Hypnotherapy has been shown to be very effective for all addictions, as the mechanisms of a repetitive addiction are fundamentally the same regardless of the substance or activity.
Smoking, Alcohol abuse, Drug use, Gambling and Food are the habits/addictions I most commonly see in clinic. Some addictions are easier to treat than others, some are more complex than others, but generally speaking, the treatment follows the same fundamentals. The key is, the patient needs to 'want' to change their situation, though for some they can't attain a clean enough state in which to participate in hypnotherapy, which needs a certain amount of clarity and cognitive ability. These patients would probably be better suited to conventional drug therapy. But for those who feel they can follow the path of natural development, hypnotherapy is fabulous... and a path where lives are absolutely turned around.
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From the research below...
"The experimental group received hypnotherapy for 6 months in addition to the psychotherapy offered as standard clinic treatment. The control group received only psychotherapy. The experimental group had significantly less discomfort and illicit drug use, and 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". (Manganiello)
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Tramontana, Joseph. (2009). Hypnotically Enhanced Treatment for
Addictions: Alcohol Abuse, Drug Abuse, Gambling, Weight Control,
and Smoking Cessation. Norwalk, CT: Crown House Publishing
Limited.
The purpose of this book is to offer new strategies, techniques, and scripts for use
with problem drinkers, alcoholism, drug addiction, and gambling addiction in an
outpatient population, as well as to review old and to present new techniques or
combinations of techniques, strategies, and scripts for other addictions. The five
addictions to be addressed are: alcohol abuse and dependency, drug
abuse/addiction, gambling compulsions/obsessions and addictions, tobacco
addiction (including cigars, pipes and chew), food addiction/compulsions. In the
latter two, the “strategies and techniques” section will also address marketing
and/or providing a package of sessions, with various pre-planned scripts used in each
session.
Jones, Patricia. (Spring 2006). Nicotine Addiction. Australian Journal
of Clinical Hypnotherapy and Hypnosis. Vol 27(2), 1-4.
This article is taken from a presentation made to the Smoke Signals workshop run
by the Australian Society of Clinical Hypnotherapists in February 2006. The
purpose of the presentation was to open dialogue between hypnotherapists and
‘evidence-based’ practitioners of smoking cessation. It describes nicotine addiction
from an evidence-based perspective so people from ‘both sides’ can talk to each
other and mean the same things. Many hypnotherapists who talk about helping
people overcome the ‘habit’ of smoking are not aware that they have broken the
chemical addiction.
Jayasinghe, H. B. (2005). Hypnosis in the Management of Alcohol
Dependence. European Journal of Clinical Hypnosis. Vol 6(3), 12-16.
Alcohol dependence can be broadly divided into physiological dependence and
psychological dependence. The physiological dependence can be successfully
controlled with appropriate medical management. Today with the introduction of
some of the effective hypnotherapeutic techniques such as guided imagery,
visualization techniques, dream induction, rational emotive behaviour therapy and
aversion therapy, psychological dependence can be successfully managed. When
dealing with alcohol dependents, it is an essential prerequisite to determine whether
the patient is sincerely motivated to abstain totally from all forms of liquor for the
rest of his life. If not, he has to be properly motivated by employing Hypno-Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT). Hypnotically induced dreams too
can enhance the patient’s potential to utilize his internal resources to motivate
positively.
Millet, Edward. (2005). The Benefit of Group Hypnotherapy in the
Treatment of Sex Addictions. Journal of Heart-Centred Therapies,
Vol. 8(1), 95-103.
The purpose of this paper is to define addictions, describe the differences in the
levels of sex addiction and then discuss the impact addiction has on relationships,
society, spirituality, intimacy, and self-esteem of the addict. The next part of the
paper will outline an eight to twelve week therapeutic group treatment utilizing
different aspects of conventional talk therapy (person-centred and cognitive) and
Heart-Centred Hypnotherapy.
Potter, Greg. (Jul 2004). Intensive Therapy: Utilizing Hypnosis in
the Treatment of Substance Abuse Disorders. American Journal of
Clinical Hypnosis. Vol 47(1), 21-28.
Hypnosis was once a viable treatment approach for addictions. Then, due to
hypnosis being used for entertainment purposes many professionals lost confidence
in it. However, it has now started to make a comeback in the treatment of substance
abuse. The approach described here, using hypnosis for treatment, is borrowed from
studies effectively treating alcoholism by using intensive daily sessions. Combining
the more intense treatment of 20 daily sessions with hypnosis is a successful
method to treat addictions. The treatment has been used with 18 clients over the last
7 years and has shown a 77 percent success rate for at least a 1-year follow-up.
