Hypnosis and Drugs: Stopping Drug Addiction

Addictions: some are more susceptible to it than others. It is therefore very annoying if something that should have been an experiment has suddenly made you addicted to drugs. The feeling that you can handle anything, that you are super sharp in conversations, that you are the man (or the woman) or just that all worries don't nag at you for a while is terribly attractive and that's why you can become addicted to it.That's why in this article I will discuss what addiction does to your brain and how hypnosis can help you quit drugs

It's so much fun at the party that one line, joint, pill extra will do. Much better than a tired slumped feeling and going home first.

Afterwards, when the drugs wear off, instead of normal, you feel low and not yourself. While just then you are yourself. This can be an incredibly unpleasant feeling, which is why most people find it extremely difficult to withdraw from drugs on their own. Therefore it is not at all strange to seek professional help.

With some drug addictions, it is also wise to do so under the guidance of professionals because of the physical withdrawal symptoms.

Drug addiction and your brain

In addition, drug addiction changes your brain [1]. That change may explain why you can sometimes relapse into addiction even months after overcoming it. This is because, during addiction, the brain’s reward system becomes completely dysregulated. All the neural pathways associated with normal rewards are rewired, so that they make you feel as though drugs are the best thing in the world— better than learning, exercising, eating, love, and other things that are healthy for you and those around you.

That rearrangement of the brain then causes you to continue using drugs compulsively.

For opiates, addicts are often prescribed medication to help them stay off the drugs. However, research [2] shows that providing medication alone, without psychological support, usually does not help addicts overcome their addiction. This is because addiction depends not only on biological factors, such as physical dependence, but also on psychological and social factors.

The addict’s psychological state—such as a predisposition to addiction or the tendency to use addiction to suppress emotions—must also be addressed. If the addiction stems from an underlying problem, you cannot eliminate the addiction without identifying and resolving that underlying problem.

In addition, the social environment also affects addiction. Any addict who tries to quit on their own may have difficulty doing so if the social environment actually encourages them to use drugs, such as at parties or while visiting friends. Therefore, the addict must be given tools on how to deal with these situations without disturbing his/her social environment in a way that affects him/her negatively.

Quitting drugs through hypnosis

Alternative treatments are increasingly being scientifically researched. In fact, hypnosis has been used for hundreds of years and researched since the early ^20th century. Now, the effect of hypnosis on addictions and the abuse of other substances, such as food, is being studied more frequently again scientifically after a dip of about 10 years.

Scientists are already indicating promising results and that hypnosis can certainly add to existing treatment methods. This is because during hypnosis you enter a state of relaxation that benefits addiction treatment. You go through the following changes when you are in hypnosis.

• You are less susceptible to events in your immediate environment, such as noise from traffic.
• Your thinking is less critical, leaving you open to treatment.
• You have an improved ability to visualize and fantasize scenes.
• Your muscles are relaxed.
• Your perception of things can change.
• You can view memories differently than usual.
• You raise your expectations and motivation.
• You accept a different view of your memories faster.

During hypnosis, you are more susceptible to suggestions from the hypnotherapist that help you stay off drugs. Hypnosis mainly affects the cortex and subcortex. This is the part in your brain that shapes your thoughts and influences your behavior. Through hypnosis, connections can be made differently, making it easier for you to achieve desired behaviors, such as staying off drugs.

Hypnosis techniques for quitting drugs

Not all drugs are the same; cocaine is different from ecstasy, and pills are different from marijuana. For some addicts, a single hypnosis session is enough to quit drugs, but for others, it’s more difficult due to physical dependence, in which case hypnosis is actually a way to help them get through the withdrawal phase. That is why hypnotherapists use a variety of techniques to treat drug addictions.

Building self-confidence

Especially if you’ve already tried to quit drugs on your own and failed, this can lower your self-confidence and self-esteem. To successfully overcome addiction, it’s important to believe in your own strength and be mentally strong. Thoughts such as:

• I can't.
• I never succeed anyway.
• Drugs aren't so bad for me.
• I'm going to die anyway.

Be transformed into the following thoughts:

• I am strong.
• I'm already succeeding, so will tomorrow.
• I want to live longer than I can with drugs.
• I even want grandchildren.
• Life is worth living.
• Worth.

Therefore, the hypnotherapist will use special techniques to restore your self-confidence. If you need long-term hypnotherapy because of physical withdrawal symptoms or fear of relapse, the hypnotherapist can also give you homework in the form of self-hypnosis that will help you stay focused on your goal and keep you mentally resilient to the drugs.

Interrupting and changing drug rituals

Using drugs often has a ritual. For example, according to an addict, it is part of a ritual of socializing, getting up, eating, watching television and even more events can take on a ritual in which drugs play an important role.

One of the methods in which hypnosis helps against drugs is by detecting those rituals and givinganother ritual in their place. The user rituals are thereby destabilized. Instead, the hypnotherapist gives future rituals that the addict can apply in place of the drug rituals.

Reframing

During an addiction, a patient can become incredibly selfish. This is because the monster of addiction wants to be fed and will do anything to satisfy it. This makes it difficult for an addict to empathize with loved ones who see him deteriorating and are, above all, worried.

During reframing, patients are given the opportunity to view their behavior from a different perspective than normal. Also, thoughts such as: "My family doesn't love me anymore anyway.", can be viewed from a different perspective to see where that thought is coming from and if it is justified.

Connected suggestions

People suffering from severe addiction do not always accept what the hypnotherapist suggests. Therefore, sometimes giving 1 suggestion about behaviors or values related to drugs may not be enough. Linking these suggestions allows for a greater assault on the mental barrier that addiction has given your brain. Because, of course, that monster doesn't just give up.

The hypnotherapist gives the patient new suggestions about behaviors and values. Because addiction can be persistent, connected suggestions are a stronger method than one suggestion at a time. In fact, by linking suggestions together, they are more quickly accepted by the addict, making it easier for him to get rid of his addiction.

Paradox

Paradox shows patients that their behavior is destructive and that they do not wish the addiction on others either. This technique must be done under the guidance of a hypnotherapist. This is because people often do the opposite of what they should be doing.

You need to stop taking drugs and this actually makes you take more drugs.

How would you react if you were suddenly no longer under the pressure of having to quit drugs? You still have to quit, of course, but the feeling of "having to" somehow falls away. When that pressure falls away, it may well become much easier to stop using drugs. Under the guidance of a hypnotherapist, the pressure to quit drugs can be reduced, making quitting and rehab a lot easier.

Stop drugs instantly

Helping people quit drugs is what I do. In some cases you are rid of drug addiction after just 1 hypnosis session and sometimes you need several sessions. During this session I help you get back into the right mindset to quit drugs.

Helping others with drug addiction

Hypnosis is a valuable addition to longer-term treatment programs. If you’d like to become a hypnotherapist yourself to help people overcome drug addiction, you can enroll in a training program at the Hypnosis Institute of the Netherlands where you’ll learn everything you need to know about hypnosis. With this knowledge, you can not only practice self-hypnosis but also help others overcome their drug addiction.

Also pin this handy infographic as a reminder:

Sources:

http://www.nature.com/npp/journal/v24/n2/abs/1395603a.html

http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-45378-6_29

Handbook of Hypnotic Suggestions and Metaphors, Hammond, 1990.