Video game addiction is a growing problem for so many people today.
Recent research by Divorce Online has found that the number of marriages being ruined by excessive video gaming has trebled in the past 12 months.
Logically, the video game addict might be only too well aware that his or her gaming has gotten out of hand, that it is now occupying a disproportionate amount of time and energy. It is not the time or the energy spent that determines whether or not the person is addicted, but the way the gaming affects the individual's life.
It's only logical to say that the person is addicted to gaming when the imaginary world of video games takes over from reality and negatively impacts other aspects of the person's life. But this addiction has little to do with logic. The reason for this is simple.
Logic is the language of the conscious mind and in gaming this is not the part of the mind that is in charge, so logic can easily get relegated to the wings. When we are deeply involved in gaming, it's as if reality flies out of the window.
When we play we become emotionally identified with the character that we are playing. And to do this we use our imagination.
Imagination is the subconscious mind's language, and it is the language we use when we engage in video gaming. The mind that feels is the subconscious - elation and despair, ecstasy and anger, triumph and defeat - all those feelings that are elicited when we are deeply involved in the imaginary world of video gaming.
You see, the subconscious mind really cannot tell the difference between a real and an imaginary thing. If you imagine yourself cutting into and then sucking on a sour lemon, its juice spurting into your mouth and trickling down your chin, then you'll probably salivate. For the subconscious part of the mind, it feels as if that lemon were real.
When a video game takes over, for the subconscious part of the mind it is as real as real can be.
Games such as World of Warcraft, Grand Theft Auto, etc demand that we use the subconscious mind to enter a world of virtual reality. To do this it is necessary to suspend our critical judgment, to forget that this is simply a make-believe game, and when we do this we enter into a trance state, where time becomes distorted and life itself seems to operate under different rules. It is in our subconscious that our emotions are triggered, and it is through our subconscious that we feel. In other words, when we enter the world of fantasy video games then we enter a state of hypnosis where reality becomes distorted and feelings rule. Fantasy has intertwined with reality - in a way very similar to that imaginary lemon.
For the majority of us, these games are harmless, an enjoyable distraction affording a good deal of fun. They may even provide some degree of useful social interaction, enabling the person to further develop interpersonal skills and explore their personality.
But this ostensible harmlessness is true of most addictive substances or behaviors: For most people alcohol is something that can be enjoyed now and then, it does not automatically become an addiction, just as buying lottery tickets does not necessarily lead on to compulsive gambling.
But for some, things snowball and escalate into addiction.
Though for the majority of people these games may well be safe, indeed, even therapeutic, for others video gaming will become a progressive activity that will eventually lead on to dependence and addiction.
And this is where the right form of hypnotherapy can really assist.
Because the addict has spent so much time in the trance state, he or she needs to be 'DE-hypnotized', as it were, and taught new ways to trigger positive feelings and cope with all kind of emotions.
The individual needs to learn new strategies for dealing with life on life's terms, without the emotional 'fix' that addiction may once have provided. A variety of different forms of therapy such as hypnotic regression, ego state, and cognitive behavioral therapy, might be involved in order to learn how to correct unhelpful though processing patterns. There is no need to worry if you're not familiar with these terms, a well experienced hypnotherapist will know how to explain and utilize them.
A major key to recovery lies in breaking the chain of addiction and replacing it with some other activity that is in some way equally as rewarding.
In addition to hypnotherapy, the knowledgeable therapist may also advise the video gaming addict to attend a self-help group, possibly a 12-Step program, where there are other, real-life people who have personal experience with addiction. If there is no specific gaming group in your area, then an Emotions Anonymous, or other 12-Step group might well be a viable alternative, or check for an online group.
But maybe the most important factor in ending any form of addiction is for the person to emerge from denial and adopt a different attitude, an attitude that says: 'I will do whatever is needed in order to end my addiction'. Once these things are in place then real change can commence and the addict can begin to recover.
If you or anyone you care for are experiencing gaming addiction, know that help is available. With the right form of therapy recovery can take place and life can once again return to its balanced state.
Peter Field is Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, Fellow of the Royal Society of Health. His self hypnosis downloads are available at his online store. For therapy, please visit Peter Field Hypnotherapy in Birmingham Hypnotherapists
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