0:01: If you’ve ever wondered whether hypnosis can actually help with weight loss, you’re not alone.

0:07: A lot of people are curious about hypnosis, but they’re also skeptical.

0:11: Maybe you’ve even tried it before and thought, that didn’t work for me.

0:15: So today I want to you through how hypnosis actually works when it comes to weight release, why it can be such a powerful tool for changing eating habits and behaviors, and 3 reasons hypnosis may not have worked for you in the past.

0:32: And at the end, I am going to share 3 simple self-hypnosis techniques you can begin using right away to start working with your subconscious mind instead of fighting it.

0:43: So, come on in.

0:51: Did you know that our struggle with weight doesn’t start with the food on your plate or get fixed in the gym?

0:58: 80% of our weight struggle is mental.

1:02: That’s right.

1:03: The key to unlocking long-term weight release and management begins in your mind.

1:09: Hi there, I’m Rita Black.

1:11: I’m a clinical hypnotherapist, weight loss expert, bestselling author, and the creator of the shift weight mastery process.

1:19: And not only have I helped thousands of people over the past 20 years achieve long-term weight mastery, I am also a former weight struggler, carb addict, and binge eater.

1:31: And after two decades of failed diets and fad weight loss programs, I lost 40 pounds with the help of hypnosis.

1:39: Not only did I release all that weight, I have kept it off for 25 years.

1:45: Enter the Thin Thinking podcast where you too will learn how to remove the mental roadblocks that keep you struggling.

1:52: I’ll give you the thin thinking tools, skills, and insights to help you develop the mindset you need, not only to achieve your ideal weight, but to stay there long term and live your best life.

2:06: Sound good?

2:07: Let’s get started.

2:09: Hello, hello, hello.

2:10: Come on in.

2:12: We have so much to talk about today.

2:15: And welcome new friends and loyal listeners.

2:18: Thank you so much for being here.

2:21: I just realized something myself the other day.

2:24: This March marks the 5 year anniversary of the Thin Thinking podcast.

2:30: Can you believe that?

2:31: 5 years.

2:32: It’s a kindergartner.

2:34: Some of those years flew by, and I’ll be honest, a few of them dragged a little, but what an incredible journey it’s been.

2:43: I actually, some of you know this, but some of you don’t, that I started this podcast in my closet during the pandemic, which I think is where many podcasts began back then, tucked between coats and shoes, trying to get decent sound quality.

2:59: And since then, it has grown into a global community of amazing listeners.

3:06: Every week, I genuinely look forward to our conversations about health and weight management and how to show up for ourselves, especially on how to use our minds more impactfully for our goals and for our journey of long term permanent weight mastery.

3:23: And I feel deeply honored to be on that journey walking side by side with you.

3:29: So, truly, thank you for listening and for being here.

3:34: Now, a lot has changed in these 5 years too.

3:37: When I started the podcast, my daughter had just begun her freshman year at Berkeley, and now she’s deciding where she’s going to do her master’s degree.

3:45: And it looks like it might be Athens, Georgia, that is, not Athens, Greece.

3:54: and I have to crack up about Georgia because there’s also a Rome in Georgia.

3:59: Hey, if you’re from Georgia, I kind of like it, you know, so I’m not putting it down.

4:04: But I’m just wondering what people were thinking back when they were naming cities.

4:09: did they run out of ideas or were they just like, we just love Europe and especially the Mediterranean so much.

4:17: And I guess Georgia maybe was kind of like the Mediterranean, but anyway, we are heading there this week to check out the campus.

4:26: She got a full scholarship, so it looks like this one might be the contender.

4:33: But who knows, I’ll be getting to know the South a lot better and how to navigate barbecue and all of that stuff over the next couple of years as a wait master.

4:45: And my son was still in high school when we started this podcast, and now he is working in two labs at the University of California in Irvine.

4:55: He’s a chemical engineer student and every week they’re doing something crazy.

5:02: I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this, but he’s working on 3D printers that print live cells that they can create a vein now on a 3D printer, and he’s telling me these crazy things like they can even build veins inside of you without even you know cutting you open or anything.

