News Articles » Ann Arbor Observer

Easy willpower: When Kate M. Keever walked into Rena Greenberg’s weight loss seminar at St. Joe’s last fall, she had no idea what to expect. When it concluded, she was still somewhat mystified. “I walked out of there wondering about my experience,” she says. “I knew I had not fallen asleep, and yet I couldn’t remember a thing she said during the hypnosis section.” It’s a common reaction to Greenberg’s eclectic sessions. Greenberg’s recent book, The Craving Cure recounts how a serious illness in her twenties drove her to look for a healthier diet—and ignited a lifelong passion for understanding how people’s minds can influence their feelings about food and themselves. The $79 seminars fuse hypnosis with self-love messages, physical exercise, breathing techniques, and nutritional education. Whatever the combination, Keever says, it worked for her. “I actually eat whatever I want, but I don’t crave junk food any longer and have stopped overeating.” She’s lost twenty-five pounds, and she says she’s looking forward to her free follow-up visit when Greenberg conducts several seminars at St. Joe’s in February.