Addictions are misguided attempts at solutions .
When people repeatedly ‘misbehave’ in ways that give them pleasure or alleviate discomforts but also cause them problems, there is a tendency to label it an “addiction” or a “disease” and treat it as such. In my experience as a recovered alcoholic, the categories, states and feelings listed below correspond to many people's reasons for using temporary escape routes or “fixes” for the "voids" and the “forever-ness” of the problems in their lives:
- Feeling alone and abandoned
- Feeling “special and different”
- A need to please others
- Lack of self confidence
- Broken relationships
- Stressful jobs
- A need to fill a "void"
- Bereavement
- Disappointment
- Shock
- Fear of the unknown as well as the known!
- Oral satisfaction particularly with alcohol and cigarette smoking
- Inability to let go of the past
- Procrastination
- Numbing pain
- Ignorance of the need to redefine belief systems
The “rush” associated with shoplifting, gambling, or illicit sexual activity, the thrill of spending large sums of money on consumer goods, and the taste of various foods are all inherently pleasurable. Attention is highly concentrated, emotion is intensified, and the act itself culminates in a powerful sensation of release, relief, and satisfaction. It feels like that vague underlying need is finally being met When an individual’s life is dominated by insecurity, inadequacy, or dissatisfaction, one or more of these activities may serve as a temporary but effective respite from the resulting cravings.
Treatment, therefore, may involve the development of the activation of the motivation and determination required to stop using the problem behaviour to alleviate these fundamental needs. Roughly translated, the desirable goal of hypnosis therapy should be to discover alternative sources of pleasure and relief……..period!
If you feel that addictive patterns are beginning to control your life then I pray this is your time to stop! You can do it – I have!!
Let me help you to fill the void!
Addictions are misguided attempts at solutions .
