Hypnosis for addiction and habits.
You know you don't want to, and still you do it again. Vaping, snacking on sweets, binge eating, nail biting or endless scrolling: it happens on its own, before you even think about it. That's not a lack of willpower. A habit lives in your subconscious, and that's where I work. Often in three sessions, even if it has been going on for years.
Complimentary intro call
Fully confidential
“Every morning I promise myself today will be different, and every evening I'm back at the cupboard.”
Almost everyone who comes to me with a habit has already tried all kinds of things. An app, a schedule, a deal with yourself, a stretch of keeping nothing in the house. It works for a week, sometimes a month. Then comes a busy day, a bad night or an evening alone on the couch, and it goes exactly the way it always does. That feels like failing, but it isn't.
A habit is an automatic reaction that once served a purpose: calm, comfort, distraction or a break. As long as your subconscious still needs that, it keeps reaching for the old solution. That's why fighting it works so poorly, and why it helps to look at what's underneath.
Why willpower so often falls short.
Your mind knows exactly why you want to stop. You know what sugar does, what that vape costs and how much time disappears into your phone. But the choice to reach for it isn't made by your thinking mind. It's faster than that. Your hand is already moving before the thought arrives. Over time, a habit gets its own route, separate from what you actually want.
Everything you do is also connected to your nervous system. When you're tense, bored or tired, your body looks for something that quickly gives calm or a kick. A hit on the vape, something sweet, a quick scroll: it works, for a moment. With hypnotherapy you work at the level where that automatic link sits. So you don't have to fight all over again every day, and your system learns a different reaction.
What I can help you with.
Every habit is different, but the mechanism behind it is often similar. These are the questions people come to me with.
Quit vaping
Vaping feels more harmless than smoking, but the habit is often just as deeply rooted. You reach for it on every break, in the car or behind your laptop. Together we look at which moments are tied to it and what you're really looking for in those moments. Want to quit smoking? I have a separate page about that.
Sweets and sugar
A candy bar with your coffee, a handful of sweets in the afternoon, something tasty on the couch at night. For many people, sugar has become a form of reward or comfort. In hypnosis you work on that link, so the cravings become less compelling and you choose for yourself again what you eat.
Binge eating and weight loss
You know how healthy eating works, and still you sometimes eat much more than you want, often when you're tired, tense or alone. I help you understand what happens in those moments and how to respond differently. No diet, but a calmer relationship with food. If you want to lose weight, we focus on the habits that get in your way.
Nail biting
Biting your nails or picking at your skin often happens without you noticing, when you're concentrating, tense or bored. Because it's so automatic, attention alone rarely makes it stop. In hypnosis you learn to notice sooner what your hand is doing, and your body finds a different outlet for tension.
Phone and scrolling
A quick look turns into an hour. You grab your phone when you wake up, in line at the checkout and one more time before bed. It costs you attention, sleep and calm. We find out what scrolling gives you, and how you can get that in a different way.
Other habits
Procrastinating, too much coffee, the one glass of wine every evening that turns into two, gaming late into the night. Not sure if your habit fits? Just ask in the intro call. With a serious physical addiction, your doctor or addiction care comes first, and hypnosis can work alongside it.
What a habit really gives you.
Behind almost every habit there's something good. That sounds strange when you want to get rid of it, but it matters. The sweet gives comfort after a long day. The vape gives you a short moment to yourself. Scrolling gives distraction when your head is full. At some point your subconscious learned that this helps, and it faithfully repeats it.
If you only try to stop, you leave that need unmet. Then your system looks for another way, or after a while it slips back into the old pattern. That's why in my sessions we first look at what the habit does for you. Then I help you meet that need in a way that does suit you. That makes letting go a lot easier.
No script, but a plan.
I work with Ericksonian, conversational hypnotherapy. There is no fixed script: I tailor every session to you, through our conversation and my connection with you. I've learned all kinds of techniques and use them with purpose, but I'm not tied to a protocol. My starting point is that you already have many inner resources. They're just unconscious and not easy to reach. I help you get to them, so your habit gets a different answer.
How it works.
Intro call
In a complimentary 30-minute online call, you tell me about your habit. Together we see whether hypnosis is a good fit for you.
Intake
You fill out a short questionnaire beforehand. In the intake we make it concrete what you want to change.
Sessions
In three online sessions you work on the automatic reaction and on what's underneath it.
In between
Between sessions you can reach me on WhatsApp or by email, especially in the moments that are hard.
What can change.
01
The cravings get softer and less compelling
02
You notice sooner what you're doing
03
Tension and boredom no longer call for that one solution
04
You no longer feel at the mercy of your habit
The focused program.
For most habits, three sessions are enough, even if you've struggled with them for years. If there's more underneath, we'll talk together about whether the in-depth program is a better fit.
Intake with a clear goal
3 online sessions
Support via WhatsApp or email in between
Rather try a single session first? You can, see below.
Hypno-Matters · Single session
Want to experience it first?
