Reporter Has Hypnosis To Stop Drinking
January 13, 2008
Sunday Times columnist, Minette Marin, has always been sceptical of any alternative therapies, including hypnosis. Today, she tells details of her hypnotherapy session to limit her drinking to just one glass of wine each week.
Marin had two hypnotherapy sessions in early December with a hypnotherapist recommended by her GP. The first included the hypnotic suggestion and the second taught her the beginnings of self-hypnosis, to reinforce the suggestion, although Marin admits she didn’t do any self-hypnosis.
In the Sunday Times column, the journalist admits that even though she didn’t have a drink during December, she wondered whether this was simply because she had made the decision herself. However, a surprising thing happened when it came to her birthday the week before Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
Her husband insisted that she partake in the celebrations and not be so boring and puritanical. To her surprise, she found that not only did she not want the champagne, despite being a real champagne lover, but she actually felt bad about it and couldn’t wait to put down the glass. She even tipped a glass down the kitchen sink. After just two glasses, she had an awful headache.
What amuses me is that Marin still will not admit that she believe the hypnotherapy worked. Hypnosis is difficult for anyone to understand, particularly a lifelong sceptic, and so people turn to other, more tangible explanations. Maybe the hypnosis is just a ‘rite of decision-making’, who knows, but for whatever reason, to date, Marin has got her wish.
The purpose is to increase awareness of many:
Responses to substances (food, beverages, caffeine, alcohol, narcotics) are gender, age and ethnicity dependent: gene products expressed on the surface protein receptor mediate many of these when affected by endogenous molecules released (morphine like compunds) or exgogenously ingested.
Broadly, there are two groups: those who will ‘abuse’ and can come off the addiction (when there is the acceptance and the wish to come off) and the other one that may well wish to come off the addictive substance but, just ‘can’t’.
Compulsive behaviour disorders- eating disorders, substance abuse and sexual addiction (comparable to heroin addiction even) (oppressive social, criminal) are serious and require both therapy and ‘chemical help’ now available in implants of the opioid antagonist for example.