Hypnosis to Help Stop Addictive Behaviors
Addictive behaviors are often rooted in associations that have become formalized in the unconscious mind. When those associations are activated, the automatic response is engaging in addictive behaviors. Hypnosis can help you change the associations and manage your response to those triggers. Hypnosis is most often used in support of drug and alcohol counseling and after detox treatments. Hypnosis support focuses attention on two aspects: the associations, (conscious or unconscious) that trigger the behavior and what perceived benefit the client gets from engaging in the addictive behavior.
Active addiction to alcohol,and drugs, including depressants, stimulants, hallucinogenics or opioids, including prescription pain medications, require the involvement of licensed professionals. Addiction to substances such as caffeine, nicotine, sugar, chocolate or other kinds of foods generally do not require the involvement of a licensed professional.
Chemical Addiction
While hypnosis can help someone better manage and navigate withdrawal from chemical addiction, it is not a replacement for detox. In the event of active chemical addiction, I offer hypnosis support while working with a client’s drug and alcohol counselor and/or physician who is supervising the detox. I am not a drug and alcohol counselor nor a physician and cannot oversee the detoxification process.
Hypnosis, however, makes a positive contribution to the process of change that eventually leads a client to live a better, happier, more stable life greatly reducing the potential for relapse.
The best time to work with a qualified hypnotist is post detox
Schedule a free phone or zoom consultation to determine if hypnosis is a viable response to your situation.
Can I Just Cut Down?
A challenging but common question. The simple answer is, yes. The more complicated answer and perhaps more honest answer is, “probably not.” I don’t judge the goals of my clients. I will help you cut down, but the danger of relapse is greatly increased by the continued behavior. I’ve had clients successfully cut down and then decide to eliminate the behavior or substance entirely. Other clients have cut down and have reached a level with which they are comfortable. Sometimes, they come back because their “limited behavior” has increased to the point of full relapse. I’ll work with anyone as long as I am comfortable that I am not going beyond my scope of practice. And I make this promise. If I think you are kidding yourself, I’ll tell you so. I don’t judge but I don’t mince words either. My goal is to see you live a happier, healthier life. That is why I do what I do.
Behavioral Addiction
There are still chemicals involved in behavioral addictions, natural ones, like serotonin, dopamine and oxytocin. Many obsessive or compulsive behaviors are associated with these natural neurotransmitters. These neurotransmitters provide a positive response to the associated behavior to the point that the behavior gets in the way of leading a normal, healthy life.
Through hypnosis, we can define the response the client gets from engaging in the behavior, find healthy, less intrusive ways of obtaining the response and learning to live a more balanced and less interrupted life.
Common behavioral addictions may include smoking, vaping, rubbing snuff, binge eating, social-media use, pornography, gambling, sex as well as any obsessive or compulsive activity such as hair-pulling, skin-picking, cutting, handwashing, etc.
What if it’s just a habit?
A habit that isn’t yet a behavioral addiction is likely to be easier to work with however, sometimes, habits have deep-seated triggers. Nail-biting, for example, can merely be a behavioral habit but also may be the result of a high level of stress or anxiety to which the client has become accustomed. If your habit is just a habit, no problem. If it is the product of a bigger problem, then it is likely to be a behavioral addiction even if it is not a full-fledged chemical addiction. Some people drink on a regular basis but their drinking has not become a chemical addiction, yet. When they don’t drink, they might miss the behavior but they don’t suffer chemical withdrawal. It might be a habit. It might also be a behavioral addiction.