Internet addiction is an all-encompassing term for addictions you can have through the Internet, think of:
- Social media addiction
- Online gambling addiction
- Game Addiction
- Online shopping addiction
- Porn Addiction
- Information Search Addiction
Yes yes, you probably didn't expect that last one, but there are people addicted to Wikipedia or even news websites.
Of course, you can also have a combination of these sub-internet addictions. In any case, what happens is that you simply have to stay on the Internet. You spend hours of your time there and because of this you forget about other important things in life, such as your work, maintaining social relationships or other ways you can spend your free time[1].
As a result, you can have all kinds of problems, from financial problems to social problems.
Even physically, it affects how strong you are and how well your immune system works. In addition, you may find it difficult to adjust socially and may develop behavioral problems due to addiction.
Reason enough to overcome your Internet addiction.
So how does hypnosis or hypnotherapy help people with this? Find out in this blog article.
Trace the cause
Finding out the cause for Internet addiction is an important step in resolving the addiction.
Generally people with Internet addiction:
- Man.
- Living in urban areas.
- Socially economically prosperous (to boot).
- Lonely.
- Stressed by school.
- Dissatisfied with their family.
- Stressed by certain events.
- Depressed
- Physically less healthy to begin with.
- Diagnosed with ADHD (especially in women with this addiction).
- Compulsive.
- Also interested in other "resources".
- Bored.
- Not well attached to their parents.
- Insecure (low self-confidence).
- Hostile attitude (especially in men with this addiction).
- Social Anxiety.
- Introvert.
- Bad at dealing with negative emotions, want to avoid them.
- Not satisfied with their academic results (if they study).
(source 1)
This entire list gives guidance to a hypnotherapist for the direction to look for when it comes to identifying the cause.
Hypnosis can be used well in combination with other techniques and often fosters a bond between the therapist and client which is good for the effectiveness of treatment[2].
Sometimes the solution can be quite simple. If the Internet use is there to distract someone from negative emotions, then encouraging self-acceptance and self-love can already do a lot. A person is then given an alternative for how to deal with negative emotions.
Regression for a complicated cause
But if the problem lies in attachment with parents, not feeling love in your family or social anxiety or something similar, the solution is a little more complicated.
In this case, a hypnotherapist can help the addict identify the cause through the regression technique. With this technique, you go back to the first moment when you had a certain feeling that caused you to do the Internet addiction[3]. The problem for which the Internet became the "solution."
This may even be a moment well before the addiction occurred, but because of something in your childhood. For example, the moment when you felt your family was not there for you or something similar.
After all, in your childhood, you determine how life "works" and what "rules" there are. Those rules can make you unhappy, and sometimes this can cause you to use the Internet later in life to find that happiness after all.
Alone, that doesn't always help.
Depending on which memory surfaces, a hypnotherapist can then use other techniques to change the limiting belief to a helping one.
For example, when it appears that something has gone wrong in the family's feeling of love, they can play for a conversation between the inner child (the child the client was at the time) with the parent who caused the problem.
This can lead to new insights that cause the realization that parents did love their child, but were unable to express it properly due to their own barriers.
Or it can lead to the realization that the child can also take very good care of himself now and does not need parental affirmation at all to live a nice life.
Practicing alternative behaviors
Once the cause is resolved, it is always helpful to provide an alternative to Internet use. For example, sports, volunteering, hanging out with friends or something similar.
For people with social anxiety, some additional practice may then be needed to actually use these options.
For example, visualizations can be used to make it easier to invite, say, fellow students or classmates to do something fun and what that "doing something fun" might look like.
For example, if your Internet addiction is a gaming addiction, meeting with friends to play board games can also be a fun alternative.
A guided visualization can then give someone the confidence to overcome social anxieties and to know that it's not a bad thing if you're awkward from time to time. No one remembers that.
Practical tips against Internet addiction
In addition to hypnosis, there are a number of practical tips you can use.
Purchase a focus box
Yes, a box that you put your smartphone in and anything that can access the Internet, tablet, laptop or your PC's mouse. Preferably one with a time lock so you really can't access it. You then force yourself to do something other than "surf the Internet."
Suddenly you discover that exercising is fun, or taking a nice walk. Maybe your house suddenly becomes super tidy.
An acquaintance of mine used this for her e-reader addiction and found out that the books she reads aren't actually that enjoyable if you can't read them in 1 pull.
Also, if you keep a journal about when you get the urge to open that focus box (in any way) it will also give you insight about what things in your life trigger you to go on the Internet.
Join an association
Playing soccer, volleyball, tennis, badminton, drama, chess, there are all kinds of clubs you can fill your time with in the evenings. This way, you expand your social circle and have an alternative activity instead of surfing the Internet.
Who knows, these may be just the connections you need to better connect with the society or region where you live.
Lower your daily spending limit on your bank account
You can set a daily spending limit on each bank account. If you are addicted to shopping, gambling or micro-transactions with gaming, this can help you stop doing so.
You can set the amount so that it is only enough to do your daily shopping, for example, but nothing else.
Buy a dumbphone/seniorphone
With a smartphone, you can access the Internet and social media very easily. Because a phone is always handy for just calling someone, it is difficult to live phone-free.
Instead, you can also buy a dumbphone or cell phone for seniors that allows you to make calls and text only. That way, you remain accessible to friends and family, but can just stay off social media.
Also, when using a dumphone, you can keep a journal to find out what triggers you to go on social media, as you may feel that extra in the first week.
Engage in self-hypnosis
A hypnotherapist often gives people homework in the form of self-hypnosis. Self-hypnosis works incredibly well to reduce stress, resolve insomnia and promote relaxation.
In the process, self-hypnosis can enhance the effects of hypnotherapy. So this can definitely be done in conjunction with therapy as well.
It can prevent relapse into Internet addiction.
With self-hypnosis, you have multiple versions. If you are good at self-hypnosis, you can do it completely independently and repeat certain affirmations while in hypnosis.
Such as:
"I am good enough the way I am."
"I love myself and am my own best friend."
"I can do anything."
These are just examples. Depending on the causes and problems a person has with an Internet addiction, a hypnotherapist may bring very different suggestions. Self-hypnosis can also be practiced during hypnosis sessions.
Another way is to listen to a recording that helps you with self-hypnosis, relaxation and strengthening self-love, for example.
With us, for example, you can click here for a free mp3 recording for self-hypnosis.
But a hypnotherapist can also create a recording for a specific client. So then a person gets a customized audio recording for self-hypnosis.
Learn Hypnosis
Would you like to help yourself or others with hypnosis? At the Hypnosis Institute Netherlands, you can learn hypnosis. Come to the free master class for an introduction.
Or register directly for one of our events and trainings.
Click here for our training courses.
Have a question about our training? Schedule a 1-on-1 consultation here.
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