Treat Addiction with Integrative Hypnotherapy

What is addiction?

The word “addiction” is actually a broad term that encompasses a number of different symptoms and behaviours. There is no official medical definition of addiction, and there is some debate as to whether or not the concept of addiction even exists. There are many theories on what addiction is, ranging from it being a behavioural disorder to being a type of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Generally, an addiction is a harmful but hard-to-break attachment to something that negatively impacts your life. You can become addicted to anything — a substance, a behaviour or an activity. An addiction could be a craving that you can’t shake, or an inability to control your impulses or cravings. It could also be an intense and repetitive urge to indulge in a particular activity.

Some of the most common symptoms of an addiction

While addictions to drugs, cigarettes, and alcohol are some of the most well known forms of the issue, other common addictions include:

Junk food cravings: Craving high-calorie and high-fat foods, such as donuts and chocolate, is a common sign of food addiction. You may crave these types of foods even when you’re not actually hungry.

Excessive gambling: A compulsive need to gamble away your money, no matter what the odds are or how much you lose, is a sign of gambling addiction.

Internet addiction: Spending too much time online, feeling the need to be online at all times and neglecting your offline relationships as a result is a sign of internet addiction.

Video game addiction: Spending hours playing games when you could be doing something more constructive, experiencing feelings of withdrawal when you’re not playing and ignoring your responsibilities as a result is a sign of video game addiction.

How does addiction act as a coping mechanism?

All addictions are used as coping mechanisms — ways of dealing with stress and negative feelings. They can be positive coping mechanisms in the right context, but in most cases they are destructive. When you feel sad, angry, anxious or stressed, your brain releases certain chemicals that make you feel “better.” For example, when you feel anxious you produce adrenaline that makes you feel more alert and less anxious. When you feel sad, your brain releases endorphins that make you feel less depressed and more “happy.” These chemicals can be very strong, and they can become addictive — especially when they are released too frequently. It can become easier to produce these chemicals on your own than to face your negative emotions.

How can hypnotherapy help with addiction?

Hypnotherapy is an approach to therapy that uses the power of suggestion to help you break free of old habits and destructive behaviours. Some people use hypnotherapy to quit smoking, others use it to lose weight, and still others use it to overcome anxiety. You can also use hypnotherapy to break free from an addiction — be it to alcohol, drugs, smoking or gambling. Hypnotherapy can help you overcome an addiction in a number of ways. First, you will learn how to identify your triggers for your addictive behaviour — how you “let yourself down” and succumb to your addiction cycle. Then, you will be given positive affirmations and statements that you can use to combat those addictive urges. Finally, you will be able to reprogram your subconscious to make the changes permanent.

How can accessing the subconscious break the cycle?

When you are in the throes of an addiction, you are living in the present moment. You are not thinking about the past or the future — you are focused on right now, right now, right now. Not only is this destructive, it is also unsustainable. The human brain was not designed to live in the present moment forever. Our mind needs breaks from a compulsive, tunnel-vision focus on the “now.” We need moments to relax and reflect. And you can access the reprieve from the present that you need through your subconscious. The subconscious is a powerful tool that many people are unaware of, but it can be accessed through hypnotherapy. When you use hypnotherapy to access your subconscious, you can make changes to your conscious and subconscious thoughts simultaneously.

Does hypnotherapy really work?

The conscious and subconscious are two important parts of the human psyche. The conscious is what we are aware of and can control, while the subconscious is everything else. The subconscious is the ideal place to access to reprogram yourself, but most people don’t know how to access it. Hypnotherapy is the best way to access your subconscious and reprogram yourself to break free of an addiction. When you reprogram your subconscious, you can change your thoughts and feelings to break free of an addiction. You can change your cravings, you can change your urges, and you can change your feelings of compulsion — permanently.