Reducing Alcohol with Hypnotherapy, NLP & EMDR

Can reducing alcohol with Hypnotherapy really work?

Dave had been drinking more since the 2020 Pandemic.  The shocking  unprecedented lockdowns led to mental health challenges for millions of otherwise healthy people.

When Dave approached me it was in general discussion about his overall lack of drive, apathy for life and he felt depressed.

The damaging draconian responses that had separated him from his friends, his family and any interaction with other humans, led to him drinking more and more. Eventually Dave found himself drinking every evening after work.  

Dave is not alone.  

A study entitled "Alcohol consumption during the COVID-19 lockdown in the UK", was published by the Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) in June 2020. The study found that 21% of adults in the UK said that their drinking had increased since the start of the pandemic. The study also found that women were more likely than men to report an increase in drinking, and that people aged 16-24 were the most likely to report an increase in drinking.  This suggests that millions of people may have developed a problem with alcohol during lockdown.

Hypnotherapy to Reduce Drinking Combined with NLP & EMDR

After our first discussion about what Dave wanted to focus on, it was he who began to see that increasing the amount of alcohol he would drink daily, had in turn led to depressed feelings and a general feeling in his body of being less ... well.

Things that used to make him feel happy and content, had long since been forgotten and he'd found himself making excuses for not meeting up with friends, going to the Gym and even visiting with relatives he used to see often.

With Hypnotherapy we were able to explore the emotions, thoughts and anxieties that had bubbled up during the lockdowns and expose the 'thinking' that led to Dave drinking more.

He realised how far from his 'normal' his behaviours had come.

We used NLP to begin the process of embedding new beliefs about how life can be when we FILL IT with things we know we enjoy.  Things including experiences, ways of thinking, behaviours and habits.

EMDR to Reduce Alcohol - Why Was That Necessary?

EMDR is known to be a very effective treatment for Trauma and related anxieties.  It doesn't normally stand out as being a treatment for excessive drinking.  However ... during our sessions I was able to identify where Trauma had affected Dave.  Traumas that had lain dormant for years surfaced when the trauma of being separated from all other meaningful experiences and human contact were triggered.

Dave found incorporating EMDR into our sessions very helpful in collapsing the degree of stress and anxiety even thinking of lockdowns previously caused him.

He like many millions of others, will never accept such draconian inhumane measures again but that didn't stop him from being afraid that nefarious actors would attempt to initiate such acts agains the people in the future.

EMDR helped to take the 'sting' out of the word, stopped triggering instant anxiety and allowed for the other techniques to help Dave build a positive mindset around living his life to the fullest once again!

NLP to Reduce Alcohol - working with models for rapid change

NLP has many strings to it's bow.   The metamodel for example helps us to effectively explore and understand what lies beneath the conscious behaviours to the unconscious beliefs and assumptions. 

Dave had assumed that he was now in a habit of drinking and that it would be 'too hard' to stop.  He was filled with anger about his situation and full of blame.  Whilst he continued to 'think' about being powerless, angry and blaming, he was unable to see the wood (happiness opportunities) for the trees (focusing on everything negative he could not control).

Having dealt with traumas, the next job was to deal with limiting beliefs and to carefully craft new uplifting beliefs!

Anchoring techniques helped Dave to develop strategies for managing his moods and elevating his desire to once again visit the Gym, feel his body moving, wake up feeling energised, strong and motivated.  There are many ways to create positive anchors including behaviours aswell as triggering helpful thoughts.

Drinking Less with Hypnotherapy, NLP & EMDR to Enhance Your Success

Dave began a daily routine of practicing self hypnosis using guided hypnosis audios on the membership.  He used morning meditations to help him start his day with confidence and positivity.

It became clear that whilst the habit of drinking had gotten out of hand in the years since the lockdowns, that Dave was able to have no drinking days, even weeks and didn't have any *negative withdrawals.  

He found our Hypnotherapy sessions focusing on reducing alcohol led to him feeling generally happier, lighter, more fulfilled and above all ... hopeful!

To get started using Meditation & Hypnotherapy to reduce alcohol, you can get access to the members area for less than a fiver right now!  Head over to the where I currently host this content and you can grab the free meditation whilst you're there:  https://enhancedlife.org/members

If you'd like one to one therapy, just complete the consultation form below and I'll get in touch very soon.

*Those who are 'addicted' to alcohol will require additional support form a medical advisor/Doctor &/or support system.  If you suspect addiction, it is important that a medical expert help you to understand the risks of withdrawal and refer to the recommended support services.