Hypnosis for Habit Control

Hypnosis is a very useful and powerful tool for controlling or eliminating habits that interfere with a person’s quality of life. During trance work, you will actively enter into a process of re-programming your subconscious mind, with the hypnotherapist serving as a guide and collaborator. Therefore, creating a safe and trusting relationship with your hypnotherapist is especially important. Every effort is made to address the development of such a relationship with a client first and foremost.

Stopping any habit has a variable rate of success, using hypnosis or any method. The development of a belief in the importance of your goal and your determination to be habit-free is paramount to achieving success. Fears often associated with change can be addressed during trance work as well as within the context of the therapeutic relationship. Confidence is augumented by the use of safe, positive images of yourself without the habit or the results of the habit.

Individualized, rather than group, programs are offered, as an individualized approach boosts your success rate significantly. A single, individual hypnosis session will ordinarily result in success about 20% of the time. With 3 to 5 sessions, success rates increase to 60 to 70 % or more. For these reasons, I encourage clients to plan on a number of sessions of individual hypnosis for habit control.

Because habits are often associated with emotional experiences, a relapse, or a return to their use, may occur as someone experiences situations that stir up those feelings. In preventing relapse, clients may need help developing more constructive ways to express feelings and deal with stress. Specific hypnotic suggestions are used for developing and reinforcing other ways to manage feelings. Other cognitive approaches to therapy may also be employed in your program for habit control, depending upon your needs.

The habit-control program using hypnosis that you will experience here will consist of several sessions, on the average of 45-50 minutes each, depending on your own needs. Our first session will consist of an interview about your psychological and medical history, and a review of your history with your habit including reasons for quitting or controlling it, feelings about yourself in relation to the habit, experiences with previous attempts to control the habit, and other mental health and family factors. Ideas for personalized suggestions will be developed throughout the first session. We will also talk about what hypnosis is and is not, what you can expect from the process, and if hypnosis is the best approach for you.

In our second session, a formal hypnosis session is presented using personalized suggestions for habit control. An audiotape of that session is usually made for you to use at home as reinforcement. Under no circumstances should you use this or other hypnosis tapes in your car or in any situation in which you cannot fully relax and attend only to the taped program.

In subsequent sessions, progress is reviewed, and adjustments made as needed to your work in trance. These sessions can be taped if you will bring with you a new audiotape for this purpose. Additional sessions are also used to for development of more constructive ways to deal with emotions and stress.

As one who has personally used hypnosis for smoking cessation, as preparation for surgery, and for other issues, I can attest to the awesome power of the unconscious mind to help us. You will be amazed by your success to meet your goals using hypnosis to access your unconscious mind and re-program its content.

Look forward to the positive changes you will be making in your life through the use of this powerful medium. Trust in yourself and your ability to succeed. You are making a positive choice for your life, health and happiness. Nurture your new choice and feel proud of your commitment to change. Let nothing stand in the way of your success. You can do it!!