An Interview with Hypnotherapist Alexey Ivanov
Newspaper: Alexey, gambling seems to be everywhere these days. Casinos, slot machines, online betting, sports gambling, poker apps, virtual casinos. How serious is the problem?
Alexey Ivanov: Much more serious than most people realise.
When people come to see me, they rarely start by talking about money. They talk about shame. Fear. Anxiety. Broken relationships. Lost trust. Sleepless nights.
Whether someone is betting on football, playing online slots, sitting at a poker table, or spending hours in a casino makes very little difference to me. The addiction works in exactly the same way.
The game starts off as entertainment.
Then it becomes a habit.
Then it becomes a necessity.
And eventually, the person loses control.
At that point, the gambling is no longer serving the person. The person is serving the gambling.
Newspaper: You’ve visited Las Vegas yourself. What was your impression?
Alexey Ivanov: I am a member of the International Stage Hypnotists Association, and many of our conferences take place in Las Vegas.
One night, because of jet lag, I woke up around four o’clock in the morning and went for a walk through the hotel.
Everywhere I looked there were slot machines.
Everywhere.
Near restaurants.
In hallways.
In bars.
Even built directly into the bar counters. You could sit there drinking a beer and gambling at the same time without even standing up.
At four in the morning the casino floor was still full.
Lights flashing.
Machines ringing.
Smoke in the air.
People sitting there staring at screens.
Hour after hour.
Many looked exhausted, yet they couldn’t leave. And I remember thinking:
“What exactly are they waiting for?”
The answer is simple.
They are waiting for the next win. The next lucky break.The next miracle.
The problem is that for many people, that miracle never comes.
Newspaper: Yet people keep believing they are just one win away from changing their lives.
Alexey Ivanov: Exactly. That is the hook.
The entire gambling industry depends on hope.
Somewhere a machine rings.
Someone celebrates a jackpot.
A screen flashes with a big winner.
The brain notices these things.
What people don’t notice are the thousands of losses happening every minute.
Let’s ask a simple question. If gamblers were consistently winning, how would casinos make billions every year?
Casinos are not charities. They are businesses. And businesses survive by making a profit.
The occasional winner is part of the marketing. It’s the shiny lure on the fishing hook. The fish sees the shiny object. It never sees the hook.
Newspaper: How much money have your clients typically lost?
Alexey Ivanov: The figures can be astonishing.
Many of the people who have come to me over the years have lost amounts approaching €200,000.
Think about that! Two hundred thousand euro.
A house deposit.
A business.
Years of savings.
Children’s education.
Gone.
Not because these people are stupid. Not because they are weak. Because addiction changes the way a person thinks.
I’ve worked with people who remortgaged homes.
Maxed out credit cards.
Borrowed from family.
Borrowed from friends.
Borrowed from banks.
And still continued gambling. Not because they wanted to. Because they felt compelled to.
Newspaper: Have any particular cases stayed with you?
Alexey Ivanov: Many.
One client had actually won enough money to buy a house in Ireland. Most people would see that as a life-changing success story. Yet within a few years he had lost several times more than he originally won.
The win didn’t save him. It trapped him even deeper.
Another client booked an appointment with me for a Saturday afternoon. At 11 am he texted me: “I can’t come. I don’t have the money.” I replied politely and wished him well.
At around 4pm my phone rang. He was devastated. Instead of coming to treatment, he had taken his credit card and gone gambling. By the end of the day he had lost €10,000.
Everything available on the card.
Everything he could access.
Gone in a few hours.
That’s not entertainment. That’s addiction.
Newspaper: What does gambling addiction do to relationships?
Alexey Ivanov: It destroys trust.
At first, the person lies to themselves.
Then they lie to their partner.
Then to their family.
Then to friends.
Then to employers.
Then to banks.
Eventually people stop believing anything they say.
Families become exhausted.
Partners walk away.
Friends distance themselves.
Children lose respect.
Many gamblers tell me the same thing: “The money wasn’t actually the worst part.”
The worst part was losing the people they loved.
Newspaper: How do you help people overcome gambling addiction?
Alexey Ivanov: My approach is different from simply telling people to stop. Most gamblers already know they should stop. They’ve usually made that promise hundreds of times. The real issue is deeper.
Why does the urge keep returning?
Why does logic disappear when the opportunity to gamble appears?
Why does somebody who sincerely wants to stop find themselves placing another bet?
This is where hypnotherapy can be extremely effective.
Over many years I have developed my own method of working with gambling addiction.
The goal is not to fight the person.
The goal is to remove the emotional attachment to gambling itself.
When that craving weakens, people regain control. And when they regain control, everything else starts improving.
Newspaper: How do you know your method works?
Alexey Ivanov: The best proof is what happens afterwards.
A year later, former clients come back with their brother. Then their cousin. Then a friend. Then a work colleague. Word of mouth is the most honest form of advertising.
People don’t recommend something that hasn’t worked for them.
The greatest reward for me is seeing someone who was drowning in debt start rebuilding their life.
Paying off loans.
Repairing relationships.
Sleeping properly again.
Feeling respected again.
Feeling free again.
Newspaper: What message would you like to leave our readers with?
Alexey Ivanov: If gambling is controlling your life, don’t wait.
Don’t wait until the next big loss.
Don’t wait until the next loan.
Don’t wait until your family gives up on you.
Don’t wait until you look in the mirror and no longer recognise yourself.
Every addiction begins by promising hope.
But gambling addiction often ends by taking away everything that matters. The good news is that recovery is possible. I’ve seen it happen many times.
The first step is simply deciding that enough is enough.
And that decision can change everything.
Alex Ivanov
Hypnotherapist & Addiction Specialist
Serapis Wellness Therapies Centre, Navan
https://hypno-coding.com/
Phone: 087-7669044 Tags: Алексей Иванов-Царёвококшайский, Здоровье
Последние публикации в категории
Похожие публикации