5:22: And don’t quote me on this, but What’s coming down the pike is kind of fascinating and it just blows my mind.

5:32: Anyway, now, I got a little sidetracked there, but I, my husband has retired, that’s also happened since we, started the podcast.

5:43: However, I have not retired and have absolutely no plans ever, ever to retire.

5:50: In fact, I am adding something new.

5:53: Yes.

5:54: Today, I am sharing one of my first YouTube videos.

5:58: Now, I’ve made lots of videos, but I’m actually intentionally making educational videos now for YouTube as well, where I’m just planning to make more visual content.

6:11: And from time to time, I’ll also be sharing those videos here on the podcast when the topic fits.

6:17: And the topic we’re diving into today is one I get asked about all the time, how hypnosis actually works for weight loss.

6:26: In this video, I actually explain how hypnosis works with the mind when it comes to weight release, 3 reasons hypnosis may not have worked for you in the past, and I share 3 powerful self-hypnosis techniques you can start using right away.

6:40: The last technique in particular, the aversion technique, is a fun one that many of my clients find really helpful.

6:48: Now, one quick note, as you listen, in the video, I occasionally point to a visual diagram of the mind, a big circle representing the subconscious mind and the conscious mind.

6:59: 12% and 88%, 88% being the subconscious.

7:03: So, if you hear me referencing that, just know I’m referring to that visual on the screen, but everything I explained should be clear as we go along.

7:12: Now, before we jump in, I do want to remind you that I have have some upcoming live master classes where we are going to dive even deeper into how to work with your mind for lasting weight release.

7:22: So make sure you sign up for my free live master classes coming up March 25th, 26th, and 28th, 2026.

7:31: Break through the subconscious weight struggle roadblocks so you can release weight confidently and long term.

7:38: Boy, is that a mouthful.

7:42: We are going to be talking about our powerful mind, how to use it more effectively to get past why we keep stopping and starting over again and stopping and starting over again.

7:52: Why do we keep sabotaging ourselves.

7:54: So we’re going to dive into that and we’re also going to do a powerful weight release hypnosis session.

7:59: So, especially of those who’ve you who have never done any sort of hypnosis, I think you’re going to come and enjoy it and love it.

8:07: So please sign up because the space is limited.

8:11: The link is in the show notes or www.shiftweightmastery.comlive.

8:17: All right, let’s dive in.

8:20: Let’s dive in.

8:22: So here is our wonderful and wacky mind.

8:26: 12% of our mind is the conscious critical willpower part of the mind.

8:30: That is the part of the mind that actually, you know, exerts the effort when you are trying to release weight.

8:37: And hey, you can be successful for a while, definitely exerting willpower.

8:41: But if you’ve noticed and if you’ve been challenged with Long term success, it may be because the subconscious mind, even though the willpower part of our mind, that conscious mind wants to lose weight, the subconscious mind, that other 88% wants things to stay the same, is wired to keep things on autopilot over and over and over again.

9:06: Things like habits, which are patterns of behavior that play out below our conscious thought.

9:11: Night eating, stress eating, emotional eating.

9:14: I’m sure you’ve had that experience of doing really well during the day and then being like, why am I, you know, now in the pantry overeating, and there’s a conscious part of your mind going, are we insane?

9:26: And the other part of your mind’s like, No, we’re just doing what we’ve been wired to do.

9:31: Then there are beliefs, beliefs that keep us struggling.

9:36: , I’m a weight struggler, I will never be successful.

9:42: We have a lot of limiting beliefs about our ability to be successful, which hinder us in our long-term success.

9:48: We also have beliefs like food tastes good when I feel bad that drive us into behaviors.

9:54: We also have an inner communication system.

9:56: We have a very critical, vicious part of us that is always putting us down, saying we’re a failure.

10:03: And then we have a very rebellious part, the inner rebel part of us that is always on the lookout for a good time to break free from the discipline and the restriction.

10:14: Everybody else is eating, why can’t we?

10:17: Oh, just one won’t hurt.

10:20: Come on, go for it.

10:21: It’s been a long day.

10:23: You know that voice.

10:24: So we have this in communication system that is always perpetually pulling us this way.

10:29: In that way, and making us feel chaotic and overwhelmed and like we’re never going to be a success.

