Woman Hypnotized to Believe She Had Gastric Band Surgery Loses 55 Pounds

Friday, August 07, 2009 by: David Gutierrez, staff writer
Tags: gastric bypass sugery, health news, Natural News

(NaturalNews) A woman lost 55 pounds after undergoing hypnosis to implant memories of a gastric band surgery in her head.

"I've tried every other diet and exercise plan the world has to offer," said the woman, Marion Corns. "Now I am able to shed up to three pounds a week because I believe I've had a band fitted into my stomach. Bizarrely, I can remember every part of the 'procedure' - including being wheeled into theatre, the clink of the surgeon's knife and even the smell of the anesthetic."

Corns underwent the hypnotherapy at the Elite Clinic in Spain, which was recommended to her by a friend who had gone there to quit smoking. The therapy involved a number of sessions in which she was familiarized with the procedure of a gastric band surgery, including a real surgical gastric band and stomach model. She then underwent several sessions of hypnosis, in which every stage of the surgery was narrated to her. She was made to touch the gastric band, while a recording of surgical tools played in the background. The hypnotherapists also pumped smells into the room to simulate those found in the operating and recovery rooms of a hospital.

After her first hypnosis session, Corns began to lose weight, just as if she had undergone the real surgery.

"Now if I try and eat a large portion I feel a pulling sensation in my tummy as if my stomach is stretching," she said. "I simply cannot eat large portions of food any more."

Clinic owner Martin Shirran said that health insurance should cover the gastric band hypnotherapy as an alternative to true surgery and with fewer side effects.

Jacqui Lowdon of the British Dietary Association cautioned that such therapy is not without risks, however.

"If this works and people can achieve the same kind of weight loss without surgery, it is important they are getting the correct dietary advice as well," she said. "It is also important to have a target weight and to know what your ideal weight is."

Sources for this story include: www.foxnews.com.