Kirsch, I.; Capafons, A.; Cardeqa, E.; Amigs, S. (1999). Clinical
Hypnosis and Self-Regulation: Cognitive-Behavioural Perspectives.
Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.
Page, Roger A.; Handley, George W. (1993). The Use of Hypnosis in
Cocaine Addiction. American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, 36, 120-
123.
An unusual case is presented in which hypnosis was successfully used to
overcome a five grams per day cocaine addiction. The subject was a female in her
twenties. Six months into her addiction, she acquired a commercial weight-control
tape that she used successfully to stop smoking cigarettes (mentally substituting
the word “smoking”), as well as to bring her down from her cocaine high and
allow her to fall asleep. At the end of one year, her addiction was broken, and she
has been drug free for the past 9 years. Her withdrawal and recovery were
extraordinary because hypnosis was the only intervention, and no support network
of any kind was available.
Geuna, S. (1992). Altered States of Consciousness Therapy. A
Missing Component in Alcohol and Drug Rehabilitation Treatment
[letter; comment]. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, Vol. 9.
Miller, W. A., Jr. (1991). The Recovering Addicted Patient and the
Use of Hypnosis. Hypnos, 18(3), 133-147.
Doorn, Jeffrey M. (1990). An Application of Hypnotic
Communication to the Treatment of Addictions. In Sterman, Chelly
M. (Ed), Neuro-linguistic Programming in Alcoholism Treatment.
Haworth Series in Addictions Treatment, Vol. 3. (pp. 79-89).
Binghamton, NY: The Haworth Press.
[suggests that] the application of hypnotic communication to the treatment of
[alcohol] addiction can allow for a successful integration of the “resistant” client
into the treatment experience / serving the self in some capacity, the addiction, is
viewed as a resource to the client / this perspective gives rise to a treatment
approach that emphasizes the development of a cooperative relationship with the
client, to create a context within which change can occur / clinical examples are
provided to highlight the application of hypnotic principles and techniques eliciting
cooperation / utilizing resistance / building choice / viewing addiction as a resource
/ assigning tasks / creating illusions of choice
Janas, Chester. (Mar 1987). Seeking Magical Solutions, Exploring
Addictions. Medical Hypnoanalysis Journal, Vol 2(1), 15-28.
Presents a survey of leading problems—low self-esteem, guilt, unconscious
negative self-verbalizations—related to addictions (e.g., cigarette smoking,
alcoholism, anorexia, bulimia, “workaholism”). Learning theory, classical
conditioning, and hypnoanalytical principles are considered. A rationale for the use
of hypnoanalysis in the treatment of addictions and some suggestions for
therapeutic interventions are offered.
Schoen, M. (1985). A conceptual Framework and Treatment
Strategy for the Alcoholic Urge to Drink Utilizing Hypnosis.
International Journal of Addiction, Vol. 20, 403-15.
The present paper proposes a theoretical framework and a treatment strategy for
dealing with the urges to drink that alcoholics experience during recovery. Two
models are proposed: the Defence Model and the Conditioning Model. Each model
covers a specific period of time during recovery in which the urges to drink occur.
The Defence Model describes the urges that result in the initial recovery period,
while the Conditioning Model is invoked to explain urges that materialize in the
later phases of recovery. Next, a treatment strategy is delineated that incorporates
these models and employs the use of hypnosis. The treatment strategy is divided
into three phases, with the first and second phases dealing with the alcoholic’s
unconscious and the third phase being directed at the alcoholic’s conscious.
Manganiello, Aaron J. (1984). A comparative Study of
Hypnotherapy and Psychotherapy in the Treatment of Methadone
Addicts. American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, 26, 273-279.
This study sought to examine the effects of hypnotherapy on the ability of
methadone-maintained patients to reduce and/or eliminate their drug-taking
behaviour. Seventy adult volunteers at a methadone maintenance program were
randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group
received hypnotherapy for 6 months in addition to the psychotherapy offered as
standard clinic treatment. The control group received only psychotherapy. The
experimental group had significantly less discomfort and illicit drug use, and 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.
Cancellario, M. (1983). [Triennial Experience in Group Hypnosis
Therapy and the Teaching of Medical Self-Hypnosis]. Minerva
Medica, Vol. 74, 2985-94.
Abstract: A three year experiment with group hypnosis therapy for the teaching of
medical self-hypnosis is reported. The teaching was divided into 7 courses followed
by a total of 142 pupil-patients. The self-hypnotic techniques employed maximised
motivational and gratification factors. A special type of deep-breathing is also
described. This at least partially solves the problem of inducing a sufficiently deep
trance for the achievement of appreciable results. Its efficacy was confirmed in
almost all the patients despite the number and diversity of their problems and varied
motivation.
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