Can hypnotherapy stop gambling urges?

Hypnotherapy is a powerful solution for gambling urges because it addresses underlying emotional needs.

It helps in various ways by addressing these unmet needs, dopamine regulation, and co-occurring conditions like ADHD. Whether you choose CBT hypnotherapy to understand the links between emotions and behaviours or solution-focused hypnotherapy which can help focus the individual on the goal of having a gambling-free life, understanding what’s happening on a biological level can help take the heat off the problem.

How can hypnotherapy help with gambling addiction?

Addressing unmet emotional needs

The human givens therapy approach states that, when emotional needs, such as the need for security, autonomy, or emotional connection, are not being met, addictions can arise. In gambling, addiction stems from dopamine release, not external substances.

Hypnotherapy can help identify and work towards fulfilling these needs by guiding individuals to explore underlying emotions and resolve past traumas or unmet needs that contribute to their gambling behaviour. Traumas such as parental loss, divorce, redundancy or PTSD can trigger addiction behaviour. Hypnotherapy using tools such as the rewind/reframe can help scramble the links between memory and emotion.

Understanding that the brain hates a loss

Loss aversion can play a significant role in gambling addiction. It refers to the tendency for people to prefer avoiding losses rather than acquiring equivalent gains, making losses feel more painful than gains feel rewarding.

Gamblers often get caught in a cycle of risky behaviour as they try to make up for their losses, driven by the need to recover what they’ve lost. This emotional response leads to irrational decision-making, as the fear of losing money overshadows the potential for further loss.

The anticipation of a “win” that could erase previous losses becomes more alluring, reinforcing addictive behaviour. This results in a harmful loop, where the gambler continues to bet more in an attempt to avoid the pain of losing.

Regulating dopamine responses

Gambling triggers the brain’s dopamine reward system, creating pleasure through risk and reward. Using hypnotherapy, new, positive rewards can be linked to healthy behaviours, resetting neural pathways.

By gradually altering the association between gambling and dopamine release, hypnotherapy can help in reducing cravings. It’s known that habits and locations can trigger these urges, so a person can learn to change where they go and what they do at certain times of the day.

Rewiring cognitive patterns

Hypnotherapy can access the subconscious mind, where deeply ingrained thought patterns live. Through reframing these patterns, the therapist can assist the individual in adopting healthier coping mechanisms.

For instance, a person who used to spend all their money on slot machines discovered a computer game that satisfied their desire to win, resulting in significant savings. Once they had the urge under control, they could improve in other areas of their life. This can help shift the urge to gamble towards more constructive activities that fulfil emotional needs.

Managing impulsivity and emotional dysregulation

People with ADHD often struggle with impulsivity and emotional regulation, which can make them more vulnerable to addictions, like gambling. The use of hypnotherapy can assist people with ADHD in learning to pause prior to acting on impulses and enhancing their self-control.

This mindfulness-based focus allows people to gain mastery over their urges. Individuals with ADHD often have creative inclinations, making activities like playing a musical instrument or creating abstract art beneficial for redirecting impulsive energy.

Reducing anxiety and stress

Hypnotherapy frequently combines relaxation techniques to aid in the management of anxiety or stress, which can trigger compulsive gambling behaviours.

By lowering stress levels, hypnotherapy decreases the desire to use gambling as an escape. Through activating the person’s rational mind, they can create and manage their routine. They can address unmet needs.

Strengthening self-esteem and confidence

Low self-esteem is a common problem among individuals with gambling addictions. Hypnotherapy improves self-esteem and confidence, decreasing the urge to gamble for validation or to hide insecurities.

For example, after losing her job, a woman became addicted to online casinos because of the boredom of sitting around all day at home. She was able to shift her mindset using hypnosis and redirect her energy towards finding a new job.

Building resilience against triggers

Hypnotherapy can train the mind to become resilient against specific gambling triggers, such as boredom, loneliness, or the thrill of risk. By strengthening the emotional response to these triggers, individuals can develop greater willpower and resist falling back into destructive gambling habits.

Creating positive visualisations for change

In hypnotherapy, guided visualisations assist in envisioning a gambling-free future, strengthening the subconscious motivation for change. The act of vividly imagining themselves without a gambling addiction encourages patients to make real-life changes to their habits and choices.

In solution-focused hypnotherapy using the scaling method, we can assess what a life free of gambling would look like and slowly move towards that outcome. Often, people feel overwhelmed and don’t know the answer to their problem at the beginning of therapy, but this method of minor improvements helps create more solutions.

Fostering mindfulness and promoting present-moment consciousness

Gambling often involves a detachment from the present moment. Through hypnotherapy, individuals can develop a mindful focus, remaining present and aware of their emotions. Increased awareness aids in decreasing the compulsiveness of gambling. Practicing meditation, yoga, and tai chi, as well as learning mindfulness, can also result in positive effects for the individual.

Improving sleep and cognitive function

Lack of sleep is prevalent in people with anxiety and ADHD and can worsen impulsive behaviours like gambling. By decreasing anxiety and teaching relaxation techniques, hypnotherapy enhances sleep quality, resulting in improved cognitive function and decision-making.

The crucial factor in recovery is that the person with the addiction has the desire to change. If someone else is pushing it, they can feel pressured and the anxiety may lead them to quit therapy. For loved ones, recognising the motives behind the actions can help them offer more effective support.