November 2005 | Whole Health
Uncommon Healer
by Nancy Ging
Practitioner Profile
Who: Gina Orlando is a certified hypnotherapist known for her mind-body-spirit approach to weight loss, now called “Pleasure-Based Weight Release: A Holistic Approach.”
Quick Take: Orlando is passionate about holistic modalities that get to source causes of issues, so a person can change and heal efficiently. She believes her own health issues and deep desire for wholeness continue to drive her search. “Since I was once obese, I know the pain and drama of being out of control with foods and the kinds of emotional and physical fallout from those compulsions,” she said. “Pleasure-Based Weight Release” is an individualized program that engages the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, cultural and energetic facets of the person. The idea is to transform negative patterns, revive a sense of savoring foods, honor the body at whatever size, change habits and feel better.
Old vs. New: Instead of counting calories and/or points, Orlando says, her method is about getting in touch with pleasure, real foods and your own body wisdom. “It’s about getting honest about your relationship to carbohydrates, and learning how to be in a sane relationship with them,” she said. “By the time that someone comes to a hypnotherapist for weight loss, you can be assured that there is complexity, usually on all the levels of body, mind, emotions, spirit, culture and energy. And often, under it all, is old trauma which needs to be healed.”
Knowing the Difference: Orlando sees herself as a facilitator who urges each person to develop body wisdom. “The client can release excess weight healthfully and deliciously,” she said. “It should be a fun, challenging, yet enjoyable discovery process.”
Biggest Myths: There is no magic bullet for weight loss, not everyone should eat alike, and you do not always need to rely on “experts” to tell you what to eat. “These concepts have been incredibly crazy-making for people,” she said. “People have become afraid of food and eating, and really disengage from it, yet are mindlessly pulled to compulsive eating. It seems absurd to tell a person what to eat when they are not even present in their body, or are in their body but loathe it, so (they) have little motivation to live a healthy lifestyle.”
Case Study: A man in his late 40s had battled with weight problems for decades, with his weight fluctuating by hundreds of pounds. He is currently in a “Pleasure-Based Weight Release” and has lost 30 pounds. Although he said he still has a long way to go, he said he has gained an awareness of lifelong issues, is fostering a sense of connection to his body, and is recovering from religious teachings that lead him to believe his body is evil. He is now taking time to savor foods, look at his wheat/carb/sugar addictions, and is learning to support his brain chemistry naturally.
Personal File: Orlando has been in the holistic health field since 1981 as an educator, writer, consultant, certified hypnotherapist and natural foods cook. She received her master’s degree from DePaul University in 1998 as a consultant and educator in mind-body-spirit approaches to health. She is also trained in Complementary Medical Hypnosis and is a faculty member of the National Guild of Hypnotists Conference and the local Mid-America Conference. She lives with her husband in Oak Park, where she has her private practice, conducts hypnotherapy groups at an area hospital and works with local integrative medical doctors.
She can be reached at 708-524-9103 or email.
Nancy Ging, A.C.S.W., L.C.S.W., is a Chicago-area holistic psychotherapist, consultant and author.
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