Habits and Addictions ยท Online across Australia
Hypnotherapy for Drug Addiction, Alongside Your Medical Care
You’ve cut back before, or stopped for a while, and the cravings found their way back in. Hypnotherapy for drug addiction won’t replace your doctor or a drug and alcohol service. It can sit beside them, working on the stress, triggers and habits that make staying stopped so hard.
At a glance: 4 sessions by video. $1,000 in total paid upfront, or $1,200 paid session by session.
Or call 0427 218 092
15-minute phone call, no obligation. I’ll call you within 24 hours. See what it costs
- 14 yearsin clinical practice
- FellowAustralian Society of Clinical Hypnotherapists
- AHA approvedCPD courses I teach other hypnotherapists
- 1 to 1with Ernest, by video from home
Ernest McLeod, clinical hypnotherapistAn Adelaide practice, seeing clients across Australia by video. Fourteen years in practice.
Does any of this sound familiar?
- You use to take the edge off, and the edge keeps getting sharper.
- A smoke at night used to be a treat. Now you can’t sleep without one.
- You’ve stopped before, sometimes for weeks, and a bad day undid it.
- Certain people, places or times of day still set off the craving.
- You’re working with a doctor or counsellor and want more help between appointments.
- You’re tired of the secrecy more than anything.
If some of that is yours, read on. If you use heavily every day, please read the note about stopping safely first.
Why staying off drugs is so hard
Staying off drugs is hard because getting off and staying off are two different jobs. The first often needs medical help, such as a supervised detox. The second is where many people struggle. Old triggers, stress with no quick fix, and empty evenings all pull you back.
Willpower tends to give out right there, on a bad day or an empty evening. The craving was learned in those same moments. That second job is where I can be useful, working beside your doctor or drug and alcohol service.
This suits people already linked in with a GP or drug and alcohol service. It also suits a habit rather than a dependence, like weed addiction that’s crept up over years. Not sure where you sit? Ask on the free call, and ask your doctor.
How hypnosis for drug addiction can help
Hypnosis can help you handle cravings, stress and triggers, as extra support next to proper care. It’s a calm, focused kind of attention. You’re fully aware and in control the whole time. It isn’t sleep, and nothing can be made to happen that you don’t agree to.
In a session we map the situations that set off your cravings and rehearse getting through them. We build calmer ways to deal with stress, so the drug stops being your only tool. The focus is behaviour and habit, one trigger at a time.
In my practice, I map your week before we touch the drug itself. The hours, places and people where cravings show up shape every session that follows.
You also learn self-hypnosis, a coping skill you keep for the nights no service is open.
How hypnotherapy for drug addiction works online
- A free 15-minute call
You tell me what’s going on and what support you already have. I ask a few safety questions and tell you honestly if this suits you. No obligation, no judgement. Ask me anything you like about hypnosis too, such as how it feels or whether you stay in charge.
- Your first session
The start of your 4-session program, up to 90 minutes. We look at your triggers, what’s worked before, and what you want the next few months to look like.
- Sessions by video and an audio to take home
Follow-up sessions run up to 60 minutes, spaced around any other treatment you’re having. You join from home with a quiet room, a reliable connection and headphones. If the video drops, I ring you back. After your sessions you receive an audio recording to listen to between appointments. You’ll learn simple self-hypnosis too, so progress doesn’t have to wait for the next session.
If you’ve searched for hypnosis for drug addiction near you, video removes the “near”. Hypnosis needs your attention, not my physical presence. Video also means complete privacy: no waiting room, and nobody you know at the next appointment.
Not sure yet whether this is for you?That’s what the free call is for. Fifteen minutes, by phone, at a time that suits you.
What the research actually says
There’s very little research on hypnosis for drug addiction, and I’d rather tell you that plainly. I could find one controlled trial of self-hypnosis for relapse prevention. It split 261 US veterans in residential rehab for drug or alcohol use into four groups. Relapse rates didn’t differ significantly between them (Pekala and colleagues, 2004).
A later trial of 328 veterans with chronic pain found less daily cannabis use after hypnosis for pain. That was compared with pain education. But it wasn’t designed to treat substance use, so that’s a hint rather than proof (Turner and colleagues, 2023).
The Victorian Government’s Better Health Channel lists “a drug or alcohol problem” among the times hypnosis should be avoided. I take that seriously. It’s why I only offer this as support next to proper care, and never as the treatment itself.
Is hypnosis for drug addiction safe?
For most adults, yes. Hypnosis doesn’t involve medicine, and side effects are mild and short: a little drowsy or emotional afterwards. It is not a way to detox.
Coming off drugs can be risky. Talk to your GP or a drug and alcohol service before you stop. Don’t change any prescribed medication, including opioid treatment, without your prescriber.
Hypnotherapy also isn’t the right place to start if you live with psychosis. The same goes for a severe mental health condition that isn’t being treated. Talk to your GP or treating clinician first, and keep seeing them alongside our sessions. I’ll tell you honestly in the free call if someone else should help.
What hypnotherapy for drug addiction costs: $1,000
4-session program: $1,000
4-session program: $1,000 paid upfront (that’s $250 a session), or $300 per session as you go ($1,200 for all four).
- Paid upfront: $1,000. That’s $250 a session.
- Session by session: $300 each. $1,200 for all four.
