Addictions are hell. We know that. We know how bad they can be, how bad they can make you feel about yourself and how hard recovery can be. Yet, we also know how absolutely essential it is for your own wellbeing and for the wellbeing of the people you love to put your addiction behind you forever.
We know all about the vicious cycle of addiction too: you act out in your addiction, afterwards you feel terrible, you hate yourself and find that the only thing that will ease the pain is to use your own particular poison again… We know how hopeless that can make you feel and how hard it is for the people around you to understand the desperate trap you find yourself in.
However, we also know why all of this happens… The willpower you use to try to stop acting out in your addiction resides in your conscious mind. The deep programming that causes you to act out in your addiction resides in your subconscious mind and is fiercely guarded by your ‘protector’ which also lives in your subconscious mind. The ‘protector’ is that part of your mind that keeps you safe and makes sure, at all cost, that you do what’s best for you. Where addictive behaviour kicks in is when the ‘protector’ latches on to the wrong thing and believes unshakeably that you cannot do without a particular negative habit in your life and that if you were to stop, your life would be significantly worse, or even at risk!
This sets up a conflict in your mind, your willpower in your conscious mind vs the ‘protector’ in your subconscious mind… I’m sure deep down, you know this to be true, you experience this conflict every day, right?
The bad news is that the ‘protector’ nearly always wins… Let us explain why. At some point in your life you discovered that, despite how pretty and soft it looks, fire burns you if you touch it. Once learnt, your ‘protector’ knows this and it will fight to protect you from it. If someone tried to force you to hold your hand in a fire, you would fight to prevent it! However, if (God forbid!) your house was on fire and a loved one was trapped inside, you might be able to override your ‘protector’ and run into the house to save them. It’s your will-power that overrides the ‘protector’… But willpower is not designed to be a permanent solution. It’s designed as a temporary override. Your mind has been beautifully designed and if willpower could override your ‘protector’ easily you could change your mind about dangerous things too often, one minute thinking that fire was dangerous, the next thinking it was perfectly safe, and that would put you at terrible risk in life. That’s why willpower is never allowed to succeed for long. Sooner or later your ‘protector’ will re-establish the status quo.
But what if you could re-educate and change the ‘protector’ to realise that it is actually addictions that it should be protecting you against?
That’s where hypnotherapy comes in. We can quieten the conscious mind, access the subconscious mind directly and make the changes you want… But those are the key words… “You want”. If you want change, truly, 100% want change, we can work together to achieve it, usually within 3 or 4 one hour sessions.
We deal with all addictions, smoking, alcohol, drugs, gambling, food, sex, pornography and all other addictions. We run a completely confidential and non-judgemental service. Wherever you are on your journey to recovery, whether you have newly recognised your addiction or whether you have been in a 12-step programme for years, we are here to understand you, ask the right questions and help you make the permanent changes you want.
We also treat depression, fears and anxiety and can use hypnotherapy to help process any bad things that may have happened to you in the past and neutralise them in your mind, giving you resolution and peace. We generally start with a one hour consultation in order to understand your specific situation. We then create a tailored programme for you that will transform your life.
To learn more about hypnotherapy. See our Hypnotherapy page.
We work strictly be appointment only. Complete the form below or simply give Tim a call on the number at the bottom of this page to book your consultation.