Recover from narcotics addiction with Hypnotherapy

How can Hypnotherapy help?

Background information on hypnosis and withdrawal from drug use

Getting Your Life Back - Understanding Narcotics Addiction

How can Hypnotherapy help?

Please note: I do travel internationally to work on clients with cocaine addictions. This is a very specialised area of work, and a very important one. I charge my general rates, plus hotel, airfare and all costs for as long as necessary. Please email me for specific details if this is a service you are interested in.

Clients suffering with addictions to crack, cocaine and other chemically addictive drugs show positive results over a period of therapy. While immediate results are achieved when dealing with useage reduction, anxiety, stress and sleep disturbance aspects of recovery - the ongoing addiction can only be managed with prolonged therapy and a determined approach to seeing through a plan aimed at conquering the addiction.

Clients are provided with a treatment plan, and are required to commit to the process. understanding addiction is important. Read this document to learn more about addiction, and how hypnosis can be used to resolve it.

I help clients through withdrawal and can assist in the management of recovery from addiction to various narcotics. During this process I work on stress reduction as well as management of cravings, and effects of withdrawal. I use hypnotherapy, as well as biofeedback entrainment techniques to reduce the level of suffering my client is exposed to.

My success in this field is self evident. What is sometimes overlooked is that every success in this work is a joint effort, and as much the result of the clients effort as my own. When it comes to addictions to hard drugs, there are no magic wands. However, I can make the process of kicking the habit considerably easier, and less damaging.

Unlike many hypnotherapists I take clients with cocaine addictions - however I do expect a solid commitment from the client to work through a minimum of 10 hours hypnotherapy. The first session trends to be about 4 or 5 hours, and subsequent sessions are an hour, or sometimes two hours, several times a week.

I charge higher rates for cocaine work. The amount is payable in full when treatment starts. I charge $1650 for ten hours work. Anyone familiar with working with cocaine addictions will understand why. I expect clients to be as comitted as I am myself to our work. I have had substantial success in this field.

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Background information on hypnosis and withdrawal from drug use

Addiction contains spiritual, mental, social, and biological components. Hypnosis is a treatment modality that can address all of these issues.

Gorski and Miller (1986) name six symptoms of Post Acute Withdrawal (PAW) that can occur following acute withdrawal from an addictive drug. These symptoms can recur for years after a person has successfully withdrawn from a chemical dependency. The six symptoms are: (1) inability to think clearly; (2) memory problems; (3) emotional overreactions or numbness; (4) sleep disturbances; (5) physical coordination problems; and (6) stress sensitivity. There have been numerous reports of using hypnosis to treat each of these PAW symptoms including Whitehouse et al. (1996), a 19-week study that showed hypnosis produced lower stress levels. Yet the use of hypnosis with chemical dependency continues to be thought of as an alternative therapy when it is, possibly, one of the better choices available.

Hypnosis sometimes produces very rapid changes. However, when used over a longer period of time in a systematic process the results are much longer lasting.

Traditionally, treatment methods for addictions include intense daily sessions. Combining the intensive treatment of daily sessions with hypnosis appears to strengthen treatment for many people who are suffering from addictions. Among the advantages of using hypnosis is that it allows the client to better imprint, modulate, and integrate new patterns of behavior. Also, the deep relaxation naturally addresses the recovering person's need to manage stress and handle cravings.

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Getting Your Life Back - Understanding Narcotics Addiction

Understanding addictions generally, and narcotics (from marijuana, through crystal meth to crack cocaine) specifically, is a challenge for most people. It is a topic on which many of us have strong opinions in one direction or another.

An addiction is an outward manifestation of a cry for help

This document is to help clients with an addiction understand their situation, members of a clients support group (family, partners etc.), and other hypnotherapists interested in this area. If you are genuinely interested in working on a serious addiction issue, please take the time to read it carefully. This is not a side of hypnotherapy that is either simple, or easy to work with – for client, therapist or the support system around the client. It is, however, one of the most successful possible courses of action to remove an addiction. It is not easy – but it works.

I work internationally on addictions. I am available to talk either with clients or addictions professionals individually or in groups. Contact me at vanbc1963@yahoo.com

Realization - a healthy first step

A client realizing their problem is moving from something which started as a little fun, to something which is getting out of control is quite frightening. However, the realization that a line has been crossed and a problem has developed, is a positive observation. The individuals survival mechanism is kicking in as it should. The alarm bells ringing shows that there a problem, but also that the alarm system functions properly. It’s frightening to hear those alarm bells, but not as frightening as to ‘not hear’ the alarm bells.

