Can Hypnosis Help You Break Bad Habits?
Hypnosis is not just some magic trick act seen on stage. It is a viable and very real alternative treatment method for many conditions.
Understanding what hypnosis is and is NOT will be helpful in understanding how it can help you break bad habits. Hypnosis is a state of consciousness in which the person engages in focused attention, has less peripheral awareness, and has a higher capacity to respond to suggestions. This heightened state of focus means that the person who is hypnotized is more able to focus on changing their behavior, making it an excellent tool for behavior medication therapy.
Therapeutic hypnosis is different from what you see at a magic show, which is a form of mentalism. And while you may think of hypnotism as having to do with putting someone into a trance, this image is also not accurate.
When you are under hypnosis, your state of mind is relaxed and attentive, not asleep and dreaming. When hypnotized, you are actually hyper-aware of what is happening, which is why you are more susceptible to suggestions made to you.
Hypnosis can happen with the guidance of another person, like a therapist, or you can learn to put yourself into a state of hypnosis. Once in that focused state, you are given suggestions that can help you to change your behavior in positive ways that lead to better health and happiness. For example, hypnosis can be highly effective for helping people quit smoking.
Under hypnosis, you are given a suggestion that smoking is not healthy, that you want to quit smoking, or that smoke takes bad. Once out of the hypnotized state, these suggestions have become a part of your psyche, and you respond to them with your actions.
How Can Hypnosis be Used?
Therapists and hypnotherapy coaches have used hypnosis to treat many different problems. These include chronic pain, insomnia, eating disorders, PTSD, obsessive thinking, smoking, phobias, and sexual dysfunction. By combining hypnosis with cognitive-behavioral modification, it is an effective therapy for treating many different disorders as well as eliminating various bad habits, like nail-biting and overeating.
Your behavior is determined in large part by the programming in your subconscious mind. Over time, you learn from all the various inputs in your life (sight, smell, taste, emotion, etc.), and your behavior is then produced in response to this learning. Because behavior is learned, that means we can “unlearn” bad habits, as well.
Hypnosis is a way to connect to that subconscious mind, where the keys to understanding your behavior lie. Once hypnotized, you are open to suggestions about how to change your behavior that go directly into the subconsciousness, bypassing the conscious part of your brain that negates suggestions and limits your ability to alter your actions.
The suggestions that are offered during hypnosis help your mind to deal with whatever issues or problems are holding you in the pattern of negative behavior. Most of the time, hypnotherapy will take several sessions, as the guide must figure out what suggestions will be more effective for ending your bad behavior.
Final Thoughts
If you are interested in learning new, more positive behaviors to replace your old, less-healthy ones, hypnotherapy may be an excellent choice. Working with a trained practitioner, you will design an action plan and suggestions that will help you let go of your negative actions so that you can embrace healthier, more positive ones. While self-hypnosis is possible, it does take longer and more practice that working with an experienced hypnosis guide.
If you are ready to stop smoking or start a healthier life, then hypnosis may be able to help you. Find a therapeutic hypnotist in your area today.