Frequently Asked Questions gastric band hypnotherapy

How do I know who to pick to do my hypnotic gastric band/balloon?
Make sure that the person 'fitting' the virtual hypnotic gastric band/balloon is qualified to do so. By that I mean;

has passed a Virtual Gastric Band/balloon training course
or is qualifed to Master/Senior Practitioner Level
or at least has a full practitioner qualification from a GHRS or UKCHO accredited training school and two years continuous professional experience.

There are probably many people doing this procedure without knowing how to do it correctly or do not have the experience to carry it out successfully. Some claim to be able to complete the work in a couple of hours and cite this as the reason they are so 'cheap' compared to highly experienced clinical hypnotists like me. They may also claim they are so quick because of their level of skill!! If they do not spend time helping you to eradicate all the psychological reasons behind your problem the chances of failure may greatly increase.

I teach this procedure to other hypnotists - this course is nationally validated by the British Institute of Hypnotherapy and NLP. The choice is always yours but please be careful who you select to do this difficult and skilled procedure. If you find one of these therapists in your area you will know they have been properly trained and have a recognised qualification.

Also ask yourself - "How many hypnotherapists are also fully qualified Clinical Nutritional Diploma holders"? The answer is probably not many. My diploma is from Stonebridge Associated Colleges and is an NVQ Level 4 equivalent qualification. This enables me to give a far greater depth to the whole treatment as I can genuinely give you solid and reliable nutritional advice for your future eating much less but nutritionally dense food.

N.B. I may need to write to your GP or other medical/psychological practitioner for their consent to you having the procedure. If they say it is not suitable for you I will not proceed and any deposit monies will be refunded forthwith.

Are there any guarantees or refunds?

There are no 'cast iron' guarantees with a natural/complementary therapy such as hypnosis as everyone reacts differently, after all the real work is done by you in your brain, I help you to attain your goals. If you are unable to achieve these changes it may mean you are not ready to do so? Many real surgical gastric bands 'fail' and even after my initial screening of clients there are some people who find the process too difficult. I do not give refunds as you will have had my time in having a procedure.

How can you do the band in a day when others say it takes several sessions over a few weeks?
By using the 'cutting-edge' techniques - WILL-STOP Hypnotherapy™ The system I use does not need several sessions of talking about food issues and then some fairly standard weight-loss hypnotherapy techniques tagged on near the end. Rather than asking me why I can do it in a day ask them why their methods take so long - after all most of these other therapists will say they can stop you smoking or eradicate your life-long phobia of spiders in a single session.

Can you do this in groups like other hypnotherapists?/Do you give group discounts?
The system I use is based round the individual - each treatment is as unique as you, so cannot be used on groups of people together. I am not sure how any virtual gastric band work can be done with a group of people unless the hypnotherapist is using a 'one size fits all' script similar to normal weight loss hypnotherapy.

I create your treatment from the information you give me about your situation on the day of the procedure, it really is unique to you.

I will give discounts to families or groups if they all book at the same time. They will all be seen individually.

How does it work?
Using WILL-STOP Hypnotherapy™ I will create a mind-body illusion of having a virtual gastric band/balloon fitted. So long as you can follow all of the hypnotic processes you will feel like you really have one but without any of the surgical complications. I use similar principles to help people to stop smoking, eradicate phobias and decrease pain in child birth.

Do you only work in Dartford?
Generally yes. However, I am somtimes able to travel to your home to do the work there. The standard fee is charged plus all transport and accommodation costs. As this work takes up half a day I usually only see one person but if two people want the procedure and we start early I can do two. This does spread out the add-on costs. The full fee is payable and I do not revisist to complete the final adjustment.

How long will it last for/Will this work for the rest of my life?
It will work for as long as you need it to. If you lose weight quickly you may come in for an adjustment or removal quite quickly or if you lose weight slower you may come back some time later.

Why do people fail?
The answer is generally because they do not follow the aftercare procedure correctly. Those that 'fail' to follow it have a greater chance of only partial success and total failure. The eating and feeding routine is specifically designed to help your body and mind to adjust to the new restrictive eating lifestyle, so if you choose to ignore it how can you expect to have the results you wanted?

Fewer people 'fail' with the Balloon hypnotherapy.

