Use of Hypnosis to Quit Smoking

Posted by Nick Niesen on October 26th, 2010

Quitting the habit of smoking is not easy. Among the common forms of vice, smoking is perhaps the hardest habit to withdraw from. When a person decides to quit smoking, he must commit to it seriously, for the said vice can reoccur or trigger again.

Millions of people are smoking worldwide, and almost half of these smokers want to quit the habit. To address the increasing need for aids than can help smokers have an easier and faster process of recovering from smoking addiction, numerous quitting programs are developed and established each year. In line with the strengthened anti-smoking programs and treatments to help smokers quit from the said vice, hypnosis is among the types of therapy that can provide significant improvements to smokers' addiction condition.

Hypnosis therapy to quit smoking

Yes, there are quite plenty of treatments and programs available for those who want to quit smoking. These treatment, however, have certain side-effects, making the process of withdrawal really difficult for smokers. A person undergoing any type of anti-smoking treatment may become moody, restless, and irrational. As such, smokers who do not want to experience the hassles brought by conventional anti-smoking therapies prefer to undergo hypnosis to quit smoking.

Hypnosis as a quit smoking therapy involves two process. One is the hypnosis therapy per se and the other is the self hypnosis. In hypnosis, a smoker needs to look for a hypnotist who is well-experienced in handling similar cases before. After setting an appointment with the hypnotist, one will go through several hypnosis sessions. In session, a person is put into a relaxed, altered state of consciousness, and after which the hypnotist talks to the smoker's subconscious. Once the person is awake, his mind works or functions like a non-smoker.

Some people are doubtful of hypnosis as a treatment for smoking addiction because of the fear of having their subconscious corrupted by thoughts and things that they do not approved of. But this is not how hypnosis works. This type of psychological treatment works by conditioning the mind and body to work to what one decides or approves to do. Hence, it is important for one to have a firm decision to stay away from the addiction so the hypnosis will produce positive results.

On the other hand, self hypnosis is recommended to those who do not want to consult or undergo therapy sessions with hypnotist. Self hypnosis works, but it needs a lot of work on the part of the smoker. As information guide in self hypnosis, one can use books, online resources, videos, and journals that feature self help scripts and relaxation methods that can help in reconditioning or reprogramming the mind to quit the habit of smoking.

Although self hypnosis works for most people, it may also not give any improvement to some smokers. This type of self-help really requires a lot of determination and perseverance from smokers to avoid habit rebound. If self hypnosis does not seem to work, a smoker then needs to decide if consulting a hypnotist is better than conducting a self help therapy.