Treatment of gambling addiction (gambling addiction) with hypnosis

What is gambling addiction

If there is a gambling addiction, psychologists diagnose “gambling addiction” or “ludomania.” If we are talking about a pathological addiction to playing machines (slots), the term “gambling addiction” is used.

Depending on which games cause such addiction, there are four types of gambling addiction:

• Gambling addiction associated with computer games, regardless of their genre.
• Pathological addiction to commercial games - sports betting, betting, lottery.
• Gambling addiction, in which the player is addicted to gambling presented in virtual casinos - roulette, slot machines, cards, etc.
• Gambling addiction associated with speculation in the stock and foreign exchange markets. This type is very close to addiction caused by gambling.

Our center offers treatment for gambling addiction of all types. You can consult a doctor or psychologist before starting treatment for free.

Tests and diagnostics

The main distinguishing feature of gambling addiction is the inability to independently give up gambling; an alarming symptom is the repetition of gambling episodes two or more times in a year, the desire to resume gambling regardless of the benefits.

To make a diagnosis of pathological gambling addiction, 5 points from the following criteria must be met:

• the person is completely absorbed in games, worries about past entertainment experiences, tries to refuse to participate in the game or, on the contrary, to prepare for the next one, looking for opportunities to find finances for money bets;
• increasing rates do not force the player to stop, but contribute to the achievement of thrills;
• in the past there have been cases of repeated unsuccessful attempts to stop gambling and control your addiction;
• less participation in gambling or complete refusal causes anxiety and irritability;
• the game is a way to get away from personal problems and eliminate dysphoria , depression , helplessness, guilt, anxiety ;
• obsessive ideas to win back in case of loss;
• the person cannot truthfully admit to either their loved ones or the doctor how involved and addicted they are to games;
• in order to find funds for betting, they are capable of forgery, fraud, theft and other unlawful actions to appropriate someone else’s property;
• close relationships, work, career growth, study are not a priority and the patient with gambling addiction is ready to give it all up at any moment;
• a person is not ready to take responsibility for a loss and wants to shift problems to others;
• behavioral reactions are not associated with a manic episode.

How to distinguish gambling addiction from entertainment

Treatment for gambling addiction is carried out if the addiction to gambling is pathological. Not every computer or gambling fan is a gambler. If a person controls the gameplay, then this is not a pathology, but simply entertainment. Most often, it is one of many, since a healthy person does not give up other hobbies and leisure activities.

Important! Game control is a situation in which the player plans in advance how much money and time he is willing to allocate to the game, and then sticks to this plan. Such a person does not develop a gaming addiction because he stops playing as soon as the time allotted for the game ends or more important matters arise.

Gamblers have neither the desire nor the willpower to stop the game in time. When they are not betting, they are haunted by obsessive thoughts about the game and the possibility of winning.

Rehabilitation courses

Treatment of a gambling addict is a task whose solution requires both professional help and the support of relatives. Our center uses rehabilitation programs that really work.

12 steps

This is a classic program created for the treatment of alcohol addiction. It is called “12 steps” because it consists of an appropriate number of sequential actions (stages). The first step is recognizing the problem, and this is where treatment begins. The second step is the search for saving power (love, support of relatives, faith). The next stage is for the patient to trust this power. Then he must objectively evaluate his life and his behavior.

Gradually, step by step, the gambling addict prepares for the fact that he himself, but at the same time with the help of comprehensive support, will give up his addiction. To do this, he needs to make amends to all the people who were hurt by his addiction, set new priorities in life, and master the skills of self-analysis. At the final stage, when the gambling addict has completed a rehabilitation course, he should become a mentor for the newcomer. This will consolidate the positive result of therapy.

Important! When a gambling addict enters a rehabilitation center, he may begin a denial phase. But after 2-3 days he can cope with it, also thanks to this program.

Gestalt therapy

This method is not aimed at interpreting the patient's unconscious, but at revealing his self-awareness through experiments and an existential approach. The patient does not play a passive role, as in psychoanalysis, but an active one. He does not observe the actions of the psychologist, but acts himself - he acts out a monodrama, talks about some incident from his life, the psychotherapist only corrects the direction or focuses attention on the details.

Art therapy

Art therapy is a correctional program that allows you to express emotions through art, relieve accumulated tension, and eliminate anxiety and depression. Various types of art can be used - drawing, appliqué, modeling, photography, music. Another form is bibliotherapy, that is, literary creativity. Art therapy is a way to express yourself and find a new hobby instead of gambling addiction.