One major reason for lack of success to due to clients not telling me the whole truth about their situation - such as not letting me know about night-time eating or alcohol consumption every evening. If you keep important things back please do not expect the procedure to work properly.

Can I pay in installments?
Yes. All payments must be complete before the procedure starts.

Why do I have to pay up-front? Can I pay on the day of treatment?
I used to allow people to pay on the day but several clients never arrived. This meant that I had turned other work away and so earned nothing that day. Others 'forgot' their card or they could not understand why there was no credit when they tried to pay. Two cheques taken on the day have bounced. (I still have them).

I have had to adopt the payment in advance policy to ensure that those who try to get 'something for nothing' do not succeed and I can keep the centre open.

Can I drive after the hypnotherapy?
Yes, but some people like to have a period of time before they drive and maybe a non-alcholic drink too.

Why do I need to remove my psychological issues about food, you don't need to with a real gastric band?
In theory you do not need to deal with the issues; however your desire to overeat will still be there and you will be either constantly being sick or will eventually over-ride the virtual hypnotic gastric band/balloon and go back to your old ways. (This what apparently happens with some real gastric band patients and is the reason many of them fail). With the psychological issues removed you should find it very easy to adjust to the 'implanted' gastric band/balloon and live the life you richly deserve.

Are there any bad after effects of this treament?
Every effort is made to counteract any possible side effects during the hypnosis, eg. removing the problems that cause the overeating and not keeping hunger panges to an absolute minimum. The only people who feel side effects are usually those that do not follow the eating and feeding aftercare programme.

How fast will I loose weight/How much weight will I lose?
This depends on many variables such as: how overweight you are, how 'tight' or 'full' you have the Virtual Gastric Band/balloon , how much less food you consume, your metabolism and exercise and many other factors.

How much food will I eat?
The procedure is designed for you to only be able to eat 3 or 4 mugs full of nutritionally dense food a day. These are to give you around 1,000-1,100 calories per day for a woman and 1,350-1,500 calories per day for a man. This means you stay above the average Basal Metabolic Rate for your gender, so can stay on this regimen safely for some time. Please read up on the BMR to fully understand the implications of this answer.

Can I have it done in the evening/What time of day do you work?
I can do the procedure at any time of day. However; I do prefer to to do the work for the gastric bands in the mornings, (starting around 8-9:00am), as this procedure may takes 4-5 hours I will do the gastric balloons in the evenings as they take around 4 hours - but starting no later than 5:00pm.

Do you work on children?
I only do the Virtual Hypnotic Gastric Band/Balloon work on people aged 18 or over. If asked to work on a younger person by a medical practioner I would be happy to do so in conjunction with that practitoner.

I want to be a model and have been told I need to become 'skinny'. Do you do this for people like me?
No. This procedure is to help overweight people become a more 'normal' weight and live a healthy life through eating a proper nutritionally varied diet. It is not for helping people to become underweight or malnourished.

I have diabetes can I have a hypnotic gastric band?
If you are Type 1 diabetic the answer is no. Type 2: depending on the permission of your GP. I will need to work closely with your GP as the dosage of medication will need to be monitored by them.

Can I eat meal replacements/I want to use this to stick to a meal replacement system, will it work for that?
Please read the answer above. Most meal replacement systems provide less than the calories needed to uphold your BMR. They are designed to be a 'quick fix' and the Virtual Hypnotic Gastric Band/Balloon is not a 'quick fix' it is a long term committment to a healthy eating regimen.

Please note: the Cressingham System Virtual Hypnotic Gastric Band and Cressingham System Virtual Hypnotic Gastric Balloon are not in any way associated with Elite Clinics' Gastric Mind Band or Hypno-Band and Virtual Gastric Band these are trademarks of Newwave Hypnotherapy.

* I charge for my time. All hypnosis work is a natural therapy and its effects vary from person to person dependant on the recipients ability to conform to the process and aftercare procedures. As such some people may find it highly effective and others will find only a slight effect on their condition. Therefore no warranty is given to the effects of hypnosis and refunds are not issued as you are paying for my time and you will have had this. You accept these terms in full when you book and undertake the Virtual Hypnotic Gastric Band or Balloon procedure.