Has anyone tried hypnotherapy?? Been toying with the idea of going to s few sessions locally but costs alot spot of money so wouldnt want to try if people haven't had any luck with it. I would swallow the cost of it if i knew it was going to help me.
Any experiences with this would be great
What do you want from the hypno? If you want it to make you stop, it can't! I was gutted when I paid out about £200 & the 1st thing he said to me was I can't make you do anything you don't want to do! Madness, why else was I paying him (grrr)?!?
I read in one of your posts that you think you can control it again after long periods of abstinence & I heard me...I didn't want to stop gambling, I wanted to stop losing & that can't happen because we cannot win, since we cannot stop. If you want to use it to help figure out why you gamble, I suspect it could work but knowing what I now know, I would have been much better getting my tush along to a GA meeting, it may have forced me to accept years ago that the only person I was fooling into not thinking there was a problem was me. GamCare offer free counselling & can provide a support service to your loved ones if they need help picking up the pieces, GamAnon groups will find them real life support.
You can get through the gambling fog but it has to come from you accepting that gambling is not a part of you anymore. The only thing you need to control with gambling is choosing 'No' - ODAAT
'I didn't want to stop gambling, I wanted to stop losing & that can't happen because we cannot win'.
That is one of the best statements I have ever read on here!
I've tried hypnotherapy on two occasions, once many years ago and once about four years ago. I'm afraid to say it didn't work for me, probably because I found it difficult to go 'under', despite the attempts of the experts to help me do so.
It was made clear on both occasions that in order to stop gambling, I would need to regress into past memories to firstly and understand and then purge whatever catalyst was causing it. in my mind, this is similar, but with a slightly different approach, to counselling which, again, tries to seek a root cause to why we gamble.
My preconceptions to hypnotherepy were that, somehow, I'd go under and wake up with any urge to gamble expelled - maybe I would be 'pre-programmed' to suddenly become nauseous at the thought - but that's not it works, sadly. Like's not like that. I'd willingly pay £1,000 (or more) for a miracle cure, but ... there isn't one.
Dealing with our gambling demons is a very personal thing, what works for someone won't work for someone else etc., there is no right or wrong answer ... "whatever works". But determination is a key bit of the puzzle, and hypnotherapy might work for you; hey, it's worth a try or you'll never know for sure. It shows, at least, real intent and that's got to be a good thing, right? But my suggestion is not to pay for a 'block' of sessions, just in case, after session one, it might not be right for you.
I would like to add something about hypnotherapy and hopefully I won't be laughed at. I am the wife of a gambler although this post is not related to gambling. It's really in relation to the success I had with hypnotherapy.
Between 2000 and 2003 I underwent 7 rounds of fertility treatment at a cost of over £15K. After the sixth cycle failed I obviously became more despondent/desperate and my mind was filled with nothing but negative thoughts. Someone suggested hypnotherapy and to be honest I thought it was madness. However I was willing to try anything.
So before we embarked on cycle 7 I began weekly hypnotherapy sessions. I can honestly say that I have never experienced such a feeling of total peace and tranquility (I realise I was not an addict but still....) She recorded all my sessions and I would replay them in bed at night. Her voice filling my head with positive thoughts, visualising myself with a baby etc. Gradually over the weeks my whole mindset began to change and on my next cycle of IVF I became pregnant. I am 100% convinced that the sessions were a huge factor in the success of my treatment. I have a close friend who gave up smoking (60 a day habit) after just one session.
I am not suggesting this would be an immediate fix, of course not, but I believe it can work. Horses for courses as they say but I wouldn't dismiss it as a waste of time unless you have tried it. Yes it is expensive, but how much were you willing to part with for gambling?
Best of luck to you all!
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