You have heard it said that people are "creatures of habit." Well, nothing could be more accurate. We are indeed creatures of habit. We have constructive, useful habits like brushing our teeth, going to the gym regularly, eating vegetables, doing our homework. The list goes on and on.
But we also have destructive, negative habits: nail biting, drinking alcohol, smoking, gambling, not exercising, chewing tobacco, trichotillomania (compulsive hair pulling), cutting one self, shop-aholicism, excessive worry, being late for appointments...
It is important when breaking a habit that a person has a strong reason to want to change for therapy to be most effective. Habits become so conditioned that they happen automatically without much conscious intervention. All habits are performed through the unconscious mind, i.e. done without thinking about the action. A bad habit does not always have an underlying cause. Sometimes habits are developed simply because the activity creates a pleasant feeling. However, nail biting, for example, is typically not a 'feel good' habit, although the individual may think so. Nail biting is a habit that is often stress-related or may be the result of a simple physical routine, or can be a symptom of deeper psychological problems. Whatever the cause, your habit can be very easily and effectively stopped with hypnotherapy and supported through properly taught, self hypnosis.
The primary goal of hypnotherapy and cognitive behavioural therapy is to teach the individual to make a positive change in the reaction to the negative stimuli. When the habit is stress related, hypnosis helps the individual to effectively release and work through tension and anxiety.
Three very powerful mental-guided tools can be used when your habit is determined to be a simple physical routine. The three powerful tools are:Association. Linking the undesirable behavior to something truly unpleasant, such as very bad taste or smell.
Substitution. Replacing the undesirable behaviour with a more desirable and harmless one. Most individuals who bite and/or chew their nails are embarrassed by the appearance of their hands/fingers and will hide their hands from view. The reverse habit could be applied resulting in the desire to have attractive nails/hands through good grooming habits.
Anchoring. The suggestion that establishes association and substitution in the unconscious memory: associating the bad taste or smell each time the individual sees the fingers coming to their mouth and substituting the desire for attractive hands and fingernails.
Nail biting/chewing may sometimes be caused by deeper psychological problems related to low self-esteem. Hypnosis is a highly effective method to instill a high level of self-esteem and confidence allowing the individual to take pride in personal appearance.
Hypnosis is very effective in eliminating undesirable behaviors because just as bad habits can be broken with hypnosis, the same can be said about introducing more desirable ones. Through hypnosis, positive decisions of change made during the experience of deep relaxation and highly focused concentration strengthens resolve to break the habit and ensures they carry over when under stress. Hypnosis allows the individual to communicate with the unconscious mind to align with the conscious mind so both entities work toward the desired goal.
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