There are many methods people use to relieve stress and find comfort in their lives. In and of itself, this is not a bad thing unless their choices are unhealthy or the way they use their choices becomes unhealthy over time. This can include cigarettes, alcohol, sleep, exercise and food.
Food represents many different things to people. It can be cultural…many countries consider food an expression of love to their families. That is what makes Thanksgiving so endearing, Christmas and Easter dinner is a big event for many families in Western culture. Food can also represent a source of comfort and this is where the relationship with food becomes more complex.
So how did this start? Most commonly in prior generations when sugar was not a staple and ‘snacks’ were not a household word, food was used as a reward and a source of soothing for hurt feelings and other emotions. At home, when a child performed a task regularly they may be rewarded with a sucker at the end of the day or perhaps a trip out for ice cream at the end of the week. Many times when a child had a bad day at school, Mom may say ‘let’s make cookies; that will make you feel better’. At school when someone got a 100% on a test, they were offered a piece of candy or a cookie for a job well done. Sound familiar?
Again, these actions are not the means by which we have created a detrimental relationship with our life giving substance…at least not entirely. The point of mentioning these examples is the ‘anchor’ (an anchor is an action, behavior, word and picture that can trigger a particular response in the body) has been placed where food = comfort. In today’s society the abundance of food we enjoy means that these little sweets and niceties are not necessarily special anymore and everywhere you go, you can buy cookies, candy, ice cream which was not the case generations ago when the anchors were put in place. However, the anchor is still present it just means that there is easier access to the ‘rewards’ and more than enough to over indulge.
Many diet companies are more than aware that these anchors exist and they try to assist people in changing their thought patterns in order to maintain the weight loss. There is a reason these triggers are referred to as ‘anchors’. Anchors keep ships in one place, although it may float around in a circle, it won’t go anywhere which is exactly how some particularly unhealthy anchors work in the subconscious mind. People can be successful many times over with weight loss but if the food = comfort anchor is imbedded deeply it will be very difficult to keep that weight off. Even if a person were to try to replace the cookies with carrots, the behavior has not changed and over time there is a tendency to return to the more salty and sugary snacks. The behavior of eating when upset would need to be changed in order for a more successful weight loss outcome.
Hypnotherapy is a means where one anchor is replaced with a healthy anchor in order to allow someone to move forward rather than around and around in circles. This is why hypnotherapy and other cognitive behavioral therapies are so successful in helping emotional eaters break out of that cycle. During these therapies people are encouraged to look back over their lives to discover when and how these anchors were put in place and come up with a new anchor that can provide the same comfort and allow them to be free to maintain a healthy relationship with food.
By: Lorri Woodmansee, CHt
Hypnotherapist with Center for True Harmony
