We’ve all been to a county fair and stopped to watch the hypnotist make his volunteers do crazy things by suggesting that’s what they should do when he says the magic word. Whether its singing and dancing or clucking like a chicken, whenever that word is said the volunteer immediately does what he or she was hypnotized to do.
Hypnotherapy is nothing like that at all, however most people are a little leery of trying it because that’s the image they associate it with.
Hypnotherapy can be extremely helpful with conditions such as addiction when used in conjunction with other treatment therapies. It has been proven to be highly effective in helping alcoholics find recovery.
Unlike the example of the hypnotist at the fair, hypnotherapy can’t make you do something you aren’t willing to do in the first place and there is no special word that can be said to instantly relieve someone of the craving to drink or use drugs.
The addict would have to have already decided that being clean or sober is what he or she actually wants to do. It is not a cure-all answer, the addict isn’t going to do one session and magically never have another craving to use.
What it does do, typically over the course of 20 sessions, is help the patient have positive thoughts about sobriety and decrease anxiety.
The patient is put in a trance like state that will leave them more open to suggestions, and the professional will use positive statements and suggestions about sobriety to fight the addictive behavior and curbing cravings.
Doing this will not change the person’s mindset or give them a new outlook on life or sobriety, but it will fortify his or her will to remain clean or sober.
When facing stressful situations or anxiety, addicts can use the coping mechanisms reinforced by hypnotherapy instead of relapsing.
Hypnotherapy can also help a therapist explore the underlying causes that led to the addiction on a deeper level to determine what will be a trigger and the best way to treat the addiction itself.
Knowing what can cause triggers before they come allows the patient to avoid them as well as how to deal with the triggers before he or she is actually confronted by them.
Having a plan that’s made with the patient and therapist for how he or she is supposed to deal with those triggers can be the difference between staying in recovery or relapsing.
Using hypnotherapy can remove mental barriers to recovery as long as the patient remains open and willing to partake in the process.
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