According to my approach, bad habits and addictions are behavioral problems, not diseases in themselves – although they can affect performance, health and quality of life.

Human behavior is complex and determined by multiple factors coherently described by various behavior models. Although cognitive models are still popular, the major cognitive theories are only three of the 82 contemporary behavioral models. I believe that bad habits and addictions are subconscious behavioral programs driven by emotions rather than repeated bad choices.

In real life, people tend to smoke, take drugs, drink too much, eat too much, or indulge in many other bad habits, not because they really want it, but because they feel like it. Assessing whether and to what extent this model applies or not to your case is your job! Somatic Hypnotherapy is not a magic spell aimed at altering your perception or the physiology of your cells so that you can maintain your bad habits without being negatively affected by them, nor at convincing you under hypnosis to change your habits.

Whatever their nature, in the beginning, bad habits are nothing but unhealthy coping strategies to deal with disturbing feelings. When you overindulge in comfort food, smoking, or other bad habits, the brain compensates by decreasing the associated sense of reward. As a result, you'll develop a tolerance and you'll want more and more of your fix to achieve the same "high" you once had. Even though you understand that what you do is getting you nowhere, you feel the urge to do so. Thus, you develop addictions that become stronger and stronger.

Although your logic and rational mind understand that your bad habit becomes an addiction, it will probably be very difficult to overcome it using willpower alone. Since addictions are behavioral programs that are stored in your subconscious mind and are driven by emotions, addictive behaviors are very difficult to reprogram by better understanding the root causes or by rational will alone. Quitting for good might be a challenge since the nature of the addiction is to control and manipulate your thoughts and decisions so that you will continue denying it and indulging in your guilty pleasures.

Once you are addicted, I wouldn't bet that you can control your addiction just by thinking about it, talking about it, or understanding what's going on. The instant you start thinking of your favorite chocolate, of your last sip, your last cigarette, or your last fix, the next one is already on its way. Unfortunately, it seems to be difficult not to think about it, as this is the nature of all addictions: to control your thoughts through powerful feelings associated with withdrawal symptoms each time the fix doesn’t come in time. Therefore, changing a bad habit or overcoming an addiction is not an easy task. However, tapping into your subconscious resources through somatic hypnotherapy could make your change much easier.

Thanks to privileged access to your subconsciousness, Somatic Hypnotherapy is the tool of choice to overcome an addiction, because it is your subconscious mind that keeps you hooked, even though your rational mind understands how much your addiction is harming you. According to my holistic approach, addictions are nothing but bad habits triggered by stress, anxiety, emotional trauma, and other toxic feelings fueled by boredom and especially by the lack of existential meaning. If you think that your addiction may be due to causes other than those mentioned above, then you are probably right. However, in this situation, Somatic Hypnotherapy is certainly not your treatment of choice.

Craving is that powerful desire to get your fix, the driving force behind all your withdrawal symptoms. The craving can give you a variety of both emotional and physical symptoms because craving is the root source of your withdrawal symptoms. The Somatic Hypnotherapy approach helps you to release the withdrawal symptoms by easing their root source through winnowing away the powerful emotions and feelings associated with the craving, and by relinquishing the desire to consume. All I can do is help you get rid of the emotional trigger of your addiction, of your "craving".

Whatever the nature of your addiction, Somatic Hypnotherapy can help you to overcome it, as this approach allows you to uproot the emotional roots of your addiction, dissociate the "fun" of your consumption, and ease or clear all your withdrawal symptoms.* The goal of my approach is to help you develop healthy and lasting control over your behaviors by eliminating the emotional roots and craving of your bad habits and thus breaking the vicious circle of addictions.

Treating the emotional root causes of your addiction will prevent you from migrating your addictions. Once the emotional motivation for your addictive behavior is at least significantly reduced, the risk of going from "smoking" or "other bad habits" to "overeating" is greatly reduced. This is the main reason why, during your first session, we will exclusively address the emotional roots of your compulsive behavior.

After your first session, once the emotional drive of your compulsive behavior is gone, you can most likely stop the unwanted behavior by your own will. If not, we will arrange a follow-up session during which we will focus on the possible remaining unpleasant emotions and especially on the craving and the habit behind your unwanted behavior.

You have all the skills you need to get over an addiction or a bad habit: it's all about tapping into that resource. I'm here to help you to release your power to control and change your habits. However, the decision to stop your consumption belongs to you.

Whatever your addiction or bad habit, don't allow it to cripple your life.

The "No Results - No Pay" principle applies to all my therapies.**

Contact me and book your appointment today! Let this be the most exciting experience of your life, and I will be happy to help you on your journey.

You can reach me by filling out the contact form below.

**When dealing with addictions and bad habits, the guarantee of good results covers the stress, the anxiety and whatever other negative feelings that could be the root cause of your addiction or bad habit.

Disclaimer: The above article may contain statements that reflect the opinion of the author. It is intended for general informational purposes and does not constitute psychological or medical professional advice. I don't diagnose medical conditions, nor do I interfere with any treatments given by your medical professional.

If you already are under the care of a doctor or under medical treatment, follow the advice and treatment recommended by your doctor. For any medical emergency, call the Info-Santé service by dialing 8-1-1

*The results may vary from person to person.

Somatic Hypnotherapy - 186 Sutton Pl, suite 104, Beaconsfield, Montréal, Qc, H9W5S3