Can hypnotherapy stop me from drinking?

Creating a supportive culture in your own head at London Clinic of Hypnotherapy

When I think of hypnotherapy, I think of the 1997 Friends episode when Chandler Bing is listening to his hypnosis tape on his bed that keeps repeating to him that he's a "strong, confident, woman". Even though that episode always makes me chuckle, it’s not quite a fair description of the intricacies of what hypnotherapy can offer — even though, like Chandler, I am currently lying on my bed each night listening to audio tapes in exactly the same way.

I first met Lydia Johnson, founder of the London Clinic of Hypnotherapy in 2019, when she reached out about her practice. At that time, I was dealing with increasing anxiety around getting on an aeroplane. It was annoying me, because I was so excited about my career opportunities and the trips I was taking, but the fear of flying was starting to ruin it all. It wasn’t even the flight itself, it was the lead up to the flight each side of trip, so the actual time away feeling relaxed was being cut very short. I’d land in New York and then a few days later start pacing around with sweaty palms thinking about the flight home. Ironically, very soon after, of course, the airlines would shut down due to the pandemic and fear of flying suddenly felt irrelevant.

But for the few flights I did take after our session, my anxiety has reduced significantly. I had really enjoyed our session and meeting her — her skills, empathy and bespoke approach. I remember laying down on her comfortable sofa feeling really at home even though we’d just met and she had allowed me the space to imagine the whole narrative I was spinning around my fears, and by breaking it down and allowing me to picture my journey from start to finish (taxi, airport, security, boarding, flight, landing) — I was able to have a real distance from my thoughts for the first time in a long time. Then a new different fear reared its head and I knew I had to get in touch with her again.

I’ve written before about my sober-curious journey and how I’ve been re-evaluating my relationship with alcohol for a while. I am happier, brighter, less foggy, less anxious and just better all-round when I don’t drink. However, even though intellectually I know all of this, I have so many things that still trigger me to break my cycle of good habits.