How Hypnosis Can Treat Opioid Addiction

No one overcomes an addiction overnight. Being sober is a lifelong struggle that takes work and dedication. If you or a loved one needs help, hypnosis can treat opioid addiction. It reduces your desire to use and helps deal with cravings. If you have been struggling with opioid abuse, hypnosis can help you stay clean.

How Hypnosis Works

Hypnotherapy is when the hypnotist changes the subconscious mind for a positive goal. It can be used for pain management, addictions or mental disorders. In this mental state, the patient is totally relaxed. The mental state is similar to deep meditation. You are able to work with the subconscious to change thought patterns, habits and cravings.

Hypnotherapy for Opioid Addiction

One of the biggest ways hypnosis can treat opioid addiction is by reducing your cravings. Over time, your mind becomes used to having drugs present. The painkillers rewire your mind so that you have to use to feel normal. This means that you have cravings to use after you try to quit.

Hypnosis can break through the cravings. It works with the subconscious mind to change how you feel. You are basically able to target the root of the addiction. Your mind is wired to need opioid drugs, but you can rewire it. Hypnosis helps change how your body responds to a craving.

Suggestions are used to change how you deal with a craving. Instead of wanting painkillers, you want to meditate or do yoga. You might be encouraged to take a walk or talk to a friend instead. Through hypnosis, you change the craving to use into a desire to do something healthy.

Hypnosis and Pain

Hypnosis can treat opioid addiction in other ways as well. Many people begin using opioids after a surgery or an injury. They take the opioids to cope with the pain without realizing how addictive they are.

Research shows that hypnosis can help manage pain. In a study from the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, scientists found hypnosis helped with pain. Patients were given hypnosis after surgery. These patients had less fatigue, lower pain and less nausea than the control group. The changes did not stop there. During the actual surgery, the hypnosis group even needed less sedative. By changing how the mind works, hypnosis helps to reduce pain.

This is also useful when you are going through withdrawal symptoms. Many people start using again just to get rid of the symptoms. With hypnosis, you can reduce your symptoms so that you can focus on getting sober.

Because of this, hypnosis can help you overcome an addiction. The pain that started your addiction might still be there. Hypnosis gives you a new way to handle the pain. At the same time, it changes how you respond to cravings. You suddenly lose the desire to use.

Research studies show that hypnosis is effective at treating addictions. An addiction is a mental health problem, so it is ideal for hypnotherapy. Hypnosis helps reduce withdrawal symptoms, limit cravings and decrease pain. Imagery, suggestions and visualization help you restart your life without drugs.