

What do you get in this treatment program?

1. Reducing anxiety about your situation. This file is a good place to start, and will help you with motivation to sort out your food issues. Listen to it each night for two or three nights.

2.Ending Purging. This file is the second file in your therapy. You alternate it with file 3 over a period of two weeks.

3. Ending Binge Eating. This file is the third in your therapy system. While you will still eat, learning when enough is enough is key. Use this file alternate nights switching with file 2.

4.You need food now! This is an intervention file. This file is for use if you have become weak with lack of food or are exhausted. If you need to use this file, use it until you return to a functional level of health. If you are in doubt about this email me. Give as much detail as you can. I will respond as soon as I can.

More information about bulimia.

What to do next:

1. Click on the 'Buy it now' button.

2. You will be taken to a system that allows you to pay online using your credit card. Once the payment is complete, you are fowarded to a page which will allow you to download your files.

3. When the option to play or save is displayed, select 'save'. Save each of the files to a location on your computer such as 'My Documents'.

4. Either load your therapy to your Mp3 player, or run it directly from your computer. Please do so in a place in which you can relax completely. The best place is your bedroom just before you go to sleep.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me.

Rob Hadley

What is Bulimia all about?

The minimum you need to know.

When you have bulimia nervosa, it's common to live in a world of secret shame and self-disgust. But you may feel trapped by this addiction-like relationship with food.
Bulimia is a type of eating disorder in which you're preoccupied with your weight and body shape, often judging yourself severely and harshly for perceived flaws. With bulimia, you engage in episodes of bingeing and purging, where you eat a large amount of food and then try to rid yourself of the extra calories by such unhealthy ways as self-induced vomiting or excessive exercise.
Bulimia is a serious, potentially life-threatening eating disorder. Because it's so intimately related to self-image — and not just about food — bulimia can be difficult to overcome. But effective bulimia treatment can help you feel better about yourself, adopt healthier eating patterns and reverse serious complications.
When you have bulimia, you regularly engage in episodes of binge eating followed by attempts to prevent weight gain. A binge is considered eating a larger amount of food than most people would eat under similar situations.
For instance, when you have bulimia, you may eat an entire cake, rather than just a slice or two. And you may continue eating until you're painfully full, which is inevitably followed by some method of purging. Sometimes people with bulimia feel a need to purge after eating only a small snack or a normal-size meal.
Bulimia is categorized in two ways:

• Purging bulimia. You regularly engage in self-induced vomiting or the misuse of laxatives, diuretics or enemas to compensate for binges.
• Nonpurging bulimia. You use other methods to rid yourself of calories and prevent weight gain, such as fasting or overexercising, which is sometimes called exercise bulimia.

The line between the two types of bulimia often blurs or overlaps. In fact, the attempt to rid yourself of extra calories is usually referred to as purging, no matter what the method. And in either type, signs and symptoms are similar.
Physical signs and symptoms of bulimia
Physical bulimia symptoms may include:

• Abnormal bowel functioning
• Damaged teeth and gums
• Swollen salivary glands in the cheeks
• Sores in the throat and mouth
• Bloating
• Dehydration
• Fatigue
• Dry skin
• Irregular heartbeat
• Sores, scars or calluses on the knuckles or hands
• Menstrual irregularities or loss of menstruation (amenorrhea)

Emotional and behavioral symptoms of bulimia
Emotional and behavioral symptoms associated with bulimia may include:

• Constant dieting
• Feeling that you can't control your eating behavior
• Eating until the point of discomfort or pain
• Eating much more food in a binge episode than in a normal meal or snack
• Exercising for hours on end
• Misuse of laxatives, diuretics or enemas
• Being preoccupied with your body shape and weight
• Having a distorted, excessively negative body image
• Going to the bathroom after eating or during meals
• Hoarding food
• Depression
• Anxiety

Binges often occur in private. You may raid the cupboards when home alone, for instance. Or you may make the rounds of several fast-food restaurants during one bingeing episode, secretly eating in your car between stops.
Once the binge episode ends, the purging begins. This may mean heading to the bathroom to vomit or hitting the treadmill for hours of exercise. Because most people with bulimia are of normal weight or even slightly overweight, it may not be readily apparent that something is wrong.
Risk factors
In Western, industrialized countries, only about 1 percent to 3 percent of women experience bulimia during their life. The rate of bulimia in men is about one-tenth of that in women. Bulimia often begins in late adolescence or early adulthood — transitional periods that are often accompanied by increasing peer pressure, dieting and emotional upheaval. Bulimia is more common in college students than in adolescents.
Although the precise cause of bulimia isn't known, researchers have identified certain factors that seem to increase the risk of developing or triggering bulimia, including:

