Hypnosis for gambling addiction

As with other addictions, hypnosis can help with gambling addiction. This refers to addiction to gambling, not addiction to computer games.

Therapy with hypnosis helps to get gambling under control.

Since pathological gambling has recently been placed in the same category as substance addictions, the approach to treatment is also similar.

The hypnotic view of gambling addiction

If we want to understand why certain people sacrifice so much for the game and partially distort their whole reality in order to continue gambling, we need to understand how the unconscious works in such a situation.

We know that the unconscious mind basically makes sure that we survive. And one of the aspects of survival is to take the easiest way to get resources.

That's why it rewards a win disproportionately with happiness hormones in certain people.

Many who have developed an addiction to gambling tell of an initial winning phase. So the first steps in the direction of addiction are the initial successes and the accompanying feelings of happiness. For the unconscious, it becomes an easy way to get satisfaction.

The excitement and tension of gambling can also be wonderfully used to cover up other things or to balance out negative feelings. Those who are driven to gamble often forget everything else.

A gambling trance develops, so to speak, in which much runs on autopilot and the conscious mind no longer has much to say. For this reason, gambling addiction is also called impulse control disorder. The impulses to gamble run largely unconsciously. Many describe this as "like another person".

Gambling or betting becomes more and more the main tactic of the unconscious to balance problems. That is why it is often reported that the thoughts turn more and more around the game.

The more the more

The more gambling takes over in life, the more it becomes an identity. Winnings are bragged about and the ideal image of the winner is played.

Whether in a casino or on the Internet, every game of chance from roulette to scratch cards is designed so that "the bank" is in the plus for a long time and the player is in the minus. So if you play long enough, you always lose. This makes for ever greater financial consequences and perhaps even first despair.

But what has the unconscious chosen as the perfect solution for negative feelings? Playing. This means that a vicious circle of negative feelings and the ever more often failing attempt to compensate for them occurs. The pathological gambling can thus hardly be stopped. The more is lost, the more must be played.

The reality of the losses must be distorted more and more or talked down and many think they can compensate the losses with profits. The fact that this is statistically impossible, so to speak, has no influence, because the conscious mind has lost its influence.

In addition, the system gets used to the excitement and therefore higher and higher amounts have to be set in order to achieve the same tension. More and more money has to be brought in. Begging, borrowing and stealing are the order of the day when one's own money is no longer enough. In the process, relationships often fall apart, leading to even greater isolation. It also blocks many possible ways out of addiction.

The course of gambling addiction

The course of gambling addiction is not always just steadily getting worse. Episodes of crashing and catching take place in the lives of many addicted gamblers.

However, when these processes are consolidated in the brain, it is difficult to get rid of them. Accordingly, the danger of relapse exists until we convince the unconscious mind of other tactics and learn new procedures. Only with change from the ground up is it possible to get rid of gambling addiction.

When the conscious mind cannot make the changes needed, hypnotherapy is a great way to make progress in gambling addiction treatment.

Treat gambling addiction with hypnosis

Wherever the affected person is in the gambling career, hypnosis has methods to treat the gambling addiction.

The therapy of gambling addiction with hypnosis has different approaches. These are similar to the treatment of addictions to substances.

In order to get a gambling addiction under control, the unconscious must basically be convinced to stop asking for gambling. Since the unconscious part differs from person to person, the exact procedures of therapy with hypnosis are also different.

However, there are certain parts that occur over and over again.

The connection between conscious and unconscious

In gambling-related addictive behavior, there is often a disconnect between the conscious mind and the unconscious parts. This usually manifests as "I know I should stop, but I can't". In such cases, the unconscious is still too much at the helm and the impulses are not yet controlled enough.

In hypnosis, all parts can connect. With the more direct communication, the conscious mind can regain some control. Furthermore, in the hypnotic trance, certain logic can be brought closer to the unconscious mind.

So there is a better understanding and possibly a reduction in stress.

Stop playing

When there is some control again and the hole is not dug any deeper, then we can really stop playing.

To do this, we often need to replace gambling with something positive. To do this, hypnotherapy often uses the option of resetting the reward center. Then other processes are practiced in the unconscious to interrupt the patterns. That is, gambling is replaced as the go-to tactic of the unconscious and the reward in the brain is reduced or dissolved.

Conclusion:

Hypnosis can be very helpful in overcoming gambling addiction. With the effect directly in the unconscious, old patterns can be dissolved and the addiction can be discarded.