Hypnotherapy and Addictions

Can Hypnotherapy Help With Addictions?

There is one main thing in common with and underlying every single addiction out there; whether it’s food, drugs, alcohol, sex, work, etc. Underneath every addiction is PAIN. Buried and repressed pain. Sometimes unrelenting and smothering pain. Pain that is breath-taking and stifling. Pain that we try to escape from and push back down with substances or people or things. Pain that is so soul-crushing for some, that they will do whatever it takes to make it go away, even temporarily. Even though they know the substance of choice is bad for them and could quite possibly kill them. Because it’s worth it to them, if the pain is numbed and quiet for even just one minute.

The problem is that the more we try to stuff pain back down, the more it rages to get out. The more we ignore it, the louder it screams at us from the inside out: via anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, addictions and urges, etc.

The key is to work through this pain. To somehow tap into and start to heal this pain, little by little. We have to start slowly sifting through the mounds of pain underneath and allowing it to be released from our mind and our body. And in order to do that, we have to feel it and release it safely and therapeutically, so that it doesn’t live inside us anymore. But how do we do that? I believe there are lots of ways to do this (e.g., therapy, writing, yoga, meditation, art, etc)  and each person’s healing journey is different, just as we are all different human beings, and so is our pain and our sources of pain. 

But I do personally and professionally believe that one of the fastest and most effective ways to facilitate this process of healing old wounds is through Heart-Centered Hypnotherapy.

This is a phenomenal, highly effective, and safe way to assist in this process of overcoming past hurts, traumas, repressed anger, repressed pain, addictions, anxiety, depression, unresolved grief, shame, etc.

But why and how does this work?

Here are some basics of Heart-Centered Hypnotherapy (HCH):

• We (as people in general) are typically much more guarded and are more likely to hold back during regular talk therapy. People can potentially get further in only one 90 minute hypnotherapy session versus months of traditional therapy.In hypnotherapy, the client is doing therapy in a very relaxed state (relaxed mind and relaxed body), which is a light to medium hypnotic state. Clients are still very aware of their surroundings and everything going on, but much less distracted or guarded. This allows a very safe space for unresolved issues to surface/re-surface and to be processed and resolved without fear or judgement. This allows a conscious connection to certain patterns in a person’s life, thus allowing them to break those patterns much more easily.

• In hypnotherapy, the client is doing therapy in a very relaxed state (relaxed mind and relaxed body), which is a light to medium hypnotic state. Clients are still very aware of their surroundings and everything going on, but much less distracted or guarded. This allows a very safe space for unresolved issues to surface/re-surface and to be processed and resolved without fear or judgement. This allows a conscious connection to certain patterns in a person’s life, thus allowing them to break those patterns much more easily.

• We don’t remember everything with our conscious mind (which is only about 10% of our mind) from our past or from our childhood. But it’s all stored there in our subconscious mind (which is about 90% of our mind) filed away like a computer. We may have repressed memories and wounds stored in the subconscious mind (that we aren’t even aware of) that are manifesting as daily life struggles (anxiety, self-defeating beliefs & behaviors, difficulty connecting with others, trust issues, commitment issues, choosing bad relationships, eating disorders, addictions, etc).

• Hypnotherapy gets to the root cause(s) of our destructive beliefs and behaviors and helps to eliminate and extinguish them at the source. Clients work on re-programming (at the subconscious level) destructive beliefs and behaviors that no longer serve them, in order to promote healthier beliefs, behaviors, and life choices.

• Energy and emotional release is a huge part of Heart-Centered Hypnotherapy. Clients sometimes have years of repressed emotions and energy that is locked up in the mind and body, again, that they may not even be aware of. HCH helps to eliminate and free this massive ball of negative energy within, so that clients may replace it with positive energy, love, and compassion (for themselves and others).

• Inner child work is a also big part of Heart-Centered Hypnotherapy. This is extremely beneficial for healing old wounds and re-aligning the inner child part of ourselves with the wise adult part of ourselves. This helps clients to consciously make better choices from the healthy adult part vs the wounded inner child part of themselves. Many people are running around with their wounded inner child (again, completely without their awareness) making decisions for them in life that are based solely out of fear, anger, pain, guilt, shame, uncertainty, etc.

• With hypnotherapy, the benefits continue to increase after the client leaves the office and during the weeks to follow. In the long run, clients save a lot of time and money when choosing hypnotherapy as the primary mode of therapy treatment. Although, it is still good to alternate hypnotherapy with traditional therapy to help process some of the things being discovered/uncovered in the hypnotherapy.

For more information on Burkholder Wellness, please visit our website at: www.burkholderwellness.com or call our office at (704) 426-3378 to schedule an appointment.

We at Burkholder Wellness are Certified in Heart-Centered Hypnotherapy  via The Wellness Institute.

For more info on Heart-Centered Hypnotherapy, please visit The Wellness Institute’s FAQs:

http://www.wellness-institute.org/frequently-asked-questions-about-hypnosis-hypnotherapy-training.