About Hypnotherapy for Quitting Smoking

Overview

According to the National Cancer Institute, cigarette smoking continues to be the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S. There are approximately 438,000 smoking-related deaths each year. Nearly 20 percent of adults continue to smoke. Some smokers who'd like to quit are using hypnosis as a means of kicking the habit. Hypnosis is a state of relaxed alertness during which a person uses intensely focused concentration. Hypnosis may be an effective remedy to quit smoking.

History

The American Cancer Society (ACS) says hypnosis is an ancient practice that has been used as a healing therapy for thousands of years.The word hypnosis comes from the Greek word hypnos, which means "sleep."

More recent hypnosis goes back to the German physician, Franz Anton Mesmer, who was called the "father of modern hypnotism." Mesmer asserted that calm words and soft gestures could restore balance to magnetic forces in the body.

The practice of hypnosis for smoking cessation and other undesirable behaviors and conditions is widespread in the U.S.

Effects

The ACS says hypnosis is promoted to stop unwanted behaviors, including smoking. Practitioners maintain that hypnosis works by quieting the conscious mind, and allowing the unconscious mind to be receptive to suggestions.

The ACS says people under hypnosis have selective attention and are able to keep out distractions and fully concentrate on a specific feeling, thought or memory.

Techniques

A person who is hypnotized may seem to be sleeping but is actually in an altered state of concentration. While a patient is under hypnosis, he is focused and can hear the hypnotherapist suggest specific outcomes--such as seeing himself as a non-smoker.

A successful outcome depends on the patient's willingness and ability to enter a deep hypnotic state. The ACS says some people appear to be more "hypnotizable" than others. A smoker will attend an average of four sessions.

Stages

According to not-to-smoke.com, during the initial stage the hypnotist explains the harmful effects of smoking and how a smoker becomes addicted. The hypnotist explains harmful effects of smoking and suggest alternatives to get rid of the habit.

In the next stage, the smoker is asked to share with the hypnotist why she started smoking in the first place. The hypnotist concludes by telling the patient that her mind (both conscious and subconscious mind) is now completely anti-smoking.

Safety

The Mayo Clinic says hypnosis is generally believed to be safe when performed by a professionally trained hypnotherapist. However, it won't be effective without the patient's submission. The AMC says individuals who suffer from certain types of mental disorders should not be hypnotized.

Success

According to hynosisandsuggestion.org, researchers reviewed the results of nearly 60 studies of hypnosis and smoking cessation. Overall, the research concluded that hypnosis was superior to a wait-list control group (a group of people that functions as a control group while an experimental group receives an intervention), which makes hypnosis an observationally supported treatment for smoking cessation. The findings were published in the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis.