While often mistaken as a “new age” type of therapy, hypnotherapy, also known as hypnosis, has actually been around since the 1700s and was officially recognized as an effective treatment technique by the American Medical Association and the American Psychological Association in 1950. Hypnotherapy essentially refers to the process of inducing a patient into an unconscious or hypnotic state and offering positive suggestions to their vulnerable brain in an effort to positively alter the patient’s thinking about a subject.
The two most common forms of hypnotherapy are:
- Traditional hypnosis: The patient is given direct orders on their unconscious mind; i.e. “you no longer feel an urge to drink”
- Ericksonian hypnosis: The patient is given suggestions, rather than direct orders, on their unconscious mind, ie. “doesn’t alcohol make you feel nauseous”
Hypnosis as a performance art has given many people a reason to be skeptical of hypnotherapy as a professional treatment for substance addiction, but the empirical evidence overwhelmingly supports the idea that it is an effective and medically sound treatment option.
The supervised detoxification and residential treatment program at the Asana Recovery Center utilizes a wide variety of different therapy options in order to ensure that the unique and specific needs of each individual patient can be met effectively. Call us at (949) 438-4504 to learn more about our facilities and find out whether our comprehensive drug and alcohol addiction treatment program is right for you.
