Introduction: The Myth of Willpower
Many people believe that to lose weight, quit smoking or achieve any other goal, all it takes is more willpower.
But how many times have you started a new path with great determination, only to see your motivation fade after a few weeks?
The truth is that willpower is a limited resource. The more you use it, the more it depletes. If you rely only on it, you risk getting frustrated and going back to old habits.
Imagine having to hold a glass of water up for the whole day. At first it is easy, but after a few hours the arm starts to get heavy, fatigue sets in, and the only desire is to give up. This is also how willpower works: it gets fatigued, exhausted, and eventually the mind returns to the old patterns.
This is why hypnosis can make a difference: instead of fighting against yourself, it helps you reprogram your mind so that change becomes natural, as we saw in the previous article on Psychocybernetics (read here).
The Case of Emiliano: When the Unconscious Sabotages Your Efforts
Emiliano is an artisan from Milan. He has always been a petite person and, as a child, was bullied because of his slim physique.
Imagine a man 170 cm by 89 kg, definitely overweight. Over the years, he tried several times to lose weight, without success. Every time he lost weight, he felt inexplicably uncomfortable and, without realizing it, returned to his old eating habits.
During a hypnosis session, he discovered something surprising: in his subconscious, weight gain was not a problem, but a protection.
While in a trance-like state, a powerful sentence emerged, “How beautiful is the fat on the body.”
For Emiliano, being bigger meant feeling safer, less vulnerable. His unconscious associated fatness with a form of protection against the outside world.
As long as this belief was ingrained within him, no diet or willpower would ever work. His body was simply following his mental program.
After working with hypnosis, Emiliano completely changed his self-perception. He no longer needed to protect himself with weight, and without making excessive efforts, he began to lose pounds naturally.
He phoned me a week after that session and confided, “Gaspare, it’s unbelievable, I haven’t even started a diet and already in this past week I have lost almost 3 kg.”
This is the power of hypnosis: to remove the unconscious blocks that make change impossible.
Today, a year later, Emiliano has lost 32 kilograms and resumed karate, a passion he had abandoned for some time.
He now feels stronger, more confident and has realized that change was never about willpower, but about mental alignment.
Why Willpower Alone Doesn’t Work
Willpower is like a battery: at first it is charged, but over time it is discharged.
Every day we face decisions that consume this energy: resisting sweets, finding the motivation to go to the gym, avoiding binge eating when we are stressed.
If you rely only on willpower, your brain will enter a cycle of exhaustion. The more you fight against your impulses, the harder it becomes to maintain control.
Here are some examples of how willpower is depleted:
- After a long day at work, giving in to the temptation of junk food seems inevitable.
- If you have to constantly tell yourself, “No, I don’t!” sooner or later you will collapse.
- The more you suppress a desire, the more it grows until it becomes irresistible.
This is why relying only on willpower often leads to failure. When you are tired, stressed or unmotivated, your mind reverts to old patterns.
Hypnosis: The Secret to Reprogramming Your Unconscious
If you want lasting change, you have to work on the unconscious level.
Hypnosis helps to:
- Uncover the hidden beliefs that sabotage your efforts-just as Emiliano discovered that his weight gain was a form of protection.
- Reprogram the mind to see change as something positive and natural.
- Create new automatisms-instead of forcing yourself to eat healthy, you start spontaneously craving it.
- Reduce mental effort-when your mind is aligned with your goals, change happens without resistance.
Imagine how much easier it would be to lose weight if your unconscious mind pushed you toward healthy choices instead of sabotaging you. Hypnosis and coaching, makes it possible to turn change into a spontaneous, effortless and stress-free habit.
A Hypnosis Exercise to Sustain Change
Try this exercise to align your mind with your goals:
- Find a quiet place, sit comfortably and close your eyes.
- Breathe deeply, letting go of all tension.
- Imagine your “old self,” with all the difficulties you had in the past.
- Now visualize the version of you you wish to become – healthier, lighter, more confident.
- Notice the difference between the two images and let the new one become clearer and more intense.
- Repeat in your mind a positive affirmation, such as, “Change is natural for me,” or “My body reflects my well-being.”
- Feel the feeling of lightness and freedom spread throughout your body.
By repeating this exercise every day, you will begin to feel a profound change in your thinking.
Conclusion: You Don’t Have to Struggle Anymore
If you have always believed that you needed more willpower to change, you now know that is not the case.
The real secret is to regain control of your unconscious mind.
When your mind is aligned with your goals, change becomes natural, without struggle or self-sabotage.
Emiliano has transformed his life with hypnosis and coaching.
And you, are you ready to stop struggling and start making real change?
In the next article, we will talk about how to create new habits without stress so that your journey of change is light and sustainable over time.
Don’t miss it!
