Hypnosis For Drug Addiction Treatment

Conscious & Subconscious Motivations

Conscious and subconscious motivations may differ. For example, a person who has made the conscious decision to stop their dependent behavior may still continue to make choices that undermine that goal, which could be due to subconscious motivations.

Subconscious motivations are often related to the desire to meet basic needs for well-being, comfort, pleasure, and safety. A conflict arises when an attempt is made to change the behavior that has met those needs in the past without providing a viable alternative. The hypnotherapist can help the person identify these unconscious motivations and find healthy alternatives to meeting those needs.

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How Do I Find A Doctor Who Can Treat My Addiction To Opioid Painkillers

QUESTION: I developed an addiction to prescription pain medications after being in a car accident several years ago. I am now in treatment for drug addiction. I am getting methadone as a substitute for the opioid painkillers. My life is going well. I live and work in the Maritimes and have a chance for a better job in Ontario. But how can I find an Ontario doctor who can continue with my treatment? Without knowing I can keep getting methadone, there is no way I can move to Ontario. Is there a group or organization that has a list of addiction-treatment doctors?

ANSWER: It makes a lot of sense to line up your medical care before switching provinces. As I am sure you are well aware, there is a lot of stigma around the issue of drug addiction and its not always easy finding a doctor with expertise in treating the condition.

Your best bet is a relatively new website called opioidrecovery.ca. It contains a wide range of valuable information for Canadians living with opioid addictions. But most important, for your purposes, it also provides a doctor-locator function.

You simply type in your address or postal code into the locator tool and up pops a map showing the nearest doctors and clinics specializing in the treatment of opioid addictions.

The website has been several years in the making, says Dr. Joel Bordman, an addiction-treatment physician who played a key role in its development. It was officially launched in June 2014.

Hypnosis For Drug Addiction: What You Need To Know

Substance abuse is often a result of attempting to cope with complex emotions. Our brain is wired in a way that its reward system gets triggered by drug use. When one consumes any type of drug, and their brain responds by releasing dopamine the feel-good hormone it can make people quickly addicted. Heres how addiction works.

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How Can Hypnotherapy Help Someone With Addiction

Many people who want to stop an addiction or dependence may have already made multiple attempts to do so before trying hypnotherapy. This pattern can lead to feelings of discouragement, frustration and even hopelessness.

Hypnotherapy increases a persons chance of success by addressing some of the contributing factors to dependence including low self esteem and emotional trauma, as well as resolving conflicts between conscious and subconscious motivations.

Medical Alcohol Abuse Hypnosis

With medical alcohol abuse hypnosis, a drug is injected into the patients body that disrupts the breakdown of alcoholic substances. Because of this, the decay products of ethyl alcohol provoke a negative reaction in the body. As a result, a patient with alcoholism cannot consume alcohol after alcohol abuse hypnosis. The following medications are widespread in Kyiv:

• Disulfiram inhibits acetaldehydrogenase and delays at the stage of acetaldehyde. The accumulation of the latter in the body causes intoxication , which is accompanied by unpleasant sensations and a serious condition later.

Disulfiram Forms:

This bond becomes strong and enduring when alcohol acts as a catalyst and a universal remedy from stress to pleasure.

In the formation of this connection, emotionally vivid memories of alcohol-related events play a key role.

The brain automatically sorts the memories so that in active memory, events from life are saved, where the intake of alcoholic drinks served as a source of pleasure and satisfaction. At the same time, the memories associated with the negative experience of drinking are pushed into inactive memory, where they are deprived of the emotional background and such feelings as shame and regret, fear and danger in front of the obvious consequences of alcohol abuse.

This is the main reason why the individual deliberately ignores the real danger of alcohol abuse, while continuing to lead a destructive and self-destructive lifestyle.

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The Relationship Between Hypnosis And Drug Addiction

Hypnosis essentially helps people develop life-altering strategies and skills needed to maintain a healthy lifestyle while achieving sobriety. When combined with other treatment forms, hypnosis can be incredibly beneficial for those in recovery. Heres how the process works.

A preferably certified hypnotist will help you relax so that you can settle into a state of trance-like peace. It is believed that this state is where our unconscious mind becomes more open to suggestions.

The hypnotist will then use simple life-altering suggestion techniques to boost positivity while enhancing the way you perceive certain things. For example, for drug addicts, the goal of the suggestions will be to help them not crave drugs anymore by associating them with something the addict deems unpleasant.

Hypnosis is not a magical one-stop solution, but it has shown astounding results in boosting emotional health and encouraging patients to stay in the treatment program. Research shows that it has irrevocably helped lessen intense withdrawal symptoms, motivated addicts to attend meetings with sponsors, helped alleviate pain, and enabled them to be more amenable and willing to alter dangerously addictive behavior.

Whether youre an addict looking to lead a healthier life or know someone else who might be, a licensed hypnotist at Cognitive Healing can provide you the proper care with a comfortable and safe environment.