10:35: And then we have our identity, this weight struggler identity that has us locked in.

10:41: We all have different identities, but when we struggle with our weight, we tend to see ourselves as a weight struggler.

10:47: So even any weight release attempt that we go on, we still know that we’re not going to be successful because we are a weight struggler.

10:56: OK, so all of this is going on in our subconscious mind, it’s incredibly powerful.

11:03: And from birth until we’re in our twenties, everything, our parents, teachers, life experiences get imprinted on our subconscious, and then it kind of gets locked in somewhere in our twenties, because we have this critical filter system that develops, that is really filtering out any external stimulus that it doesn’t deem important, and all the things that are on autopilot just keep playing out over and over again.

11:28: So that is why you can be dieting up here and doing everything right, and then we still get pulled in again and again into the old thoughts, the old patterns, the old beliefs that keep us stronger.

11:43: So, how is hypnosis helpful in this situation?

11:47: So, in the state of hypnosis, not magic, not voodoo, but it is a relaxed state that relaxes the critical filter.

11:57: So suggestions can be given.

12:00: They pass through the conscious mind.

12:01: So you need to consciously want the change, like I said.

12:04: You cannot be made to do anything that you don’t want to do, right?

12:11: But, but in those relaxed state of hypnosis, we can make shifts in your habits, your beliefs, the way you communicate with yourself, and, and most importantly, your identity.

12:22: So that you can get 100% of your mind working with you towards your weight management goals.

12:29: Now let’s look a little more deeply into what hypnosis is and what it is not.

12:34: Trance states aren’t new.

12:36: Humans have been using them forever.

12:38: Prayer, chanting, rituals, mantras, even getting lost in music or lost in watching a fire, those are all natural trance states.

12:51: What we now call clinical hypnosis started becoming more formalized in modern medicine in the 1900s, and by the 1950s, it was officially recognized by the American Medical Association.

13:03: Today, hypnosis is used in medical and therapeutic settings, dentistry, surgical prep, pain management, sports performance, anxiety, and habit change.

13:15: So this isn’t fringe, it isn’t new, it’s actually something your brain already knows how to do.

13:23: So when I started my practice 20 years ago, people would be very concerned, calling, you know, if I do hypnosis with you, are you going to make me bark like a dog or cluck like a duck, or are you going to hypnotize me and take all my money?

13:36: And I was like, if I was that powerful, My husband would pick up his socks, and he doesn’t, by the way.

13:46: But if you want to change, I can help you use your mind to make that change.

13:53: Hypnosis is not just mind control, it is getting access to your subconscious mind, and you are making the changes.

14:03: So, let’s go over what hypnosis is and what it is not.

14:08: Hypnosis is not unconsciousness, it is not gullibility, it’s not mind control, and it’s definitely not stage hypnosis.

14:21: No one can make you do anything you want to do.

14:24: Your conscious mind has to be on board.

14:26: Otherwise, hypnosis simply doesn’t work.

14:30: Hypnosis is a relaxed, focused state.

14:34: Your brain waves slow down, usually into alpha or theta, which is the same state you’re in right before sleep, during deep meditation, or when you’re completely absorbed in a good movie.

14:46: I like to call it meditation with a mission.

14:50: In the state, your imagination is engaged, and imagination is the language of the subconscious mind.

14:57: That’s where identity, habits, emotional patterns, and long-standing beliefs live.

15:03: And when the conscious and subconscious communicate more directly, something important happens.

15:10: Old struggle patterns can loosen, and new, more supportive ones can take root and change at a much more rapid pace.

15:20: So now, we can see that hypnosis can be a powerful tool for change, but what if it didn’t work for you?

15:26: What if you did a session and you didn’t get any change, or maybe you got some change in the short term, and you listened to a number of sessions and you got some short term, term change, but it didn’t help you in the long term.

15:40: So, I’d like to walk through 3 main reasons why hypnosis may not have worked for you.

15:45: So, one reason is that you didn’t use a specialist, right?

15:52: So there are jack of all trade hypnotherapists and apps out there that, you know, deal with a lot of things.

15:58: And then there are people who have specialized in weight management.