Individual and group psychological trainings

Gambling addiction can be treated using psychological techniques. These are various methods of influence - from NLP to psychoanalysis and behavioral therapy. Psychoanalysis helps to understand the causes of addiction and eliminate them. Behavioral psychotherapy, like NLP, sets the right attitudes. The psychodrama method is a role-playing game that is usually used for group classes. It helps you relearn how to interact with others.

Therapeutic Community Method

In the rehabilitation center, a closed community of people is formed who are united by a common problem - addiction treatment. Here everyone is equal, so it is easier for the patient to open up.

This treatment method involves placing the gambling addict in a community where other people have the same addiction problems as him. At the same time, they do not have access to games; their lives are organized and structured in such a way as to exclude all factors that provoke addiction. The rest of the community ensures that a person follows this rule.

Mentoring system

This is the final part of the 12 step program for those who have already managed to overcome their addiction. For such people, this is an additional incentive to adhere to a new model of behavior. For newcomers, the mentoring system gives them the opportunity to communicate with a person who has already undergone treatment and can support them with advice or at least a conversation.

Spiritual practices

Spiritual and religious practices are used to treat gambling addiction. Yoga is popular because it combines a philosophical and religious worldview with care for the physical body. Yoga classes help produce endorphins instead of those that the gambler received from the game.

Important! The presence of gambling addiction also affects physiology. The indicators of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems worsen. Yoga helps restore them.

Introspection

The main task of this method is to teach the gambler to take responsibility for his decisions, to understand his own emotions and actions. Every day the patient prepares a report about what happened to him, so that he can then read it in a group lesson and receive advice from other patients. This allows you to identify problems and correct your behavior.

Occupational therapy

Rehabilitation of gambling addicts is also carried out using occupational therapy. Together with other patients, the gambling addict is engaged in physical labor that brings concrete results - this increases self-confidence and gives a feeling of fulfillment. Working together helps to establish social interaction and teaches mutual assistance.

Coding for gambling addiction using hypnosis

Coding for gambling addiction is not an independent method of treatment. It is used along with the treatment methods described above. Encoding helps:

• eliminate the patient's fears;
• form a negative attitude towards games on a subconscious level;
• “remove” thoughts about the gameplay from the mind;
• create a stable basis for further therapy;
• prevent relapses.

Before the procedure, an examination is carried out to identify the presence of possible contraindications - neurological and mental disorders.

This therapy is carried out using hypnosis. The doctor puts the patient into a trance - in this state, the gambler becomes susceptible to attitudes. They are laid down on a subconscious level. The settings are developed by the hypnotherapist for each patient separately, depending on his characteristics. The encoding result is consolidated using psychological methods

Taking medications

Appointment with a psychotherapist in a clinic

Clients of the center have the opportunity to make an appointment with a psychotherapist at the clinic. This is important both before treatment begins and in the future to prevent relapses. Communication takes place in a comfortable environment and friendly atmosphere. The specialist knows how to start a conversation and build a dialogue with such patients.

Comprehensive rehabilitation in the center with accommodation

During the rehabilitation period, the gambling addict is under the supervision of a doctor and psychologist. It is most convenient to do this in a hospital setting. Our center offers comprehensive rehabilitation in Moscow with accommodation. We have comfortable rooms with all amenities, you can order a VIP room. The center takes care of the health of patients by offering balanced nutrition.

The center has a recreation area where patients can spend their leisure time, a billiard room, and a sauna. For sports, there is a swimming pool and table tennis equipment.

Treatment of gambling addiction (gambling addiction) with hypnosis

Hypnotherapy is a popular method of treating mental disorders and addictions. Hypnosis treatment for gambling addiction is a proven therapy. It allows you to find the root cause of your addiction to games.

After several sessions of hypnosis, an addicted person can return to their previous life and forget about the problem with games.

Hypnosis helps to get rid of gambling addiction. This is a proven therapy that allows you to quickly achieve results.

Hypnosis is a special human state. He is in a trance, consciousness is turned off: the personality does not react to external stimuli, is immersed in his own thoughts. In this state, any correct attitude can be instilled in her.

This is a belief that will not be questioned.

Treatment with hypnosis is gaining popularity not only because of the versatility of the technique, but also because of the absence of complications. If a doctor introduces you into a state of hypnosis, problems with the psyche or perception of reality will not arise after the procedure.

