There are a number of medical causes for being over weight. When these have been excluded, patients who are over weight tend fall into two main categories: those who need to lose a few kilograms and those who are grossly over weight.
Patients who are in the former category and only need to lose a small amount of weight can be successfully treated with hypnosis using an aversion technique. The aim of the treatment is to make the eating of fattening food items an unpleasant experience so that these are removed from their daily diet. Particular attention is paid to snacking between meals and excessive sized plates of food. The individual is encouraged to limit the food intake to normal sized portions and is guided towards to eating a healthy diet.
For those individuals who are considerably overweight it is recommended that they embark on a course of regular individual psychotherapy over an extended period of time. David Kraft has found that such patients respond well to this form of treatment during which they gain an understanding of their weight problem and the motivation to deal with it.