16:02: who have actually struggled with weight themselves, got to the other side by using hypnosis, and really know that journey.

16:10: Weight management is a multi-layered thing.

16:13: There are so many things.

16:14: It’s not like smoking cessation, you’re either smoking or you’re not.

16:19: Weight management because you need to continue to have a relationship with food.

16:24: You need to have a relationship with your body and the way you communicate with yourself.

16:29: It is a much, much more layered approach, but hypnosis is a tool that is part of a journey, right?

16:39: Hypnosis can be very powerful, helping with the way your identity, which is one of the most foundational root pieces that a lot of hypnosis.

16:48: , programs or, you know, like I said, apps or whatever are really hitting the identity piece, the self-communication piece, not really getting at the foundational root of the major challenges, with our struggle with weight, which often has a lot to it, you know, especially the way we communicate and we see ourselves.

17:11: It is a world that We need to break out of and move into another world.

17:16: So you need a, a complete reframe of that and you need someone who understands that to move you forward in that way, OK?

17:24: So, just saying like if it, if, if it didn’t work or you did some sessions and it was helpful in the short term, it may be that the, the foundational root wasn’t addressed, maybe, OK?

17:40: And yeah, you just, you went to a few sessions.

17:43: I’m always intrigued by the fact that we human beings go on hundreds of diets.

17:48: I certainly know I went on, did millions of diets when I was struggling with my weight.

17:54: but they’ll do one hypnosis session and it isn’t helpful for them, and then they’ll be like, well, hypnosis didn’t work for me, and then go try another diet, even though dieting hasn’t worked.

18:05: You know what I mean?

18:06: And I don’t mean any disservice, but I’m just saying let’s, let’s do a little reframe there and, and just understand that hypnosis is a tool.

18:15: It isn’t a wave of the wand.

18:17: So, so, which brings us to number 3 is that it could be that you’re, you were not prepared correctly either by the way you were marketed to, you know, like just lay back and, you know, You know, it’s all going to happen for you, which would be really nice, but, you know, with hypnosis, all hypnosis is self hypnosis in essence.

18:41: So you are engaging yourself in this, and, and it is certainly a relaxed state and it is certainly a wonderful state that you are engaging in and going on a journey with that can totally change your life.

18:59: Really powerful.

19:01: However, you actually need to be really prepared to go into a hypnosis session to listen to it and engage with it in a powerful way.

19:11: You want to be thinking, yes, this is going to work for me.

19:15: If you’re sitting back and going, well, I hope this works, it probably isn’t going to be 100% successful for you because your mind is already closed off to the effects of it.

19:26: I hope that makes sense.

19:28: So, if it hasn’t worked for you before, don’t give up on it, you know, I, I think it can be a very powerful tool, and here is the thing.

19:38: In order for you to have long-term success, whether you use hypnosis or meditation or just really get into how your thinking and your behaviors.

19:51: Those things need to be engaged in order to have a long-term success.

19:56: You aren’t going to just get there just with diet and exercise, you need to work with yourself and the way you communicate with yourself.

20:05: So let me now get into three quick little self-hypnosis techniques that you can use that I think are very helpful.

20:14: Number one, you can shift your identity immediately from, I am a weight struggler to I am a weight mastery learner, right?

20:25: So, weight mastery, long-term permanent weight mastery is an apprentice journey.

20:30: And the second you step into that learner identity, you begin to see yourself differently.

20:35: You are no longer somebody who can You can’t be trusted because learners make mistakes.

20:41: And the moment you start making mistakes and learning from them, you change the way you relate to yourself and you change what the mistake is from, oops, I was bad, I have to start over, to, oh, I do that.

20:54: Why do I keep doing that?

20:56: Let me figure that out so that I don’t need to do that again.

21:00: And that is called a cognitive reframe.

21:02: Just reframing how you see yourself puts you in a whole new world, the way you relate to yourself and the way you relate to the world.

21:11: So, that’s a quick little, self-hypnosis technique.

21:16: Number 2, now, if you’ve ever watched, sports, you know, and athletes go on and go, gosh, how do they do that?

21:25: Well, a lot of times, they will be doing a mental rehearsal of the plays that they’re going through.