• Dieting. People who lose weight are often reinforced by positive comments from others and by seeing their own changing appearance. Children who diet are more likely than those who don't to develop an eating disorder such as bulimia. In addition, people with bulimia may excessively restrict their eating. That dieting can trigger a binge episode, leading to purging and then more dieting — and consequently a vicious cycle.
• Puberty. Some adolescents have trouble coping with the changes their bodies go through during puberty. They also may face increased peer pressure and may have a heightened sensitivity to criticism or even casual comments about their weight or body. All of these can set the stage for bulimia and other eating disorders.
• Transitions. Whether it's heading off to college, moving, landing a new job or a relationship breakup, change can bring emotional distress. One way to cope, especially in situations that may be out of someone's control, is to latch on to something that you can control, such as eating. Excessive control over eating can lead to eating disorders.
• Sports, work and artistic activities. Athletes, actors and television personalities, dancers, and models are at higher risk of eating disorders such as bulimia. Eating disorders are particularly common among ballerinas, gymnasts, runners and wrestlers. Coaches and parents may contribute to eating disorders by suggesting that young athletes lose weight.
• Media and society. The media, such as television and fashion magazines, frequently feature a parade of skinny beauties. But whether the media merely reflect social values or actually drive them is debatable. In any case, exposure to these images may lead girls and young women — and their male counterparts — to believe that thinness equates to success and popularity.

If you have any bulimia symptoms, seek medical help as soon as possible. Bulimia usually doesn't get better on its own. It may even get worse if left untreated and take over your life.  Most doctors acknowledge the value of hypnosis in treating bulimia.
When you have bulimia, your life may revolve around food and eating. You may fantasize about food and be preoccupied with cravings for "forbidden" food. You may plan binge-purge episodes or the desire may seem to strike out of nowhere, perhaps triggered by stress, dieting, feelings about weight or body shape, and eating what simply starts as a normal meal with friends. In any case, bulimia is running the show, not you. Bulimia, along with the complications it causes, can rob you of the ability to enjoy life to its fullest.
If you have a primary care doctor, talk to him or her about your bulimia symptoms and feelings. Or seek help directly from a mental health provider. If you're reluctant to seek treatment, try to work up the courage to confide in someone about what you're going through, whether it's a friend or loved one, a health care professional, a teacher, a faith leader, or someone else you trust. They can help you take the first steps to successful bulimia treatment.
Helping a loved one with bulimia symptoms
If you have a loved one you think may have symptoms of bulimia, have an open and honest discussion about your concerns. You may not be able to force someone to seek professional care, but you can offer encouragement and support. You can also help your loved one find a qualified doctor or mental health provider and make an appointment. You may even be able to go to an appointment with him or her.
Complications
Bulimia may cause a host of serious and even life-threatening complications. The specific complications you experience may be related to your choice of purging method, such as overexercise or laxative abuse, and how severe your condition is.
Physical complications of bulimia include:

• Death
• Anemia
• Heart problems, such as abnormal heart rhythms and heart failure
• Tooth decay
• In females, absence of a period
• Gastrointestinal problems, such as constipation, bloating or nausea
• Electrolyte abnormalities, such as low blood potassium, sodium and chloride

In addition to the host of physical complications, people with bulimia also commonly have other mental health issues, too. They may include:

• Depression
• Suicide
• Anxiety disorders
• Drug abuse
• Alcohol abuse
• Excessive stress
• Self-injury behaviors

While there's no sure way to prevent bulimia, there may be ways to help. For instance, pediatricians may be in a good position to identify early indicators of an eating disorder and help prevent its development. During routine well-child checks or medical appointments, they can ask children questions about their eating habits and satisfaction with their appearance. In addition, parents can cultivate and reinforce a healthy body image in their children no matter what their size or shape. Be sure not to tease or joke about a child's size, shape or appearance.
If you notice a family member or friend with low self-esteem, severe dieting, disordered eating behaviors and dissatisfaction with appearance, consider talking to her or him about these issues. Although you may not be able to prevent an eating disorder from developing, your encouragement can steer someone toward healthier behavior or professional treatment before the situation worsens.
You generally can't treat bulimia on your own. But you can do some things for yourself that will build on your treatment plan. In addition to professional treatment, follow these self-care tips for bulimia:

• Get the right nutrition. Talk to your doctor about appropriate vitamin and mineral supplements. If you aren't eating well or you're frequently purging, it's likely your body isn't getting all of the nutrients it needs.
• Learn about bulimia. Education about your condition can empower you and motivate you to stick to your treatment plan.
• Stay in touch. Don't isolate yourself from caring family members and friends who want to see you get healthy. Understand that they have your best interests at heart and that nurturing, caring friendships are healthy for you.
• Be kind to yourself. Resist urges to weigh yourself or check yourself in the mirror frequently. These may do nothing but fuel your drive to maintain unhealthy habits.
• Be cautious with exercise. Talk to your health care providers about what kind of exercise, if any, is appropriate for you, especially if you exercise excessively as a way to burn off post-binge calories.

If you are still struggling contact me on admin@vancouverhypnotherapy.org.  Tell me as much as you can about your situation. If I can help I will.
RH