My client had been enjoying her favorite cola beverage for more than 50 years. Friends and family knew that whenever they got together, Shirley (not her real name) would have a Pepsi in hand.
“It’s my drink of choice,” Shirley told me. “I like to treat myself with a nice, cold soda – it just makes me feel better.”
And Shirley did need to feel better: besides suffering pain from fibromyalgia and degenerative joint disease, she has endured several surgeries, is clinically obese and is also a caregiver for both her husband and her grown child. She came to me hoping that hypnosis could help her reduce her weight, which would take some pressure off her pain-ridden joints.
Shirley was aware of the detrimental effects of drinking her favorite sugar-laden beverage, including how it contributes to weight problems, but just couldn’t muster the will power on her own to change that habit. What most people don’t realize is that will power is difficult to retain – it is managed by the conscious mind and is similar to short term memory: it is fleeting.
There are many tactics a clinical hypnotist uses to help people move toward healthier choices and in Shirley’s case, I decided a bit of aversion therapy would do the trick. After gaining her permission, I induced a light hypnotic trance and asked her to imagine herself seated at a large table. Upon the table was an assortment of Pepsi offerings: iced glasses, bottles, cans, paper cups...all filled with her beloved soda.
After having Shirley admire the vast offerings before her, I led her through an experience of imbibing these drinks...one after the other. At first, my client was thoroughly enjoying herself, feeling refreshed and relishing the sweet, bubbly impact of the drink. When engaging the creative imagination in such a way, there is little distinction between real and fantasy, so she was actually seeing, smelling, tasting and feeling the effects of drinking Pepsi.
However, it didn’t take long until Shirley’s lovely take on soda started to turn. The beverages kept on coming, an infinite supply appearing on that table and I made sure that she continued to drink. I kept my patter fairly non-specific and merely suggested that she begin to taste something else in the beverage. Eventually, it became apparent that Shirley was becoming uncomfortable and even unwilling to consume anymore Pepsi. She felt swollen and bloated, even nauseous.
At this point, I encouraged her to clear the table of any and all vestige of the drinks; in fact, she could banish them as far away as she wished! I then whisked her to a place of healing where not only could she be relieved of the Pepsi she just drank, but she could let go of all of the pop that she had ever consumed, signaling her Inner Healer to begin to repair the damage caused over the decades of soda pop abuse.
I received a message the following day from Shirley: she had been to a restaurant and automatically ordered a Pepsi. But, when she began to drink it, she realized that it tasted like soap! She was unable to continue drinking it and threw the remainder into the trash!
It has now been over two months, and my client has continued to effortlessly remain Pepsi-free. She is extremely proud of her accomplishment (I am, too) and her friends and family are amazed whenever they see her enjoying her new, favorite beverage: water. Shirley has entered a happier and healthier chapter of her life and continues to make improvements in all areas.
Hypnosis helps to change the programs which are running deep within us – often ones which are installed when we are young, before we know better. A qualified, certified hypnotist can help you change your mind to change your life!
PS - Shirley's story was shared with her permission. If it has touched you or even inspired you to let go of your own soda habit, please make a comment and let her know!
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