Hypnosis helps in most cases, but there are factors that influence the susceptibility of the individual: beliefs, fears, concomitant mental disorders.

Hypnotherapy is a modern technique based on instilling certain concepts in the patient. A person with addiction does not realize that a bad habit determines his actions: addiction distorts his perception of reality.

A bad habit affects the patient’s quality of life. A person builds his own life around it - personality changes are inevitable.

• simplicity of the procedure - you don’t need to prepare for hypnosis for a long time
• susceptibility of a dependent person - the patient’s mental defenses are reduced, which increases suggestibility
• absence of serious physiological consequences (compared to drug therapy).

Treatment with hypnosis is a painless process that does not take much time. It does not require long-term rehabilitation, and the patient’s recovery occurs quickly and without consequences.

Hypnotherapy can be combined with conservative treatment methods. If the patient has mental disorders or obsessive thoughts, he needs additional psychotherapy sessions.

If the patient has mental disorders or obsessive thoughts, psychotherapy sessions will be required

Hypnosis treatment takes place in a comfortable environment. The person trusts the doctor and agrees to all manipulations.

Covert hypnosis is used in cases where, due to mental disorders, the patient does not want to be treated: for him, addiction is a defensive reaction that he is afraid of losing.

• to dull the player's gambling
• to reduce the need for games
• to eliminate the root cause of gambling addiction
• for quick recovery after long-term gambling addiction.

Ludomania is a gambling addiction. It is equivalent to alcoholism or drug addiction.

This is a condition that the patient has no control over.

Treatment for gambling addiction consists of several stages:

1. Determining the root cause.
2. Elimination of factors that increase gambling addiction.
3. Work on thinking.

Each stage of treatment is accompanied by different hypnotic techniques and suggestion.

The essence of gambling addiction is the need to play. This is no longer a desire, but a craving that the patient cannot cope with.

It is easier for him to justify his addiction than to get rid of it. A weak person tries to escape from reality: his obsession arises as a desire to free himself from disturbing thoughts.

In gambling addiction, there is no direct connection between its cause and the form the addiction takes. If gambling addiction has a long history - the player has been fixated on one action for several years, then concomitant illnesses soon arise.

Hypnosis treats addiction (all stages of gambling addiction), except in cases where the patient has serious mental disorders. Hypnotherapy is an individual approach to the patient. Hypnosis treatment is carried out in several stages:

• a trial session shows how susceptible the patient is to suggestion and how long a simple concept can be instilled in him
• psychoanalysis allows you to outline a work plan
• hypnosis sessions are held regularly
• visiting a psychologist after recovery.

The final stage of hypnotherapy is a visit to a psychologist after recovery.

Only hypnosis without drugs, the right living conditions and work with a psychologist can overcome addiction. In order for the game to fade into the background, you need to understand the causes of gambling addiction.

Gambling addiction has characteristic consequences: detachment, conflicts with family and loved ones, loss of social status. The more an addicted person gambles, the less energy he has for other aspects of life.

Hypnotherapy in such cases is an opportunity to return to your previous life without relapse of the disease.

Psychotherapists use hypnotherapy in cases of severe gambling addiction, when a person has no other interests in life, only gambling. Types of hypnotherapy against gambling addiction:

1. Classic. In this case, the patient knows what is happening to him - he is warned about all stages of the procedure. The hypnotist sets a date for the session and gives open commands. This type of hypnotherapy is based on the voluntary consent of the patient who wants to overcome addiction. He falls into a deep sleep, his consciousness completely turned off. After awakening, the hypnotist’s commands turn into the patient’s desires; he cannot distinguish the received attitudes from personal conclusions.
2. Erickson's. Named after the American psychiatrist Milton Erickson. The person is put into a trance state: he is immersed in himself, but can communicate with the doctor. There are no direct instructions from the doctor. Gambling addiction has several stages of development. Each of them can be cured through hypnosis. Until the addiction takes root, a person can be tuned into a different lifestyle and other interests.

At the second and third stages of addiction, when a person cannot hide the addiction, several sessions of hypnotherapy are necessary: ​​it will not be possible to get rid of the habit at one time. The choice of method depends on the patient's symptoms.

Depending on sensitivity, hypnosis may not work or may work partially. If you cannot find the true cause of the disorder, it will not be possible to remove it with the help of hypnosis.

The benefits of hypnotherapy are many. In a state of trance, the patient can be instilled with an aversion to the game, to excitement.

The results are visible after the first session - the treatment process goes quickly.

