A hypnotist has said she has seen an increase in people coming to her, looking to overcome anxiety and panic attacks.
Rosie Callaghan is from WeightLossClinic.ie, and said she deals with all kinds of issues, including weight loss.
She told Lunchtime Live they hypnotize people to alter their relationship with food, helping them change how they feel towards "the negative foods" so they no longer want them.
"Then you can re-programme them to enjoy the more positive foods", she said.
She said when hypnosis accesses the subconscious part of the mind, it does not know the difference between what is real and what is imagined.
"We can actually convince our minds to change existing habits and false beliefs, and the negative feelings that are holding us back from being the best version of ourselves".
'Relying on willpower'
Rosie said diets often fail, as people are replying on willpower alone.
"Take New Year's Day: people start off with right attitude - 'that's it I'm giving up the sugar, giving up the fags, giving up the wine' - whatever it is.
"But usually, you give them about two to three weeks and then our phones start ringing because they're relying on what's called willpower."
She explained that willpower is in the conscious part of the mind, and only has a sort-term function.
"When that wears off, what are you relying with? [sic] That's why most diets fail".
"I don't wave a magic wand and say 'Never eat sugar again'...I'll relax them physically first and then mentally - and then I feed them the suggestion.
"It's like we're convincing their minds together that they don't like the sugar, they don't like the greasy foods when they can see at a subconscious level the damage that it's doing to their health, to their image, to everything".
Anxiety and panic attacks
Rosie said they also help people with a variety of issues, such as stress management, anger, PTSD and a lack of confidence.
"The biggest one we have, and it's obviously increasing, is anxiety and panic attacks - that's the big one.
"What makes us different to other therapies out there is that we treat the cause of the problem."
"We go back to the first seven years of life and find the route cause of what's causing people to gain weight or to drink too much alcohol to what's causing their anger".
"We basically have to get back to the route of where all these negative emotions [came from].
"People aren't 17 or 18 stone because of what their parents fed them when they were young, a lot of it goes back to the emotion - or there could be a trauma as well".
