Ever since she lost 14st three years ago, Ashley Weller had been unhappy about the size of her breasts.
But as a single mother with three children, she couldn’t afford plastic surgery.
So when the 26-year-old heard about a hypnotherapist who said she could make her bust bigger simply by thinking about it, she decided to give it a go – even though it seemed too good to be true.
Her cup runneth over: Ashley says she has had to buy new bras to accommodate her new assets
Unlikely as it sounds, Miss Weller claims the treatment worked, boosting her bra size by three cups from a 36C to a 36E.
Her hypnotherapist, Felix Economakis, claims he cleared psychological blocks in her mind that were stopping her breasts from growing.
Mr Economakis, a chartered psychologist, said: ‘The mind basically controls the body and if you know how to work with the mind you can get it to make changes in the body.
'I was thinking of having a boob job operation but it looks like I won't be needing one now': Ashley says she has gone from a 36C to a 36E following Felix's sessions
‘We know emotions affect the body. When people get stressed they get headaches, for example.
‘Using hypnosis, I can work directly with the mind. I speak to the part that controls hormones to encourage growth.
‘There are many reasons for these blocks, for instance, during puberty women associate big breasts with unwanted male attention when they were not emotionally ready.’
Three years ago, Miss Weller, a full-time mother from Horley, Surrey, had an operation to have a gastric sleeve fitted, and lost 14st – but her breasts got smaller, too.
She said: ‘When I lost all the weight, my boobs went saggy and horrible. Having three children has ruined them too.
‘When I heard about the hypno boob job I felt excited and wanted to give it a go. I was sceptical about it at first and it took me a while to get my head around it.’
Miss Weller had three hynotherapy sessions at Mr Economakis’s office in London. The sessions, each lasting an hour and a half, cost £900.
Getting a boost: Ashley Weller, 26, claims that three hypnotherapy sessions with Felix Economakis have caused her breasts to grow by three cup sizes
She said: ‘I sat in a chair and then I felt really relaxed.
'The next thing I knew Felix was telling me to wake up. I felt really refreshed – like I’d just had a long sleep.
‘I didn’t notice any change straight away. It wasn’t until the second session when I noticed my bra felt tight.’
She added: ‘I feel a lot more confident about my boobs now.
Having the 'hypno boob job': Ashley says the sessions, where Felix claims to unblock the growth hormones responsible for enlarging breasts, were 'relaxing'
'A boob job can cost around £4,000 but I’d never have been able to afford that.
'It goes to show there’s something out there other than surgery.
'It does work. People should give it a go.’
Satisfied customer: Ashley with hypnotherapist Felix Economakis who says he is the only practitioner in Britain offering this service
But medical experts were rather more sceptical. Dr Ian Campbell, a GP from Nottingham, said: ‘Breasts can change for lots of reasons.
'It can be as simple as being down to weight gain or hormonal changes.
‘The possibility that it is as a direct result of hypnotherapy is remote or impossible.’