Cognitive Hypnotherapy For Addictions & Habits

Humans are naturally creatures of habit.  Our habitual behaviours originate and live in the subconcious and typically are simple activities that are designed at their most basic level to keep us safe and protect us from harm, without us having to take much (or in some cases any) conscious notice of what we are doing.

But sometimes habits can have unforseen consequences, can become overwhelming or overimportant, or perhaps lead the way to addiction, a more severe form of habit, and an unhealthy, dependent state.

Undesireable habits and addictions can be related to pretty much anything but some of the most common examples I see are...

  • Nail biting (Onychophagia)
  • Teeth grinding (especially at night)
  • Smoking
  • Procrastination
  • Alcohol (either regular consumption or binge drinking)
  • Drugs (mainly "soft" e.g. cannabis / skunk, amphetamines, prescription medication)
  • Gambling (online particularly)
  • Tics & involuntary motor movements (especially in children)
  • Certain foods (often sweet) and drinks (tea, coffee etc)
  • Digital addiction such as mobile phones, gaming, social media etc

Cognitive Hypnotherapy can be used to help successfully treat addicitions and habits. Usually we look for the root causes behind the unwanted habits or addictions, as well as working on changing the behaviours themselves. As always, having an effective therapeutic relationship between the therapist and the client, and the client's willingness to participate and change are very important, especially in the early stages as the therapeutic relationship is developing.