Hypnosis for Addiction

The Nature of Addiction

Addiction, broadly speaking, can be thought of as any behavior that you feel compelled to do and have difficulty stopping. Technically, there is a formal distinction made between dependency and addiction, but ultimately any behavior that you partake in which you feel compelled to but which ultimately causes you discomfort, can be thought of as addictive.

Addiction can further fall into broad categories of behaviors and substances. Things like pornography or gambling can develop addictions around them, while substances like drugs or alcohol can also cause addiction. 

Addictions typically develop over time. A certain behavior or substance gives us a temporary boost of dopamine, helping us feel good. This high fades, and we seek it out again, especially when we are faced with a difficult situation in our life, whether that’s an external challenge like a stressful job, or an internal challenge like depressing or anxious feelings.

Partaking in that same behavior provides temporary relief. The problem is that the core issue hasn’t been addressed, so the issue itself still remains present in our lives. Moreover, our body gets used to the level of stimulation it has received and then needs more of it to receive the same “high” we originally got. Over time, we might find ourselves engaging in an activity or partaking of a substance more and more frequently just to find the same amount of relief you are used to getting. 

Sometimes there is a denial around addiction. We tell ourselves that we could stop anytime, or that we’re not actually doing that much of it. It can often be friends and family that point out the issue first. Other times, we have the awareness of it ourselves. 

When it comes to trying to break free of addiction, several struggles come into play:

• The force of habit – often we’ve been engaged in a behavior for years, and our mind has built neural pathways around behaving this way. “When X happens, do Y,” our brain tells us, and we do it instinctively. Having a cigarette after you wake up, is one example. 
• The presenting challenge – often, the anxiety or discomfort that got us into our situation has remained, or even gotten worse (as most problems do when left untreated), and we feel more compelled than ever to try to escape it. 
• The guilt and shame spiral – often, we can feel bad about our addictive behavior, while still partaking in it. We then try to escape those negative feelings by engaging in more addictive behaviors. This creates a negative cycle where we feel worse and worse about ourselves while digging a deeper and deeper habit of addiction.
• The substances themselves – for some substances like Nicotine or Alcohol, our body creates a dependency or a craving for that external substance. This compounds any dopamine boosts we might get from partaking in the “feel good” activity itself.

Hypnosis for Addiction

People often seek hypnosis specifically for addictions, with Hypnosis to Quit Smoking being a particularly well known approach. 

The reason hypnosis is often used for these types of issues is because it goes right to the subconscious mind where so much of our motivations come from. You can then achieve insight and create change around the issue you are struggling with, oftentimes much quicker than you could through brute force, logic or sheer willpower. 

As you have probably already discovered, all the clarity in the world about the extent of the addiction and its ultimate negative effect on you, doesn’t seem to be enough to kick the habit. One of the reasons for this might be that the subconscious mind is not fully engaged in the process, and has needs and desires of its own that might not be addressed.