Book one online session of about 60 minutes and notice for yourself what hypnosis does for you. If you choose a program within two weeks, this session is fully credited.
More about hypnosis for addiction.
The word addiction sounds heavy, and sometimes it is. For many people who come to me, it's something in between: a habit that's so stuck it feels like an addiction. You do it more often than you want, you've tried to stop many times and it costs you something, in money, health, time or self-confidence. Whether you call it an addiction or a habit makes little difference to my approach. We work on the pattern, not the label.
In hypnosis you're deeply relaxed and focused at the same time. You're conscious the entire time, you hear everything and you can stop at any moment. You don't do anything you don't want to. You actually already know this state: you're in it when you're completely absorbed in a book, or when you suddenly realize you've driven a long way without noticing. In that state your subconscious is easier to reach, and that's where the automatic reaction you want to change lives.
A habit is almost always tied to fixed moments. The morning coffee, the drive home, the moment the kids are asleep, the email that stresses you out. Those moments are the trigger, the habit is the answer. In the sessions we go through those moments. In hypnosis you experience what it feels like to stay calm there and do something else. So the new answer is already in place when the moment comes in real life.
Sometimes you slip back, especially in a busy or sad period. That doesn't mean it was all for nothing. A slip shows which moment still needs attention, and we can keep working with that. That's why you can reach me on WhatsApp or by email between sessions. You don't have to wait until the next appointment to tell me what happened. Often that kind of moment is the one you learn the most from.
What I do and don't do.
I'm not a doctor and I don't cure anything. With a serious physical addiction, like alcohol, drugs or medication, your doctor or addiction care always comes first. Stopping can then have physical effects that need medical supervision. Hypnotherapy can be an addition to that, never a replacement. The same goes for binge eating that's part of an eating disorder: then a doctor or psychologist needs to be involved.
Before we start, I'll send you a short questionnaire, including questions about medication. If there's something deeper going on medically, I'll ask for a referral letter from your doctor. That way we both know hypnotherapy is a good step for you right now.
Online, wherever you are.
I'm based in the Netherlands and most of my sessions are online, in English or Dutch, with people all over the world. You're at home in your own surroundings, and with habits that often works especially well: you're working in the place where the pattern plays out.
Prefer to meet in person? That can be arranged. In the intro call we decide together what suits you best.
Questions about hypnosis for addiction.
Does hypnosis work for addiction?
For many habits and milder addictions, hypnotherapy can really help, because you work at the level where the automatic pattern sits. I don't give guarantees: it also depends on your motivation and on what's underneath the habit. With a serious physical addiction to alcohol, drugs or medication, see your doctor or addiction care first. Hypnotherapy can work alongside that.
How can hypnosis help me quit vaping?
By not just putting the vape down, but also looking at the moments you reach for it and what it gives you then. In hypnosis we work on that link, so the urge feels less automatic. For most people the focused program with three sessions is enough. Want to quit smoking? I have a separate page about that.
How many hypnosis sessions does it take to break a habit?
Usually three, even if it has bothered you for years. That's why for habits I work with the focused program: an intake and three online sessions. If there's something deeper underneath, like old tension or a pattern you've carried for a very long time, the in-depth program may be a better fit. We'll talk about that together.
Can hypnosis help with weight loss?
Hypnotherapy isn't a diet and I don't give nutrition advice. What I do: work on the habits that get in your way, like snacking, stress eating or binge eating at night. When those change, it gets easier to eat the way you actually want to. For medical questions about your weight, your doctor remains your first point of contact.
How can hypnosis help me stop eating sugar?
By understanding when you reach for something sweet and what you actually need in that moment. Is it energy, comfort or a reward? In hypnosis you work on that link. The goal is for the cravings to become less compelling, so you can choose for yourself again. You don't have to ban sugar forever.
Does hypnosis work for nail biting?
Nail biting usually happens unconsciously, when you're concentrating, tense or bored. Precisely because it's so automatic, hypnotherapy is a good fit. You learn to notice sooner when your hand goes to your mouth, and your body learns a different way to deal with tension. Even if you've struggled with it since childhood, it's worth it.
Am I still conscious during hypnosis?
Yes. You're conscious the entire time, you hear everything and you decide what you share. You can stop at any moment. Hypnosis isn't sleep and it isn't a show: you don't do anything you don't want to. It feels like deep relaxation in which you still stay clear.
Can I do hypnosis online?
Yes. Most sessions are online, in English or Dutch, wherever you are in the world. Prefer to meet in person? That can be arranged. Between sessions you can reach me on WhatsApp or by email. You'll hear from me within two working days.
What does hypnosis for an addiction or habit cost?
We'll talk about that in the complimentary intro call. Together we look at your question, what suits you and the investment. Want to try it first? Then book a single session of about 60 minutes. If you choose a program within two weeks after that, the session is fully credited.
Also helps with.
Hypnosis helps with more than one question. Perhaps you recognize yourself here too:
You don't have to fight it every day.
Book a complimentary 30-minute intro call. No obligation and online, and you'll hear from me within two working days.