For anyone working with addictions of this type there can be little middle ground. The addict is sick. They display physical symptoms and act out in ways that can result in death. Typically an untreated narcotic addict can expect to lose the following (generally in this order):

1. Time.

2. Their health (initial symptoms of addiction).

3. Friends.

4. Money (as addiction escalates).

5. Their job.

6. Their loved ones (the separated mother gets a restraining order against the addicted father – she doesn’t want their teenage son exposed to ‘those’ people).

7. Health and perhaps even their life.

Many addicts, particularly with crack, or crystal meth, are no more in control of their affliction, than someone suffering with a severe disease. Just wishing it away will not have any positive affect. Make no mistake, one can die of ‘diminished responsibility’. Drunk drivers involved in car accidents are a case in point. Dying of a drug addiction seldom means dying as a result of an overdose. More likely a dirty needle results in an infection or virus that leads to AIDS or hepatitis. Years later this runs its course. Or, in a moment of narcotic haze an action is taken that results in a criminal record or imprisonment. Social factors such as violence in prison then contribute to an early death. This can be through poor health, or at the end of a switchblade. In either case, the narcotics have directly or indirectly contributed to the subjects death. Be under no illusions. Even pot can kill a user who suffers a severe addiction.

Hypnotherapy can have a powerful positive impact on addictions. It has to be applied in a very specific way to have lasting effects, from a position of understanding the nature of addiction. Just hypnotizing a client who uses cocaine, and stopping continued consumption can possibly do as much damage as it would remedy. In some cases it could be hugely damaging. Therapists unused to working with addictions should familiarize themselves thoroughly with all aspects of withdrawal. Ending use is only part of the issue – and taken in isolation, is not only very easy but can be completely meaningless. Secondary addictive behavior will likely take over. Ending the cause of the addiction, and the repeated behavior is the objective and requires skill, patience and a full understanding of the client, their motivations and how they work.

Do not expect a successful and healthy outcome without a significant investment in time and effort from all concerned – client, therapist and client supporters. Having said this, keep in mind that this is a system that works relatively swiftly. A little commitment now, will go along way later.

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Working towards a successful outcome

The client with an addiction, their family and loved ones, and the hypnotherapist need to understand some things very clearly before embarking on this course of action. Breifly they are:

1. The client is sick. They will likely either continue to experience negative impacts from their addiction if it goes unchecked, or more likely the costs (physically, socially and emotionally) will increase.

2. The client requires support from those around them in the same way someone suffering a serious illness requires support. A non-judgemental approach has to be taken by those around the client. Few people would condemn an individual who learned they had contracted terminal cancer. In many ways, someone coming to terms with a severe addiction is in much the same position as the cancer patient. They face a poor outcome, there is a sense of fatalism and lack of control. They are experiencing failing physical health and are expected to deal with their problem with a severely diminished physical and emotional capacity. Feeling isolated from loved ones during this process will only contribute to the likelihood of a negative outcome.

3. Many of the things the client has done – actions carried out as a result of an addiction – are not really the client's actions at all. They are the actions of the drug they were addicted to. A classic case is where an addict has stolen from their family. The family may reject the individual as a result. This is a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of addiction. It is not unreasonable to say ‘the addiction’ stole from the family. Often transgressions are much more serious than stealing – and more hurtful. As hard as it may seem, the clients supporters need to suspend their wounds. They may have been hurt terribly as a result of the client's addiction. This is a tough thing to ask. However, in the interests of finding a solution – suspending that sense of hurt (however temporarily) is something the supporters need to do. A good exercise to do in this regard is to choose a date at which the addiction took over. As hard as this may seem, subsequent actions that caused pain to the clients supporters need to be viewed with a degree of understanding.

4. The client needs to buy into their recovery. The client has to be committed to the project and understand the serious nature of their situation. Doing nothing will result in a continued spiral down. If they are not yet ready to address their situation, they have no right to expect supporters or their therapist to commit to a difficult and emotionally expensive course of action. Every possible contribution to a successful outcome needs to be made. Not showing up to a treatment session because, ‘something came up’ is not an acceptable level of commitment. The approach I use is quite simple. You can end the issue, or chose to continue it. I only work with clients choosing to end the issue.

