Changing Eating Behaviors of Healthy Adults Through Hypnosis

Babes-Bolyai University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Overweight; Obesity

Treatments: Behavioral: Hypnosis with amnesia suggestions; Behavioral: Hypnosis with cognitive rehearsal suggestions; Behavioral: Hypnosis with memory substitution suggestions; Behavioral: Hypnosis with induction only

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04178486

Phd Study

Details and patient eligibility

About

There is a lot of research on weight loss. In spite of the research on the subject, obesity is a growing disease all through the world. The results of recent reviews and meta-analyzes show that psychological interventions had small effect on weight loss. The investigators propose a different approach to changing eating behaviors with relevance to weight management and hypothesize that participants in the active interventions will significantly improve their eating behaviors than the ones in the control group. The results will improve the psychological interventions for weight loss.

Full description

This is a randomized clinical trial consisting of four groups. According to the concept of Free Will, the decision of action is taken before being acknowledged and is made following the reconstruction of previous experiences. It can be inhibited immediately (max 100ms) after awareness. The investigators want to intervene based on this model using hypnotic suggestions to change eating behaviors. Participants were found through social media announcements. Three groups receive one session of hypnosis with induction and different suggestions and the control group receives only induction. The eating behavior is measured through computer tasks in which participants have the option to choose pictures of food. The task is performed before, during and after hypnosis and the measurements of eating behavior are taken at all three times.

Enrollment: 89 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Both gender Healthy Adults who want to change their eating behavior

Exclusion criteria

Severe mental illness <18 years A diagnosed eating disorder

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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89 participants in 4 patient groups, including a placebo group

Amnesia

Experimental group

Description:

Hypnosis formed from hypnotic induction (an adapted version from Barber Suggestibility Scale) together with hypnotic suggestions to experience amnesia for the food pictures they had just seen.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Hypnosis with amnesia suggestions

Cognitive Rehearsal

Experimental group

Description:

Hypnosis formed from hypnotic induction (an adapted version from Barber Suggestibility Scale) together with hypnotic suggestions about a future where they will control their eating behaviors.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Hypnosis with cognitive rehearsal suggestions

Memory Substitution

Experimental group

Description:

Hypnosis formed from hypnotic induction (an adapted version from Barber Suggestibility Scale) together with hypnotic suggestions about a past where they have always controlled their eating behaviors.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Hypnosis with memory substitution suggestions

Control

Placebo Comparator group

Description:

Hypnosis formed from only hypnotic induction (an adapted version from Barber Suggestibility Scale).

Treatment:

Behavioral: Hypnosis with induction only