Hypnosis Techniques to Check If You’re Ready for Addiction Recovery

An addiction is both an enemy and a friend.

On one hand, you know that every drag from a cigarette stick, and every overdose of sleeping pills, slowly but surely sends you to your grave. On the other hand, your poison of choice has numbed you from so many debilitating emotions, provided you a boost when you need to be more productive, and given your reputation the “cool” it lacked before.

It’s not unusual then to have a love-hate relationship with a vice. But regardless of the good times, you know it’s not worth the risks. The problem is: you have to want recovery before you embark on a healing program --- otherwise you’ll just find yourself repeating the same mistakes. You need to be highly motivated, so that you can ensure that your efforts towards recovery are not in vain.

Are you ready to finally let go of your addiction? Below are three techniques derived from hypnosis to help you figure out if you are.

The Magic Rod Technique.

Here’s a way to find out how deep in your consciousness the desire to quit is. From your local hardware, buy 2 steel rods that are about a quarter of an inch thick in diameter and approximately 3 feet long. Bend one end of the rod so that you have a handle (think of it like a long shotgun; you need about 2 1/2 inches that you can grip). Now, with your hands lightly gripping the rods’ handle as you would a gun, close your eyes and put yourself in a state of deep relaxation.

As you’re relaxed and focused, tell yourself several times: “If I really want to quit (insert objective of addiction), these two rods in my hands will meet. But if deep inside, I still can’t let go, these two rods will just move further apart.”

Once you’re ready, ask yourself if you’re really ready to quit --- and watch which directions the rods will go without you consciously trying to move them. The answer you’ll get is what your unconscious wants to tell you! Listen to it. You may need a greater resolve that you already have at the moment if you want to be successful at quitting a bad habit!

The Free Flowing Writing Technique

Some of you may have heard of hypnosis being used to help adults write as if they’re still 6 or 7 years old. Well, consider this technique as a variation of “automatic writing under hypnosis” technique. But instead of regressing as you write, you can be induced to write what you really feel and think. The layers of B.S. among those deep in addiction can be incredibly thick, and hence the need for a state of utmost concentration.

Close your eyes and imagine yourself in a place where you are safe. This is a place where people wouldn’t judge you, where you have the freedom to be true to yourself without fear of losing your loved one’s positive regard. Now while you’re here in this place, write all the things you associate with the phrase “addiction recovery” (or rehab clinic as the case may be). Don’t think hard about what you’re going to write; put on paper the first thing that comes to your mind.

What answers did you come with? The words you choose are like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. They can paint a picture of what’s really going on in your mind.

The “Murder My Best Friend” Guided Imagery

Lastly, here’s a technique that uses mental imagery to help a person come face to face with the hard task of addiction recovery. In a state of concentration, imagine the object of your addiction (e.g. greasy burgers for overeaters, a glass of gin for alcoholics) as a big friend walking with you and giving you comfort. Next, imagine this friend disappearing --- crushed under the weight of a big hammer you’re carrying. What would you feel? How will you react to your “murder” of this friend? Done correctly, this exercise can help you come face-to-face with the conflicting emotions that come with saying goodbye to a habit that has comforted you for the longest time.

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