Whether it’s food addiction, cigarettes, alcohol or anything else, kicking the habit can be challenging. Mostly, clients feel as though they are getting some kind of reward when they do these things and so giving them up is a form of deprivation. But what these clients come to learn, through hypnotherapy, is that these ‘rewards’ are mere decoys.

There are several processes I take my clients through to make them understand, in their very nervous systems, that these ‘rewards’ are no competition for the true reward of reaching the only goal that really matters – a state of harmony within. This is the ideal state where my client looks, behaves and thinks in alignment with their ideal vision of self. Once that peak state is realised, no chocolate, nicotine, alcohol or other temporary device can measure up.

It’s easy to understand the concept logically, but to really feel it and therefore believe it, is another matter. In session we explore neuro-linguistic programming techniques to really drive the message home. Kicking the habit then becomes a natural response.

Imagine your addiction and make that image really large in your mind’s eye. Now double the size of it and you’ll find you want it even more! This is the short term gain which gives you that reward you so need. Then of course it wears off and you might even feel guilty or at least weak for allowing yourself to succumb to temptation. But that is what will happen time and time again unless you get that reward from somewhere else.

Now imagine a version of you who has chosen to be their best self for at least six months. What do you see? What do you feel? You might sense stability, pride, happiness, relief, a sense of inner calm, satisfaction and any number of other positive emotions. This is the reward, the real reward, and nothing else can compare. In fact, those temptations are nothing but thieves who steal away the only prize that really matters.

Taking control and kicking the habit requires more than logic – it takes a physiological understanding to really make the difference. Most people don’t have an ideal vision of self because they are too caught up in the momentary ‘hit’ over a cancer stick or a crappy piece of chocolate, putting their entire self-worth on the line, whether they realise it or not. This is a lose/lose game. Isn’t it time to play the real game, and to win?

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