Overcoming Addictions With Hypnosis

Many Americans feel that overcoming addictions is impossible. First of all, only 2 million of the 23 million Americans who need help overcoming addictions actually seek it, according to the National Institute of Drug Addictions.

Secondly, old habits are hard to break and the vast majority of people with addictive behavior will, at some point, relapse. Before one can get on the road to recovery, they must get past the initial stage of denial, understand how a trigger makes it possible to lose control, and fully comprehend what it means to have "an addiction."

What Is An Addiction?

The latest definition from the American Society for Addiction Medicine states that addiction is, in fact, a chronic brain disorder, not just a series of bad behavior or a matter of willpower.

Generally, addictions are characterized by behavioral symptoms and the actions people take to satisfy their cravings. However, more than twenty years of research is pointing to brain dysfunction as the root cause of addictive behavior.

It’s unclear precisely what causes an addiction, but genetics and age play a role, researchers say. For instance, the frontal cortex (where reasoning and emotional pathways are linked) is an area of the brain that is known to limit impulsive behavior, yet it is also the last area of the brain to mature. This helps explain why teenagers are increasingly susceptible to addictive behavior.

Many people also dabble in addiction to cope with stress or pain and the brain certainly responds by flooding the brain’s reward system with a feel-good chemical called dopamine. Whether a person is binge eating, smoking a cigarette or gambling, the same reward centers activate to keep that person hooked.

A person may still choose to focus on overcoming addictions, of course, and they may be successful, but it will be a long, hard struggle to change the brain’s circuitry.

What Are The Most Common Addictions In America?

Americans who are most in need of overcoming addictions include those hooked on:

• Alcohol
• llicit Drugs
• Prescription Drugs
• Tobacco
• Caffeine
• Sugar
• Food
• Gambling
• Gaming
• Shopping
• Media
• Internet
• Sex
• Masturbation
• Porn
• Work

What Are The Symptoms Of An Addiction?

Naturally, the symptoms of addiction vary based on the type, but generally speaking, an addicted person may begin casually and find they are compelled to act out more and more frequently to achieve the desired effect. The individual finds he or she can’t stop thinking about the object of their obsession – whether it’s having a beer, shopping, playing a video game, or getting a hit of smack. Stopping said activity typically results in mood disorders, cravings, physical illness, and depression. Addicted people will spend money they don’t have, pawn off items to get more money, and convince themselves they need their addiction to deal with their problems.

Parents may recognize their teen is addicted if there are problems at school, lethargy, neglected appearance, sudden changes in behavior, excessive spending of money, memory problems, aggression, or depression.

How Hypnosis Can Help With Overcoming Addictions And Keep It Away

Hypnosis is one of the best treatments for overcoming addictions, although it is rarely mentioned in a country where there is much money to be made off prescriptions, hospital stays, and treatment centers. Hypnosis essentially trains the brain to increase focus, accept positive suggestions, and tap other sources of inspiration and healing.

In one clinical study, more methadone addicts were able to quit using hypnosis than the control group, with 94 percent of study participants remaining drug-free six months after the follow up [A comparative study of hypnotherapy and psychotherapy in the treatment of methadone addicts. Manganiello AJ. American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis 1984; 26(4): 273-9.]

In another clinical study, hypnosis had a 77 percent success rate one year later for people addicted to alcohol, cocaine and marijuana. [Intensive Therapy: Utilizing Hypnosis in the Treatment of Substance Abuse Disorders. American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, Jul 2004 by Potter, Greg.]

Additional studies have shown that regular hypnosis, including self hypnosis, is an excellent way to raise self-esteem and feelings of well-being and diminish physical pain in the absence of other treatments.

Hypnosis is noted as a powerful method for overcoming addictions by the American Medical Association, American Dental Association, National Institute of Health, Stanford University Medical Center, Harvard Medical Center and the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Department.

Take Control of Your Life And Break Free TODAY!

Whatever your addictions, these 26 addiction help hypnosis downloads can help with overcoming the denial, the relapse, the trigger and the emotional or psychological habits that is keeping you hooked to your addictions.

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