Does Hypnosis Therapy Really Work For All Kinds Of Drug Addiction

There are some limitations to hypnosis as a treatment for drug and alcohol addiction. For example:

• Not everyone is susceptible to suggestions. Some can focus more and reach a hypnotic state much easier, while others have a hard time. A small percentage of people can be hypnotized and become susceptible to positive suggestions.
• Like counseling or another substitute for professional recovery programs, a person will not experience behavior changes with just one hypnotherapy session. To improve the effects of drug addictions, a hypnotherapist may require a more comprehensive process depending on how long a person struggled with substance abuse.
• Drug addicts who have other medical conditions and mental health disorders may not be ideal subjects for hypnosis.

Technically speaking, a trained therapist can incorporate a hypnotherapy session into a persons substance abuse treatment regardless of the type of drugs they abused in the past.

Many addicts find it hard to think about treatment and recovery. If you are reading this right now, desperate to ease withdrawal symptoms and looking for a drug addiction treatment to fit your needs, find a hypnotherapist who can assist you through this challenging experience.

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Does Hypnosis Cure Drug Addiction

While hypnosis is widely used to treat drug addiction in the United States, it is not a cure. No one will go to one session and walk away recovered. Some studies show that hypnosis can help a therapist or psychologist to connect with the patient, to implant suggestions which can help patients avoid drug use and abuse, and to learn more about underlying problems, but its not a cure. Instead, hypnosis is one in a range of tools that could be useful in treating drug addiction. Its a complement to traditional treatment, not a replacement for it.

For example, if someone is given a suggestion while under hypnosis, they still have to follow through with it and do it. Most hypnotherapists suggest that hypnosis will only work for those who are open to change and ready to implement it but only need an additional suggestion to keep moving.

Because substance abuse including drug abuse is primarily a behavioral problem rather than purely a physical addiction, complementary treatment solutions like hypnotherapy can be valuable supplements to traditional behavioral therapy. In one study, ten heroin addicts were treated using hypnosis, with 90% of patients completing treatment and 78% remaining clean after 2 years. While the extremely small size of the study is notable, it does suggest that hypnosis may be a valuable complementary therapy to traditional therapy.

Most hypnotherapists use hypnosis with the intent of:

What Methods Are Used In Hypnotherapy Treatment

Various articles and studies have shown that hypnotic behavioral treatment is effective in addressing substance use. A medical professional can combine one or more of the following methods:

• Cognitive-behavioral therapy: a patient pinpoints and avoids situations that trigger drug use
• Motivational incentives or positive reinforcement: when a therapist makes positive suggestions to improve overall mental health, it also encourages the patient to abstain from drugs.

Most of these treatment methods are outpatient and performed one-on-one. In a rehab setting, these kinds of treatment may be done as part of group counseling.

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Hypnotherapy For Drug And Alcohol Addiction

Hypnotherapy can be successful in helping to treat both drug and alcohol addiction.

Combining the psychological process of hypnosis with psychotherapy, hypnotherapy works by altering thought processes. As a result, this type of therapy can offer a whole host of benefits.

Conducted by a trained therapist, the process of hypnosis involves inducing an altered state of consciousness, specifically intense concentration or focused attention. As a guided process with verbal cues and repetition, patients remain in a trance-like state but are still fully aware of what is going on around them.

The techniques used aim to induce suggestions on the mind to treat substance and alcohol abuse disorders.

Based On Positive Results From Different Studies Many Rehabs Are Incorporating This Type Of Holistic Treatment Into Their Programs

If you are struggling with a substance use disorder, you may be confused about your options for addiction treatment. While conventional methods are helpful for medical detox and treatment, there are many different ways to address addiction. One holistic treatment option that is finding excellent success in treating addiction is hypnotherapy.

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Not Everyone Is Equally Susceptible To Hypnosis

Finally, itâs important to note that not everyone is equally susceptible to hypnosis. We all fall somewhere on a spectrum from highly-hypnotizable to not at all hypnotizable, and so far, researchers have no idea why some people can be hypnotized and others canât. This clearly will affect whether hypnosis can play a part in your recovery.

While this seems like a clear strike against hypnosis as a treatment methodology, itâs important to understand that the same applies to pretty much every treatment method. SSRI medications, for example, only work for about 40 to 60 percent of people with depression, but they remain an effective tool in the kit, and perhaps something similar is true of hypnosis.

Hypnosis isnât magic and it wonât cause major behavioral changes overnight, but it is an adjunct treatment method with some scientific backing. If youâre interested in trying hypnosis as part of therapy or addiction treatment, look for a therapist or addiction counselor with real training in hypnotherapy, ideally, one certified by the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis, or ASCH.

At The Foundry, we understand that addiction is a complex problem that requires individualized solutions. We bring a number of evidence-based practices to the table to help our clients. These include CBT, DBT, EMDR, family therapy, lifestyle changes, and more. For more information about our approach to addiction treatment, call us at .

