Hypno - is it effective really.

[Hurtingbad]

Hi,
I have my 2st hypnotherapy next week which i admit i have been skeptical about coz i don't know it and i'm curious anxious you name it. Like many my drinking is borne out a vast and painful emptiness - i just need honest opinions on hypno will it/ can it/ does it work?

[aliame]

Hypno - is it effective really.

Didn't work for me, just cost loads of money. Think I have mental block tho, god knows what it is.
Therapist was lovely, just didn't work for me, wanted it to.
I did cry a lot tho!
pips

[jessie]

Hypno - is it effective really.

Hurtingbad, I wish I could tell you it works, for me it did not. And it costs a lot of money. You have to be really susceptible I think - not a skeptic thinker like me. My therapist was nice, but for me it was a lot of bollyhog - for me the best road was to rationally admit that I have a problem and take the MYO route, either AF or moderate( not for me)
Good luck!
Jessie.

[vera-b]

Hypno - is it effective really.

Hi Hurtingbad,
Sorry to hear you're in a bad place. I ordered the hyno cd's from this site - the set of 4 with the book by Roberta Jewell. This is my 3rd day listening to them, and they definitely are having a positive impact - already. I know I'm motivated, but they are helping re-wire my thinking. Went on Campral a year ago with my Dr., and it helped quite a bit fend off the cravings. But, I found my head leading me back to the bottle with greater frequency over time. The cd's are honestly helping. Plus, I can use them periodically after the 30-day initial period for a "tune-up." Don't want to get too excited, but I'm feeling very good at the moment.
V.

[river0123]

Hypno - is it effective really.

Hi Hurtingbad,
I love the CD's. I think they are a tremendous help. I was skeptical, but each day I get more and more from them. I believe the book says it takes 20 - 30 days to rewire your brain with the hypnotic cues. This morning as I was listening to Hypnotic track 2, I felt such JOY (as it cued) that I was ready to jump out of my skin ~ it was weird but very cool! All day long I remember things that I have visualized or said to myself, such as "I do not crave alcohol", "I like being AF", etc. Something is sticking, and I hope it just gets better (day 8 tomorrow - the longest I've gone in 8 years!).
I think they are worth every penny, not sure I could make it on supplements alone.
Best of luck to you all!

[nancy]

Hypno - is it effective really.

I wrote this on another thread but I will write it again here.
I am focusing on the track 2 of hypnotic MWO CD set, aiming to do it every day. I think it has a lot of positive messages specifically about drinking as the last poster said and I think it sets you up to have a positive attitude, reinforces goals etc. Like the last poster said, I find myself really agreeing with the messages on the CD (have moderation CDs, track 2 hypnosis) and remembering it during the day.

I am sure hypnosis has a place in recovery but live therapy costs a lot. CDs are a good option to get your feet wet with hypnosis. At the very least you will get relaxed.
For me, the $100 something or whatever it cost here seems reasonable compared to live therapy rates, considering you can play the Cds over and over again. I paid about nearly the same for one live session at one point. Assess your income level and see if it makes sense to give it a try.

If you decide against hypnosis for cost reasons, check out the many meditation and relaxation cds at the very least. We have a thread about that somewhere and Roberta offered some suggestions. One of our members, Cindi, has also written about the importance of deep breathing techniques for recovery.

Good luck.

[Kimberley]

Hypno - is it effective really.

Hi Hurting,
I had an amazing experience with a hynotherapist/NLP practitioner. It utterly changed my life. He cured me within 90 minutes of the extreme Social Phobia and agoraphobia I had suffered for 10 years, after NOTHING else at all worked. My phobia was the reason I started drinking so horrifically .

Sadly, I have had to work out on my own how to solve the problem of my alcoholism, but that's because my drinking habits were very much ingrained. I could never have stopped drinking when I had massive anxiety, but I have been able to quit now he cured that, as a matter of choice. Good luck, I hope it works for you in some helpful way.

[Determinator]

Hypno - is it effective really.

I've been using the MWO self-hypnosis cd's for over a year and really have found them helpful for retraining my mind and also for getting into a wonderfully restful pre-sleep state of mind.

I am a very skeptical type of person but bear in mind I looked at hypno not as a "trick" that would somehow make my life better, but instead as a tool that can and will work if I use it often and with honest effort. Using it realistically as a tool really does work. at least for me.

[Miss Behaving]

Hypno - is it effective really.

Hi

I agree with Determinator and Nancy - Nancy on the "try the CDs to get your feet wet" idea and Det with the "its a tool" bit.

I've just completed a couple of sessions of hypno ..... have posted extensively about them on the Boozebusters threads over the last couple of weeks if you want to have a look at them. I'm a bit of a scientific rationalist myself, and I hadn't thought that it had "worked" but I'm certainly feeling very calm and resolved in the face of a lot of stress at the moment. I got CD recordings of all my sessions which I put on my i-pod, plus another CD ("Overcoming addiction") and I try to listen to one of them once a day.

Do it for your curiousity's sake!! Dont worry about being anxious though - as long as you have a reputable and registered hypnotherapist, there is nothing to be concerned about!!

mame

[Chelle12]

Hypno - is it effective really.

Hypnotherapy didnt work for me. Cost a lot, and has just made me feel even more inadequate and ashamed that I turn once again to drink.
However, everyone is different and its certainly worth a try.

[Evie.Lou]

Hypno - is it effective really.

I have been a Hypnotherapist since 1991 and one thing that I have learned for sure is that all hypnois is self hypnois.If you active follow the words as they are spoken you can put yourself into a state of hypnosis at which point you are much more receptive to suggestions...I use the analogy of going to a gym and just watching while others work out (no results,right)If you get into it and follow instructions then results follow.I have seen great results and less than great results.In every case it is how much effort and energy the person is willing to put into it.

[imsqueak]

Hypno - is it effective really.

I did hypno to quit smoking. I'm open minded to holistic meds yet scientific/realistic to most things - COMPLEX - arent we all. Went thru the therapy (costly btw) and didnt think I was hypno'd in the least. Mind wandered the whole time, doubtful thoughts, etc. Walked out after about 1.5hr (incl paperwork) and didnt want a smoke. It even worked when I got drunk ~ for a couple weeks. I still dont smoke cigarettes after 2 yrs, but I smoke the heck out of swisher sweet cigars when I'm drinking.

I've read that it takes "practice" to get your mind trained to get in the right place to make self hypno helpful - between awake and asleep. I tend to fall asleep when I get close but I think more and more sinks in each time... That's where the benefit of cd or mp3 helps. It doesnt cost any more on day 30 than it did on day 1.

Best of luck.

[Margoms]

Hypno - is it effective really.

I used hypnosis to quit smoking in 1986. I had a 1 1/2 pack a day habit. I really believe that the hypnosis helped to strengthen my resolve in conjunction with the fact the I was really ready to quit. I still had the desire to smoke on and off for a year, but somehow I had the willpower to resist it. That day in '86 was the last time I ever touched a cigarette. I haven't received my tapes yet, but I have a lot of hope that they will help me with my drinking as the hypnosis helped me in the past.

[vera-b]

Hypno - is it effective really.

Evie,

I love the analogy to going to the gym. It is so true -- anything we put our backs to (in this case head) we enjoy the results. I'm finishing the second week of the cd's today (as I write, have subliminal on) and I can definitely say it's making a difference. My head is working with me, not against me. Thanks for the gym thought - I'll feel like I'm "working out" everytime I slip the headphones on!

V.