Thursday, February 24, 2011

Sun Gazette Newspapers - from Archives - Web Tv

Here is a copy of Brian Trompeter's article in the Sun Gazette
this morning.

Mindless, habitual, uncontrolled eating bloats people’s waistlines, causes long-term health consequences and contributes to the national obesity epidemic.

Conquering obesity is not a matter of grim will, but a relaxed state of mind that makes one receptive to behavioral changes, said Joanna Cameron, a McLean hypnotherapist and author.

She and her entertainer alter ego, the Trance Lady, aim to help people lose weight by discarding self-limiting beliefs and negative emotions such as anger, fear, sadness and shame.

Serial dieters do not succeed because they are not addressing underlying issues that cause them to eat emotionally, she said.

“A person can give up smoking with hypnosis,” Cameron said. “But it’s different with food. You have to continue eating. It’s about creating new thoughts. You can create new habits.”

Cameron recently self-published a book, “Forget Diets, Plant Tomatoes: A Metaphoric, Hypnotic Journey to Stop Emotional Eating,” which contains a seven-step program that exhorts readers to take responsibility for their physical and mental states.

Cameron advises readers to take action, set monthly and long-term goals, and let go of negative emotions and self-limiting beliefs. Her program is goal-oriented and has a time line.

“I don’t believe in years of endless therapy,” she said. “Years of discussion lead to reinforcement of conscious decisions.”

The book gives readers access to three hours’ worth of downloadable MP3 files from Cameron’s Web site.

Cameron often uses hypnosis to quiet people’s conscious minds and get to the nub of the problem through their unconscious ones. She compares the conscious mind to a ship captain issuing orders and the unconscious mind as the crew that accomplishes myriad tasks.

Not to worry: People remain under control during hypnosis and cannot be made to do anything against their will, she said.

Cameron works out of an airy, light-filled corner office in the rear of her McLean home. As befits a health guru, Cameron has a svelte physique and exudes positivity. A self-described “foodie,” she cooks every day and eats little meat.

“I steer clear of foods with eyelashes,” she said.

Cameron will not accept patients unless they show the proper commitment and provide a detailed journal of what they have eaten over the past seven days.

Some obese people suffered sexual abuse when they were young and blame themselves for it, Cameron said. They overeat as a way of securing comfort and protection, she said.

Cameron does less therapy work than in the past, preferring to connect with people as an entertainer. She takes her “Trance Lady” show to about 30 colleges per year.

The Army also has expressed interest in her teachings and she hopes to perform at several bases this year. Cameron acknowledges that hypnosis can be a difficult sell in this cynical age, and even more so with the military, where self-reliance and vanquishing personal weaknesses are long-held values.

Born in Winchester, England, Cameron originally wanted to become a medical doctor, but said she was turned down because she was a woman. After witnessing a hypnotist help her daughter overcome test anxiety, she earned a doctorate in clinical hypnotherapy.

She also contributed a chapter on stress management to “Stepping Stones to Success,” a book co-authored with Deepak Chopra, Denis Waitely and Jack Canfield.

Rachel Weisman, who co-authored “Forget Diets, Plant Tomatoes,” said many people could benefit from Cameron’s methods of avoiding self-sabotaging behavior. She and Cameron had spirited discussions while whipping the book’s manuscript into shape.

“She really had no ego,” Weisman said. “She wanted to get her content out there. It was fun to fight with her.”

Abbe Lyle, who took photographs to illustrate the book, said she lost 50 pounds by using Cameron’s methods.

“Joanna helped me through so much more than losing extra weight. She helped me with every part of my life,” Lyle said. “I feel as though my life has changed dramatically and in a good way.”

Cameron’s book is available from Amazon.com. For more information, visit www.joannacameron.com.




Sun Gazette Newspapers - from Archives - Web Tv

Trance Lady's book, Forget Diets, Plant Tomatoes gets write up
Sun Gazette Newspapers - from Archives - Web Tv

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Cameron says forget diets and 'trance-end' overeating

Cameron says forget diets and 'trance-end' overeating

Food Cravings

I think it is important to have a plan to deal with cravings. Most people have cravings at a certain time of day. Make a plan to set time aside to deal with the emotions. Cravings are simply your emotions talking to you. This is the time to practice self hypnosis and also to do EFT. www.eftuniverse.com

As you become more proficient, your body chemistry will change and the cravings will go away. I teach these techniques in my book - Forget Diets, Plant Tomatoes - a metaphoric, hypnotic journey to stop emotional eating.