21:33: They just don’t go out there and do it.

21:35: They have been running those in their mind over and over again.

21:39: But a lot of times when we struggle with weight, we’ll do something like go out to eat.

21:46: And we will say to ourselves, well, I hope I do good.

21:50: I hope I stick to my diet.

21:52: But we aren’t thinking through, maybe what we’re going to eat.

21:57: We aren’t thinking through how we might say, oh no, thank you, I don’t want another glass of wine.

22:03: We aren’t thinking through saying to the waiter, could you, give me extra this and, and leave the french fries off the plate.

22:10: I mean, if you choose not to eat french fries, I’m saying, I’m not saying you don’t.

22:14: Have to eat french fries.

22:17: But what I am saying is that if, once you get to a situation where you are in the habit of doing things that you don’t want to do, what you want to do is not show up to that situation and hope you’re gonna do something different, you won’t.

22:34: What you do want to do.

22:36: If you want to practice that situation in your mind maybe 345 times before you do it, and you’re, now you’re leveraging your brain power.

22:47: You’re, you’re imagining and you’re getting that feeling into your body of how it will feel.

22:51: To leave the restaurant feeling light and lean.

22:54: How it will feel to say, no, thank you, I’m good with one glass of wine to the waiter, right?

23:00: So, when you get that in your body, you got to get it in your body by practicing it in your mind and engaging the feelings and emotions, then your brain is engaged as if it was already there doing it over and over again.

23:14: So, athletes do this and so can you practice mentally the things that get you tripped up ahead of time and see yourself doing it the way you want it to happen for you.

23:28: And, and not only are you practicing, but often we know what we don’t want to do, but we’re like, what do I want to do?

23:36: It makes you think it through.

23:39: Very powerful.

23:40: So, there you go, mental rehearsal.

23:42: Third thing.

23:43: Aversion techniques.

23:45: Everybody loves a good aversion technique, so here are a couple of them.

23:50: And they’re really gross.

23:51: So, if you don’t want to be triggered or, I mean, they aren’t that gross, but they’re gross enough, if you don’t want to be grossed out, then, don’t watch anymore.

24:01: So, one is, just taking anything, that piece of pizza, that piece of cake, the donut, and imagine Close your eyes and imagine that piece of pizza in a glass of water, and 3 days later, not today.

24:20: So, imagine that, you know, wonderful looking piece of pizza, but now it’s dunked in a glass of water, and you can see the cheese is all congealed, and the crust is all Like white and rubbery and, and it, it doesn’t look as appealing as your brain is presenting it to you in that moment.

24:38: You’re separating yourself out from that piece of pizza.

24:42: Or like, let’s say you have a piece of cake and you’re like, oh, I’d love a piece of cake and I I really want a piece of cake.

24:50: Imagine that piece of cake covered in human hair.

24:53: And then imagine eating it.

24:56: And then imagine.

24:59: So, those are some things that can help trip your brain up, like the, there are interruptions to the way that your brain is normally presenting this thought to you.

25:08: It’s a thought inter interrupt and reframe for your brain.

25:13: So, those are 3, self-hypnosis techniques that hopefully you can use today that will help you on your journey of weight mastery.

25:22: All right, so thank you so much for being with me for one of my first YouTube content videos.

25:29: I’m so excited that you stayed and enjoyed it, and I hope it gave you some new insights into how powerful your mind truly is when it comes to weight mastery.

25:39: And please come to my live master classes coming up.

25:44: , go to www.shiftweightmastery.com/live or the link is in the show notes.

25:53: And have a great week, and remember that the key, and probably the only key to unlocking the door of the weight struggle is inside you.

26:02: So keep listening and find it, and I will be with you here next week.

26:08: You want to dive deeper into the mindset of long term weight release, head on over to www.shiftweightmastery.com.

26:19: That’s www.shiftweightmastery.com, where you’ll find.

26:24: Numerous tools and resources to help you unlock your mind for permanent weight release, tips, strategies, and more.

26:32: And be sure to check the show notes to learn more about my book From Fat to Thin Thinking, Unlock Your Mind for Permanent Weight Loss.