"The truth is you don't break a bad habit you replace it with a good one" Denis Waitley
What are habits? Habits are routine behaviours that are performed automatically without much conscious thought. They are routines or actions that we repeat regularly, often without even realising it. A habit can be something as simple as the way we brush our teeth, exercising regularly, biting our nails when we feel nervous or checking our phones as soon as we wake up in the morning. Habits can be formed intentionally, such as taking up running of an evening or they can develop unconsciously like the grabbing of a biscuit when we make ourselves a cup of tea. Forming habits is the brains way of becoming more efficient, as far as the brain is concerned the more tasks you can complete on autopilot without the need for the brain to expend excess energy the better. Habits are driven by reward seeking mechanisms in the brain and are formed by a process called habituation, which is a type of learning that involves the creation of automatic, repetitive behaviours in response to environmental cues and to explain how they are formed we use a term called the habit loop. The Habit Loop
The habit loop starts with a cue or trigger for the brain, this could be a specific time of day, a certain emotion or a specific location, this then prompts the brain to go in to automatic mode.
This then creates the craving, cravings are the motivational force behind every habit they give you a reason to act. However what you are craving is not the habit itself but the change in state you will get from it.
This then creates the response whether that be putting the kettle on and making that first cup of coffee or going to the bathroom and getting that toothbrush out of the cupboard.
The goal of every habit is the reward, this could be a sense of achievement, a feeling of pleasure or relief or a tangible reward. The cue notices the reward and the response obtains it.
Over time, the habit loop becomes stronger and more automatic, making it easier for us to repeat the behaviour in response to the cue without consciously thinking about it. Understanding the habit loop can help individuals break bad habits and form new ones by identifying the cues that trigger the behaviour, replacing the routine with a healthier one, and finding new rewards to reinforce the new habit.
Hypnotherapy can be effective in helping to break a habit by addressing the underlying subconscious patterns and beliefs that drive the habit. Habits are often deeply ingrained in our subconscious mind, and simply trying to change them through willpower alone can be challenging.
Hypnotherapy works by inducing a state of deep relaxation, during which the hypnotherapist can access the subconscious mind and suggest new ways of thinking and behaving. In the case of breaking a habit, the hypnotherapist might suggest new beliefs and thought patterns that can help you overcome the habit.
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