After treatment with hypnosis, problems remain - the person must rebuild his life, look for work, and improve relationships with his family. Hypnotherapy is ineffective in socialization.

Work on a problem does not end after hypnosis.

Coding is a method of suggestion, after which the patient experiences a strong aversion to gambling. Coding is used against gaming, alcohol or drug addiction.

The choice of method depends on the patient’s well-being, his desire to be treated and the condition of his body.

Hypnosis is the final stage of encoding, when the negative towards the game and everything connected with it is fixed.

Hypnotherapy is an effective (partial or sole) method of treating addiction: the patient does not require much effort, time and resources for treatment. Individual treatment, including coding, psychotherapy and hypnosis, allows you to forget about such a problem as craving for gambling.

Treatment effectiveness

Gambling addiction can be cured. The chances of this increase if the patient agrees to treatment voluntarily. Compulsory treatment for gambling addiction is not provided for by law. And it still would not produce results. Therefore, if a gambling addict does not want to be treated, a psychologist first communicates with him. After talking with a psychologist, many gamers change their minds; according to statistics, this happens in 90% of cases.

They understand that their addiction to gambling is pathological and that asking for help to get rid of addiction is not a shame. If a psychologist manages to convince a gambling addict of this, the chances of getting rid of addiction are high - at the level of 80%. And they increase if you manage to convince a person to see a doctor at an early stage.

How to get rid of sports betting?

Some people mistakenly believe that sports betting is a more harmless activity than playing in a casino or slot machines. But only from the outside it looks like a club of interests for people who are interested in sports. In fact, bets can create the same dependence and with the same consequences - debts, loss of work, threat to life and freedom. And the path to getting rid of the disease is no easier: for example, to cure addiction to sports betting, you need to go to a specialized clinic and work with psychologists.

Answers to frequently asked questions

The player often takes out loans from microcredit organizations. If he doesn’t give them back, there are consequences like calls from debt collectors. In such situations, you cannot take on new debts to pay off old ones. You need to seek help from a lawyer. He will advise how to restructure the debt or recommend other options depending on the amount of debt and the state of affairs (for example, declaring bankruptcy - this procedure is also provided for by law for individuals).

Coding and psychological rehabilitation will not help if the gambling addict does not want to be treated. Therefore, relatives need to discuss this issue with him. If you notice that your husband or son has begun to spend a lot of time on computer games to the detriment of usual activities, has stopped communicating with old friends, and cannot explain the growing expenses, you need to act.

In order for a person to want to enroll in rehabilitation courses, you need to discuss the essence of the problem with him - tactfully, but frankly. And immediately say that no one will indulge him in this addiction. No one will pay his debts, nor will he take upon himself to solve problems related to work or study. This line of behavior must be followed in practice.

If a gambling addict cannot or does not want to be treated, you can contact our center - we carry out a free intervention procedure, when a team of psychologists comes to the patient’s home to persuade him to start therapy.

Relatives of the patient who want to know how to get rid of gambling addiction must clarify which games caused the addiction. If a patient bets on sports, he has illusions that he can predict winnings and use an effective strategy. This makes the situation worse. But the methods used in both cases are the same - for each patient the clinic selects its own program based on the methods listed above.

The center provides services on the basis of a contract. All information about the patient is confidential; information about his addiction is not transmitted anywhere.

The rehabilitation center organizes individual and group sessions for gambling addicts. They are treated together with other patients, including those suffering from drug addiction. Treatment methods for gambling addiction are largely the same as rehabilitation programs for drug addicts. The method of a therapeutic community also works, which brings together people with similar problems and forces them to adjust their life attitudes.

Patients who are interested in how to get rid of gambling addiction often look for a remedy that can cure in one session. But there is no such medicine. Gambling addiction progresses over the years, arising for a number of reasons. Eliminating them takes time and serious work on yourself.

Don't know how to help your loved one?

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Gambling addiction - symptoms and treatment

Gaming addiction, gambling addiction, gambling – all this is a pathological attraction to gambling and computer games. Gambling addiction is a real disease that requires addiction treatment, as is the case with drug addiction and alcoholism. It is a mental illness and belongs to non-chemical types of addiction. Gambling addiction imperceptibly completely takes over a person’s consciousness, changes his personality, takes away his favorite pastime, work, family, and friends. The family's financial condition is at risk.

