Goen Seminars has a new set of ads in the Florida Times Union promoting their hypnotically based weight loss solution. There is not much new in these ads. They have the same themes as past ads: you have failed to lose weight in the past. Why don't you try hypnosis? Let it create the new slimmer you! One thing that is new is the mention of the Dateline NBC's Losing It:The Ultimate Diet Challenge. According to the challenge, hypnosis had the highest percentage of weight loss goal (actual weight loss divided by weight loss goal multiplied by 100) achieved among six weight loss strategies. This provides a good example of how numbers can be manipulated to make any point you want to make. The Atkins diet resulted in the highest weight loss of 50 pounds which is 10 pounds higher than the loss achieved by hypnosis. However, because the weight loss goal for hypnosis (50 pounds) was much lower than the goal for the Atkins diet (150 pounds), the percentage of weight loss goal is markedly different despite the closeness of the actual weight loss. If the weight loss goal for the Atkins diet was a little more realistic, hypnosis would certainly have fared worse in the comparison of weight loss strategies.
Another problems is that the diet challenge only lasted three months. In the Scientific American Frontiers program Losing It, the attempts of ten volunteer's to lose weight were followed for six months. It was pointed out by Scientific American Frontiers that their study was not scientific since researchers prefer studies of one year or more. We should view the diet challenge in the same way.
Finally, one of the ads state that the challenge participant Marc Merlis achieved 80% of his weight loss goal due to hypnosis "without following a diet or exercise plan". In fact, according to MNBC, Marc was eating better and exercising with a fitness trainer during the three months. As any doctor will tell you, proper diet and exercise will certainly lead to weight loss and good health.
By now, you probably think that I classify hypnosis as pseudoscience. I do not. After reading articles like the Scientific American article on hypnosis, I am convinced that there is real brain chemistry behind hypnosis that is nether faked nor role played. However, hypnosis must be practiced in accordance with well designed scientific research. Hypnosis is not a magical incantation pulled from a magician's hat to be used for any condition under any circumstances. As I noted in an earlier article, hypnosis can lead to modest weight loss when used with cognitive behavioral therapy. The testimonials in the ads which refer to losing from 70 to 108 pounds are not representative of the average weight loss achievable through hypnosis. According to the American Psychological Association Division of Psychological Hypnosis, hypnosis should be used to facilitate therapy, but should not be used as a standalone therapy in and of itself. (Executive Committee of the American Psychological Association Division of Psychological Hypnosis) I do not see how these seminars constitute long term therapy that is facilitated by hypnosis. Sometimes, pseudoscience is not just claims without scientific basis. It can be the improper usage of scientific knowledge
The fact is that Goen Seminars still has not provided in its ads any scientific research that validates its specific application of hypnosis. I do think that I am asking too much for Goen Seminars to finance a well designed scientific study of their seminars and publish the study results in a peer reviewed scientific journal. Acceptance of this research by the professional organizations like the American Psychological Society would go a long way towards my finding something else other than Goen Seminars to write about.
Is there anything else new about Goen Seminars? Unfortunately for Goen Seminars, not good news. New Jersey is suing the founder of Goen Seminars for carrying out a bait-and-switch scheme in which drug free hypnosis is used to entice consumers into the seminar and then the true purpose of the seminar is revealed as diet supplements manufactured by another Goen company become the focus of the seminar. According to the lawsuit, Goen Seminars also made misleading and unscientific claims about these diet supplements and failed to warn consumers about the risk involved in using supplements containing ephedra. These supplements go under the names TrimSpa, Lipo Spa and CarbSpa. As I pointed out in the earlier article on Goen Seminars, this is not the first time Goen Seminars has gotten in trouble with state agencies.
As our country gets more and more obese, it is important that we get the right information about losing weight. For anyone wanting to lose weight, talk to your doctor about the best scientifically proven weight loss strategy. If your doctor sees a need for hypnosis, let him make a referral to a reputable hypnotherapist in your area. I believe that we have heard enough about Goen Seminars to be skeptical about their claims. For everyone reading this article, please contact Carl Cannon, publisher of the Florida Times Union and let him know that they can get along without Goen Seminar's advertising dollars
References
Executive Committee of the American Psychological Association Division of Psychological Hypnosis [1993, Fall]. Psychological Hypnosis: A Bulletin of Division 30, 2, p. 7
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© 2004 Curtis Wolf