Stop Smoking
Hypnotherapy To Stop Smoking
Hypnotherapy To Stop Smoking
Tobacco, actually nicotine
and the chemicals used in the production of tobacco, can create a very powerful
addiction. It is both a physiological addiction as well as psychological one,
with the nicotine actually changing the chemicals in your brain to create the
physiological addiction. At the same time, the association of smoking with
specific behaviours, such as drinking a coffee, driving a car or working on the
computer also becomes a pattern.
Traditional types of smoking
cessation programmes focus only on dealing with the nicotine addiction, the
physiological component of the habit. They fail to deal with the behaviour
association of smoking with so many things in a smoker's life. The good news is
that there is a smoking cessation programme that actually addresses both and
has been demonstrated to be highly successful in both the short and long term.
How It Works
Hypnosis used to help you
stop smoking is far from the parlour tricks that you may see on YouTube or on a
television special. In a therapeutic setting, individuals who are trained in
hypnotherapy techniques simply provide you with the proper environment to be
open to suggestions about changing your lifestyle and eliminating smoking.
During the sessions, the
participant may appear to be relaxed and may close his or her eyes, but they
are still very much aware of everything that is going on. The brain is still
functioning at a very high level and the suggestions, which will focus on the
goals of smoking cessation and a healthier life, can be more easily accepted by
both the conscious and subconscious mind. When the same message is heard by
both the conscious and subconscious mind it is internalised, allowing the
individual to replace thoughts that allowed or encouraged the smoking
behaviour.
Suggestions
One common approach to
hypnotherapy for smokers is to have the smoker associate smoking with
negatives. This includes both the suggestion of a physical discomfort with
smoking or health issues. An example of discomfort may be that the
hypnotherapists makes the suggestion that smoking leaves a taste in the mouth
like burning rubber or that smoking creates wrinkles or lines on the face.
Smokers may also hear the suggestion that they do not want a cigarette or that
they are unable to tolerate the smell of tobacco smoke.
Stand Alone Treatment Or
Combined With Others?
While smoking cessation
programmes that use hypnotherapy as a stand-alone intervention are helpful to
many, combinations of programs may be more beneficial for some individuals.
These combinations of programs
can include behavioural therapy, counselling or life coaching with the
hypnotherapy. In addition, medication to help with stopping smoking may also be
effective. This can be the over-the-counter options or prescription medication;
it just depends on your personal reaction to the programmes.
Many people who have
struggled to stop smoking in the past using traditional medication or a more
"cold turkey" approach find that they return to the habit in days,
weeks, months or even years. Hypnosis may be one option to consider as a more
permanent way to break this very unhealthy habit.
Posted by: Philippe Jacquet