- Your first session is the start of the program. You get an audio to take home, and simple self-hypnosis to use between sessions.
- Session length: your first session runs up to 90 minutes, and follow-up sessions up to 60 minutes.
- Prepaid sessions are valid for 12 months. Any you don’t need can be used for something else, or passed on to someone you know.
- Pay by card or bank transfer. Prices in AUD. No GST applies.
Or call 0427 218 092
Please don’t come off drugs aloneWithdrawal can be hard, and healthdirect notes it can sometimes be life-threatening. If you use heavily or every day, talk to your GP or a drug and alcohol service before you stop, so any detox is done safely and with the right medical support. The National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline on 1800 250 015 is free and confidential, and will connect you to the service in your state. Don’t stop or change any prescribed medication, including opioid treatment, without your prescriber. If someone may have overdosed, call 000 straight away.
Who you’ll be working with
I’m Ernest McLeod. I’ve practised as a clinical hypnotherapist for fourteen years. I have an Adelaide practice and see clients right across Australia by video. Before that I spent twenty years as a software engineer and designer. That probably explains why I care more about what works than what sounds impressive.
- Time Line Therapy® Practitioner
- Fellow, ASCH
- Trainer: AHA-approved CPD courses
- Certified NLP Practitioner
What I’m not: hypnotherapy isn’t a registered profession in Australia, so I’m not AHPRA-registered and I’m not a psychologist. My ASCH Fellowship is voluntary. I also train other hypnotherapists. My courses on quitting smoking, vaping and gambling count as professional development (CPD), approved by the Australian Hypnotherapists’ Association. More about me
Questions people ask about hypnotherapy for drug addiction
Does hypnotherapy for drug addiction work?
There’s very little research, so I can’t tell you it does. In the one controlled trial of self-hypnosis I could find, 261 veterans in rehab were split into four groups. Relapse rates didn’t differ significantly between the groups. That’s why I only offer this alongside your doctor or a drug and alcohol service.
What is the success rate of hypnotherapy for drug addiction?
I don’t give one. Advertised rates tend to come from small studies or a practitioner’s own records. They’re rarely checked by anyone else. The published research is on this page instead, with every source listed.
What therapy helps most with drug addiction?
Detox, medication and counselling from a drug and alcohol service have the evidence behind them. For substance use disorder, that’s where to start. Hypnotherapy can’t replace rehab or your doctor. It’s extra support for the cravings, stress and habits around staying stopped.
Can hypnosis help with cravings?
That’s what the sessions focus on. We rehearse your high-risk moments and build coping skills for stress. Think of it as extra support, not protection.
Will I lose control?
No. You hear everything, you remember it, and you can open your eyes and stop at any point. Hypnosis is focused, relaxed attention, and nothing can be made to happen that you don’t want.
Does hypnotherapy work over video?
Yes. The work depends on your attention, and that travels well over video. For something this private, many people prefer being at home.
How many hypnotherapy sessions will I need for drug addiction?
The program is four sessions. We review progress as we go, and fit the sessions around any other treatment you’re having.
Will you judge me?
No. Many people who reach out about drugs have judged themselves harshly enough already. My job is to help, not to lecture. I’ll explain how confidentiality works before we start.
What if it isn’t helping?
Tell me. We change the approach if something isn’t working. If hypnotherapy isn’t right for you, I’ll point you towards what might be. Unused prepaid sessions stay yours for 12 months, to use for something else or pass on.
Is it covered by Medicare or my health fund?
Hypnotherapy isn’t covered by Medicare, and you don’t need a GP referral. Health fund extras cover varies, so check with your fund before you start.
Ready when you are
Tell me the best time to reach you and I’ll call within 24 hours. Fifteen minutes, no obligation.
Request a free consultationOr call 0427 218 092
Related
- Habits and addictionsEvery habit and addiction program, with prices, in one place.
- AlcoholWhen a drink to unwind has turned into most nights.
- GamblingWhen the bet has started costing more than money.
- Quit smokingOne 90-minute session and a year of support.
- Quit vapingWhen the vape has become the habit.
Free and confidential. Tap to call.
Where these numbers come from
Pekala RJ, Maurer R, Kumar VK, Elliott NC, Masten E, Moon E, et al. (2004). Self-hypnosis relapse prevention training with chronic drug/alcohol users: effects on self-esteem, affect, and relapse. American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis 46(4): 281-297. doi.org/10.1080/00029157.2004.10403613. Source of the 261 veterans and the relapse finding.
Turner AP, Edwards KA, Jensen MP, Ehde DM, Day MA, Williams RM (2023). Effects of hypnosis, mindfulness meditation, and education for chronic pain on substance use in veterans: a supplementary analysis of a randomized clinical trial. Rehabilitation Psychology 68(3): 261-270. doi.org/10.1037/rep0000507. Source of the 328 veterans and the cannabis finding. The same study found no effect on alcohol or tobacco.
Better Health Channel, Victorian Government. Hypnosis. betterhealth.vic.gov.au. healthdirect. Overcoming addiction. healthdirect.gov.au/overcoming-addiction. I’ll always show you where a number came from.
Hypnotherapy is a complementary therapy. It isn’t medical treatment, a diagnosis or a detox. It doesn’t replace your doctor or a drug and alcohol service. If you use drugs heavily, please speak to your GP before you stop. Last updated 9 October 2026.