HIS IMPARTIAL VERDICT: IT’S PROFOUND AND LIFE-CHANGING
Mr Gideon Felton MRCPsych
Medically endorsed weight loss is rare – however the effects of a Slimpod have been described as “profound and life-changing” by an NHS consultant psychiatrist who has endorsed its use after trialling it on himself. Mr Gideon Felton, a Member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, (pictured above) found that he ate less, cut down on snacking and made healthier choices.
His independent and impartial assessment states that in his judgment there are no psychologically harmful techniques used in the Thinking Slimmer Slimpod programme and he gives it his endorsement. Read the consultant psychiatrist’s independent report on Slimpods in full below.
ASSESSMENT OF THINKING SLIMMER
by Mr Gideon Felton, MRCPsych
senior psychiatrist at the Central Middlesex Hospital
Motivation to enrol in Weight Loss Programme
I came to the conclusion that my fitness and ability to play sport had reached a ‘glass ceiling’ and that no amount of heavy physical training would benefit me unless I modified my diet.
Experience of Thinking Slimmer
I used the Thinking Slimmer Slimpod over 21 consecutive days in May 2011. My routine involved listening to this every evening at approximately 9pm. It lasts for approximately 10 minutes. I found listening to it had a dramatic impact on me. I noticed several processes working in parallel.
1) My daily intake of food lessened considerably. I ate at the same regular intervals but my meal sizes were smaller.
2) I felt more sustained by the food I ate at mealtimes, and found that snacking in between meals became less necessary.
3) My choices of food became more healthy.
The net result of these processes was very beneficial. I found myself fitter with a far greater exercise tolerance. My stamina improved. I have always been a keen player in most sports but now find that I get more enjoyment from this as I am able to prolong my participation.
How to interpret this change
I genuinely think that listening to a Slimpod changed my attitude to eating. No hypnosis took place as I was fully alert and concious throughout the whole listening experience. I have studied hypnotherapy techniques extensively and I can safely say that no hypnotherapy technique was used. I think that the term ‘hypnotherapy’, when applied to this, is a totally incorrect way to describe how it works
I can also assert that no auto-suggestion was used. Auto-suggestion implies getting the patient to absorb a prescribed ‘mantra’ and incorporate this conciously and sub-conciously in their belief system. At no time was such a mantra introduced to the listener. Interestingly, the Slimpod does not actually give any instructions to the listener. It does not ask the listener to keep a diary, nor does it order the listener specifically to change his/her behaviour.
More importantly, no shock tactics are used. Frequently shock tactics outlining dramatic and unpleasant consequences of continued unhealthy habits have been employed in order to stun the recipient into a behavioural change. Refreshingly, this approach was not in evidence. Slimpod does not make the listener feel vulnerable, nor does it undermine his/her self esteem.
I believe that Slimpod works on Cognitive Dissonance. i.e. setting out a difference to the listener between his/her actual state of affairs and his/her desired state. Also reinforced by the Slimpod is that this difference is easy to remedy, by reviewing his/her attitude to food. General Practitioners, Health Visitors, Dieticians and Educators have increasingly taken on this role with varying degrees of success.
Summary
Overall, I have found no evidence of any psychologically dangerous mechanisms and on this basis, I am willing to endorse Slimpod on safety grounds. I have found the benefits of it profound and positively life-changing.
Background
I am a fully qualified psychiatrist on the Specialist Register for General Adult Psychiatry and Substance Misuse Psychiatry. I am now on my Grace Period, having been awarded my C.C.T. in March 2011. I am working at the Park Royal Centre for Mental Health at Central Middlesex Hospital. I am also level 2 trained in Emotional Freedom Techniques and Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing. I have attended training in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, PsychoAnalytic Psychotherapy and Neuro Linguistic Programming.
* Since completing this report, Mr Felton has been appointed Lead Clinician for CRI Spectrum Hertfordshire, specialising in the treatment of alcohol and substance abuse.
The results of the trial were presented at the research conference of the British Journal of General Practice in March 2020. Clinical trials registration number ISRCTN75203062. View the study at http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN75203062
More information for GPs on our medically endorsed weight loss
How we use the science of unconscious persuasion to guide people to make changesin their lives
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Why unique Wordweaving technique is so effective in nudging the mind towards new behaviours
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Thinking Slimmer leads the world in medically endorsed weight loss
Thinking Slimmer is a world leader in the use of unconscious persuasion to help people change their lifestyle and lose weight. It is the first company in the world to commission independent clinical trials into the effectiveness of voice recordings using unconscious persuasion to help people lose weight. Thinking Slimmer is also a stakeholder in the National Institute for Clinical Excellence’s guidance for GPs on the lifestyle management of obese and overweight adults. Thinking Slimmer founder Sandra Roycroft-Davis is a member of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Obesity.
