Hypnosis to Quit Smoking
Hypnosis to Quit Smoking
Hypnosis to quit smoking is used to weaken the will to continue smoking and strengthen the determination to quit smoking. Quit rates when using hypnosis are typically greater than quit rates for other interventions alone (such as a 6 month quit rate of about 7-15% for nicotine replacement therapy or NRT).
A commonly used approach in using hypnosis to quit smoking was developed by D. Spiegel as reported in the American Journal of Psychiatry. This approach uses a single hypnotherapy session that suggestions to the subject that:
- Smoke is a poison.
- Your body is entitled to be protected from smoke.
- There are numerous advantages to living as a non-smoker.
In addition to a hypnosis session with a hypnotherapist, the subject is taught self-hypnosis so the imagery used to support these three suggestions can be revisited at home when needed. The Spiegel approach has a significant success rate when used alone of 20 to 35% quit rate after 6 months.
Hypnosis to Quit Smoking Research
Since hypnosis to quit smoking is so important, a number of research studies have been performed to determine just how effective hypnosis to quit smoking actually is.
A report in the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis describes a study of 615 patient smokers who were treated in a single session lasting 45 minutes with psychotherapy and hypnosis. Only 271 patients returned a six month follow up questionnaire. But, of this group, 121 formerly hard core smokers had reported successfully quitting. This represents a 20% success rate for this therapy.
The American Journal of Psychiatry reported on a hypnosis to quit smoking study involving 226 smokers who were treated with a single session of hypnosis with instructions in self-hypnosis. This group showed a 52% quit rate one week after the therapy and a 23% quit rate after 2 years. Those people who had tried to quit smoking previously were the most likely to quit after one week. Those people who lived with a “significant other” person were most likely to maintain their cessation for the long term.
Another hypnosis to quit smoking study reported in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology reported that a combination of hypnosis and counseling were much more effective than either counseling or hypnosis alone. The combination of hypnosis and counseling produced a quit rate of 56.25% after 3 months and a 50% quit rate after 10 months.
Why Hypnosis to Quit Smoking is So Effective
The quit rate for those trying to quit on their own is normally reported as only 5%. That is, 95% of individual quit attempts fail. Attempts to quit while using a support group improve quit rates because repeated contact with a support group provides sustained motivation and encouragement.
Using hypnosis to quit smoking is effective because it places suggestions in your mind that help you think like a non-smoker. Using hypnosis to quit smoking is much more powerful in this area than simply speaking to other people. This is because hypnosis provides the non-smoker thoughts when you are most susceptible to them during the hypnotic day-dream state like state where you can easily imagine yourself as a non-smoker.
Combining a single hypnosis to quit smoking session with another therapy has been shown to produce significantly improved quit rates. While thorough studies comparing the results of a single hypnosis session to the results of multiple hypnosis sessions or the use of self hypnosis have not been done, it is likely that multiple sessions would be more effective. Each session could build upon prior sessions to more effectively influence you to think and begin acting like a non-smoker.
Hypnosis Downloads
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