Today I would like to talk about quitting smoking. This is a topic that I am really passionate about -helping people to beat their addiction to nicotine. Hypnotherapists have effectively helped lots of smokers beat their addiction. Nonetheless, for hypnosis to fully work, an individual must genuinely want to quit. I have a very high success rate with the programme that I run. I have helped hundreds of people to stop smoking for good.
Most people who smoke know that they really should not be!
There is so much information available telling us about the direct harmful effects that smoking has on our health, body and vital organs as well as the secondary effects that smoke can have on the ones around us and let´s not even talk about the cost. But even so…. It´s just not that easy to give up and stop smoking!
Deciding to stop smoking
If you do make the decision to stop smoking, the key aspect is to alter your routine and change your perspective toward cigarettes. Stopping is a challenge, there is no denying it and many people find changing how they think and feel about something really difficult, especially if it is a long-standing habit. There are various treatment options available to support those wanting to kick the habit, methods such as nicotine patches, chewing gum, books, counselling, etc, however, there is one in particular that focuses on changing your perspective towards smoking, and whilst it has actually been used for over a hundred years for this very purpose it is only now that is fast becoming one of the most popular forms of treatment: Clinical Hypnosis or Hypnotherapy. Studies have shown it may help certain people to free themselves from the habit in a simple, safe and relaxed way.
If you are to choose hypnotherapy in order to stop smoking, the first thing you have to be certain about is that you really are ready to break the habit and that you are making this decision to quit yourself rather than those around you. Hypnosis has been found to be most effective for those really wanting to give up once and for all.
Hypnosis is defined as an altered state of awareness in which you appear to be asleep or in a trance. During this time the mind is more open to suggestions. Even though you appear to be in a trance during hypnosis, you are fully conscious, you are still aware of your surroundings, and you cannot be made do to anything against your will.
Breaking the addiction
By penetrating deep into the subconscious mind, all mental associations related to the addictive habit can be disconnected which in turn makes it easier for people to break the habit. The hypnotherapist will look to change your thought patterns and you are often asked to imagine unpleasant smells and feelings that you can associate with smoking such as “the smell of cigarette smoke makes me nauseous” or “I don´t want a cigarette”.
It is important to remember that hypnotherapy for smoking is not a quick fix. While for some people, just one session is enough to stop (or at least continue the journey alone), others may benefit from follow-up sessions. The ultimate aim of hypnotherapy in this case is to empower people to take control of their addiction, promote healthier behaviours and help develop new thought patterns.
Many smokers may have tried lots of times to stop unsuccessfully and believe that they will never kick the habit, others may have succeeded and then relapsed after a period of time. It is like anything in life, sometimes you just don´t succeed the first time, you need to keep at it, maybe this time will be different, this time you are ready, you are more motivated, more committed.
For many, one concern about giving up smoking is the possible weight gain as a side effect. It is true that when you stop smoking, some people tend to ease their anxiety by eating and that can lead to weight gain. However the weight gain has nothing to do with stopping smoking, it is with managing the anxiety. Dealing with this anxiety is of course something that you can learn how to deal with in a different way rather than turning to food, you just need the right tools.
I studied how to stop smoking in depth during my training and now practice with my clients a proven stop smoking hypnotherapy programme, to ensure that no matter how much you smoke, or how long you have been smoking, you can quit smoking easily with hypnosis.
Quit smoking hypnotherapy sessions
Your stop smoking hypnotherapy session starts with a confidential and free consultation, where I will find out more about your smoking habit and routines. I ensure that your individual smoking behaviours and associations are taken into account to enable you to become a healthy, contented non-smoker.
My stop smoking treatment combines hypnosis – a very enjoyable, deep state of relaxation – and curative hypnotherapy – a method used for those who use smoking as a crutch, e.g., for confidence or weight loss – to enable you to stop smoking fully and permanently. This will ensure you do not replace or substitute smoking with anything else. My aim is that you simply quit smoking easily and effortlessly, free from cravings, irritability and withdrawal symptoms.
Reasons for quitting
Today, I work with smokers who have made their own decisions to quit, they have a number of reasons but here are just a few
- Children
- Health
- Money
- Control
- Smell and Taste
- Carbon footprint
Yet, for some reason people feel there’s something stopping them – this is where I come in. The thing that is stopping you is the subconscious parts of your mind. We will talk more about this in the hypnotherapy session.
Three session programme
I run a three-session programme. The first session establishes the ground rules and you will be provided with a workbook and learn NLP techniques which will aid you. This is a very important preparatory stage. The second session lasts 90 -120 minutes and this is when you stop smoking using a range of therapeutic methods including hypnosis. The follow-up session usually a week or two later consolidates the change to make it permanent! Before booking, I will ask questions about possible causes to find out if this is just a bad habit or if there are more underlying problems that may require a more intensive programme of treatment.