A gambler cannot stop playing on his own. The main problem of addiction will not allow him to do this - the psychological one that lies behind the need to play. Only experienced professionals in their field can help eliminate addiction to slot machines and begin treatment for gambling addiction in Moscow. To help your loved one, seek help from a gambling addiction treatment clinic. But how can we recognize true addiction in the 21st century?

Symptoms and signs of gambling addiction and gambling addiction include:

• loss of interest in real life;
• lack of other interests and hobbies besides games;
• a person spends all his free time playing;
• a gambling addict does not recognize addiction;
• aggressive reaction to attempts to reduce playing time;
• if it is impossible to play at the moment, apathy, depression, irritability sets in;
• a person may disrupt sleep and eating patterns for the sake of playing;
• the gamer isolates himself from the real world and withdraws into himself.

Among the main reasons for the development of mental deviation are: problems with communication, family, parents, with the opposite sex, lack of personal life, lack of real achievements, immaturity, ease of access to casinos and online games. The game is not only a pleasant pastime, but also a real trap, not everyone understands this.

How to recover from gambling addiction

There are a lot of difficulties that gambling addicts and their relatives have to face, ranging from a constant lack of money that the patient spends on his addiction, ending with his complete reluctance to perceive the real world. It is possible to stop the process of self-destruction and save the family, but only if the following conditions are met:

1. Obtaining voluntary consent to therapy. Not every addict is aware or ready to accept their illness, but without this there is no point in receiving treatment. If you can’t convince a relative on your own, our psychologists are ready to help, who know how to find an approach to gambling addicts and motivate them to start therapy.
2. The willingness of loved ones to support the addict throughout the path to recovery. Our practice suggests that when relatives make efforts together with the patient, the chance of a final recovery increases significantly. The patient knows that he is loved and accepted, despite the addiction, so he is not afraid to return home and can concentrate on introspection and correction of his worldview.
3. Placement in a rehabilitation center for gambling addiction. Even a very strong personality will not be able to leave addiction in the past without the help of psychologists and consultants. Other important benefits of inpatient therapy include being in a therapeutic community, not having any opportunity to play, and making like-minded friends. Our clinics have optimal living conditions and employ the best specialists, so program participants can feel comfortable and safe.
4. Completion of a full recovery course. By becoming a participant in a rehabilitation program, a person gradually gets rid of those internal fears and mental traumas that provoked a pathological hobby. In the rehabilitation center, gambling addicts also practice social skills lost during the period of illness, which in the future allows them to integrate into the life of society and feel like full members of it. If you “leave the race” halfway, then the result will be partial, and the risk of failure will increase.

Patients differ in character, desire to recover, age and gender, but they all need qualified assistance, which the National Narcological Service is ready to provide in Moscow and the Volga Federal District around the clock. One call can be the beginning of positive changes and a chance to become happy again without dangerous addictions.

Coding for gambling addiction

In the hope of overcoming gambling addiction, many patients or their relatives are considering the option of being coded. However, not everyone realizes that such a procedure is not a replacement, but part of the rehabilitation of game addicts, allowing:

• eliminate the patient’s fear of losing his temper;
• form a subconscious aversion to gambling;
• get rid of constant thoughts about the gameplay;
• protect from the negative influence of the environment;
• create a basis for subsequent therapy;
• it is not possible to immediately prevent relapses if you go to a rehabilitation center to treat gambling addiction.

Encoding is mainly carried out using the method of hypnosis, when a specialist, using special psychotherapeutic techniques, puts a person into a trance and, at the subconscious level, sets the intention to give up computer games. First, the hypnotherapist must make sure of the gambling addict’s sincere desire to be cured, and also talk about the advisability of an integrated approach to getting rid of the addiction. A mandatory stage of preparation is checking for the absence of contraindications to coding: mental disorders, diseases of the nervous system. The result is felt immediately after the procedure is completed and is consolidated by further group and individual trainings as part of the recovery program.

Treatment of gambling addiction

The effectiveness of the rehabilitation course

Gambling addiction is definitely not a problem that a child, teenager, or even an adult can cope with on their own. Therefore, turning to psychologists as soon as possible is the best solution, including if the patient himself does not fully understand the danger of his hobby. The practice and research of the National Narcological Service shows that the effectiveness of treatment and rehabilitation of gambling addicts increases by 35% if the treatment was at the first signs of gambling addiction.

Further work with psychotherapists, using methods individually selected for game addicts, increases the chances of quitting the game by another 45%. Subsequently, after treatment, our free support allows you to maintain the achieved results for many years. Proven on 2500 former gambling addicts.

Call now to start the path to recovery!