It takes a lot for a partner to see a loved one get through addiction. It’s very easy just to leave. Keep in mind my clients include investment bankers, journalists, very successful businessmen, children, software company senior executives and housewives. Don’t just see the addiction – see the person behind it. It could very easily have been you, rather than them. If the situation were reversed, what would you want?

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Working with the addiction

Individuals who are regularly using large amounts of narcotics (including pot), are placing their bodies under a huge strain. The toxicity in the body as a result of drug use shows itself in numerous ways. One very simple indicator is skin condition. The body tries to rid itself of what is essentially a poison. It’s quite normal for a client with a heavy pot habit to have poor skin, or unexplained rashes.

Poisons stress the body in ways that are unfamiliar. If you run a mile, you expect to be out of breath, to feel tired and to want to sit down. The body exposed to long term poisoning feels much the same way – though of course you are not really out of breath. You feel the effects of the imposed stress in other ways.

The graphic below comes from a client whose continued drug use resulted in her heart being stressed. The index in the lower left combines skin temperature, blood pressure and heart rate to form a ‘coherence’ reading. The higher this reading the more relaxed the person. High stress is indicated by the red bar. 74% of the time she was monitored she was experiencing high levels of stress. A normal reading would be less than 50% in most people. Many people can get this number as low as 20%.

A key indicator in this case is the ‘variance’ between high and low heart rate. In fact there were times this client fluctuated between over 120 beats per minute and 50 beats per minute. In the early period of monitoring her variance is extreme – and yet this had become quite ‘normal’ for her. While there are many things that can contribute to this, it’s a strong indicator that the client is under severe physical stress (often with an emotional cause or trigger). As can be seen, as the session continues her variance reduces. During the period she was in hypnosis it briefly comes down to an acceptable level of 75 – 85 beats per minute.

After this first session she returns to a condition of high stress – however in this case is then empowered with the tools to deal with the stress, and combat the causes. As treatment progresses she will be seen to come out of this stress level.

The second graphic (below) shows the same client while going through some effects of withdrawal from her addiction. Keep in mind that an addict withdrawing from one addiction, often leans on another. As crystal meth goes down, in an unmanaged situation alcohol or another synthetic (often anti depressants or methodone) goes up. This in turn stresses the clients system further. During a craving cycle the body is literally crying out for its poison. This is very much what is going on in this case. In the case of cocaine many physiological effects of the drug will be simulated in the body (constriction of arteries, etc) as the body tries to imitate the action of the drug. It will literally ‘pretend’ to be stoned to try to relieve the craving. Cravings place the body in a severely stressed condition.

In the final graphic (below) a hypnosis session is conducted that brings the client completely to where she should be. Her levels of variance are acceptable. Her stress level is brought very much closer to normal, and she is now through the addiction. She will always be an addict – though now one that is recovering. These readings took place over about a month. The change in physiological indicators were not as marked as the change in her emotional well being. She reconnected with family, with herself and is living in a drug free way to her satisfaction and those around her. She understands herself very much better, is dealing with the remorse she feels about her problem, and has quite literally turned her life around.

It’s worth keeping in mind that a traditional approach, medicating her off her addiction (crystal meth) and creating a methodone addiction could not have achieved this. Additional treatments for depression, skin condition, high blood pressure, lack of energy and insomnia would likely have introduced so much toxicity into her body that she would never regain a normal level of stress at either an emotional or physical level.

Understand the emotional aspects of addiction

The emotional impact of narcotic addiction is lasting and painful. It can be managed in hypnosis much the same as any trauma is managed. If it is not addressed it will usually result in triggering an alternative addictive behavior. This may be anything from excessive drinking, physical abuse (yes – bullying is addictive), or something fairly benign such as nail biting. In many cases it will simply result in a return to the original addiction. This is why many medical approaches to addiction simply fail. If the emotional triggers are not managed it is only a matter of time before they re-engage.

There is something that should be kept in mind while going through this process. For the committed individual, it is possible to come back from even the most serious addiction. This may be the hardest thing they ever do – but it will usually make them into a person with a wider experience and greater understanding of themselves than they would otherwise ever achieve. Like any important journey, this is one that will be tough, will take the traveler to their personal limits, but one that will reward them in ways they cannot imagine whilst in the darkness of the storm.

One of my clients put it very well (a young lady who became addicted to cocaine at 19 and at 31 could barely remember her last 8 years) - “I’m over this now. I’ve got my life back.”

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