Uses Of Therapeutic Hypnosis

Therapeutic hypnosis can be useful in the treatment of a variety of issues and disorders, including phobias, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, pain, and irritable bowel syndrome. Hypnosis can help to facilitate weight loss and lifestyle changes, help people to quit smoking, and may be useful in assisting in the treatment of other substance use issues. According to the book Essentials of Clinical Hypnosis: An Evidence-based Approach, some of the uses of hypnotherapy include:

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Find An Addiction Treatment Hypnotherapy

Statistics have shown that hypnotherapy-based treatment works for addicted individuals at least 77 percent of the time. It is most effective when it is done repeatedly over the course of several months. Because of this, many drug and alcohol treatment centers offer this type of therapy as part of their addiction treatment program.

Those who are interested in learning about hypnotherapy-based programs for addiction treatment and where they can find them are welcome to contact one of our addiction treatment specialists for more information.

Written by the Addiction Resource Editorial Staff

Addiction Resource aims to provide only the most current, accurate information in regards to addiction and addiction treatment, which means we only reference the most credible sources available.

These include peer-reviewed journals, government entities and academic institutions, and leaders in addiction healthcare and advocacy. Learn more about how we safeguard our content by viewing our editorial policy.

• Mayo Clinic Hypnosis

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• Information on treatment plans

Who Is Hypnotherapy Right For

Because addiction can be a life-threatening condition, it is important to explore as many options as possible when seeking treatment. However, since dependence is deeply connected with subconscious causes and motivations, hypnotherapy can be an effective solution for people experiencing the effects of substance misuse and other addictive behaviors.

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Recognising Your Addiction Is The First Step

Anyone can be affected by drug addiction or alcohol, and it can be difficult to recognise an addiction or dependence to alcohol and drugs. Becoming dependent means that you rely on using a substance to be able to feel good or to cope better with everyday life. Your body then adapts to the substance use, which results in needing higher amounts of the same substance to achieve the same effect.

How Effective Is Hypnotherapy As Addiction Treatment

Hypnosis is being used with great success in addiction treatment. There are quite a few studies that confirm its effectiveness in this setting. One study called Group Hypnosis of Drug Addicts looks at using hypnotherapy to treat people who have an opioid use disorder. The goal of the treatment was to reduce or eliminate the participants use of heroin and other street drugs.

Of the study participants who receive hypnotherapy, 90 percent completed treatment. Within six months, 100 percent of those were still off of drugs and 78 percent remained abstinent at the two-year mark.

Based on positive results from different studies, many rehabs are incorporating this type of holistic treatment into their programs. This is a powerful supplement to a comprehensive addiction treatment program that can help in several ways. These include:

• Lessening withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal from drugs and alcohol can be physically and mentally intense. Hypnosis can help manage these symptoms.
• Alleviating pain. Hypnosis can alleviate other physical and emotional pain that could be a barrier to addiction recovery.
• Changing addictive behavior. This holistic treatment works on the unconscious mind to alter ideas and change dangerous behaviors linked to addiction.
• Boosting emotional health. Hypnotherapy can treat co-occurring disorders as well as contribute to stronger overall emotional health.

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Is Hypnotherapy Effective For Addiction

Hypnosis as entertainment became popular in the United States in the 1980s. As a result, some health professionals lost faith in the practice as a treatment for dependence.

However, the application of hypnosis for dependence is regaining credibility, and there have been many studies over the past several decades showing its effectiveness including:

• A study of 18 patients completed in 2004 showed that participants receiving intensive daily hypnosis sessions had a 77% success rate after a one-year follow-up.5
• A study of 4 groups of veterans showed that hypnosis can be a useful adjunct in helping those with chronic substance misuse with their reported self-esteem, serenity, and anger/impulsivity.6
• An unusual case worth mentioning is of a woman with a five-gram per day cocaine dependence who used hypnosis to overcome her dependence . Her withdrawal and recovery were extraordinary because hypnosis was the only intervention, and no support network of any kind was available.7
• A study including70 volunteers in a methadone maintenance program found that those who received hypnotherapy experienced much less discomfort and illicit drug use, but a significantly greater number of withdrawals. At six-month follow-up, 94% of the subjects in the experimental group who had achieved withdrawal remained narcotic-free.8

Alcohol Abuse Hypnosis From Alcoholism By Hypnosis

In Kyiv, hypnosis can be carried out using different methods:

• Hypnosuggestational therapy. The patient is immersed in a hypnotic state. The doctor instills in him an aversion to alcohol, as well as to everything connected with it.
• Anchor therapy. The doctor forms in the patient a persistent association between negative experiences and alcohol. The encoded person begins to be afraid of alcohol, to feel disgust for it.
• Self-hypnosis. It differs in that the patient is directly involved in the hypnotizing procedure. The patient undergoes training under the guidance of a doctor, he creates the necessary settings for himself through hypnosis.

The Dovzhenkos method described above can also be attributed to alcohol abuse hypnosis.

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