The Smoking Hypnosis Success Rate is Promising

Smoking Hypnosis success rates are promising. Nicotine patches and lozenges, chewing gum, counselling and other methods designed to support smoking cessation, sometimes don’t work. This is why some people turn to hypnotherapy for help.

But why would people need to go that far? Is smoking that hard to shake off?

Ask any smoker why they keep on smoking even with the dire warnings on their cigarette packets, and they will likely give you the same answer: it’s hard to quit. They keep on smoking despite the overwhelming amount of evidence linking lung cancer, emphysema, strokes, heart attacks, and other diseases to cigarette smoking or exposure to second-hand smoke.

Smokers’ addiction to nicotine is, just like all other addictions, deeply rooted in the subconscious. Factors like stress, alcohol drinking, meals, driving, boredom and other triggers cause smokers to reach out for that one cigarette they’re badly itching to smoke.

And, since nicotine addiction involves the subconscious mind, it makes sense that the best way to effectively turn off the craving is to somehow reframe the subconscious thoughts. One method of reframing is by associating smoking with negative things (because it is, anyway).

Hypnotherapy, or the process of using hypnosis for therapeutic purposes, can bring about this desired effect so you can quit smoking. The smoking hypnosis success rate proves this is a strategy that works.

Diving deeper into the mental trap

Nicotine addiction is a difficult habit to kick because of its physical and psychological factors. An example of the physical aspect of this addiction is when former smokers reach out for a phantom cigarette like they were wont to do when they were still smoking. Another example that is common among female smokers is how they use smoking as a method for dieting as it is known to suppress appetite.

Moreover, attempts at quitting smoking usually fail because of the physical withdrawal symptoms that smokers (even those that are determined to quit) find hard to bear. These can include:

• Irritability
• Nausea and vomiting
• Headaches
• Other aches and pains
• Sore throat
• Mental fog and sluggishness

Aside from the pain and discomfort associated with nicotine withdrawal, the mental addiction is also a major factor that prevents smokers from succeeding at their attempts to quit.

Manifestations of this mental addiction include getting the urge to have a smoke after a meal, while driving, or when having a glass of wine. The mental struggle that comes with attempts to quit smoking actually explains why smoking cessation products, as well as nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), don’t work. The reason is that nicotine patches and similar products, as well as NRT, are only designed to eliminate physical cravings and don’t address the mental addiction.

The role of hypnosis in treatment

First, let’s explain what hypnosis is. Hypnosis is an altered state of awareness where the subject of the hypnotherapy session appears to be in a trance-like state or sleeping.

Aside from helping smokers quit smoking, clinical hypnosis can also be used to address certain psychological or physical problems. Hypnosis is used to manage pain and deal with certain conditions such as weight problems, addiction problems and speech disorders.

What goes on in the subject’s mind during hypnosis has been the subject of debate. Some people say that hypnosis is effective because it allows the subject to focus and relax, thereby making them more receptive to suggestions; in the case of smokers who want to quit, this means giving up smoking.

During hypnosis, you are not unconscious, although you appear to be. It has been found that there is a high level of neurological activity even when a person is under hypnosis. Moreover, you would still be aware of your surroundings.

Hypnosis for smokers

Hypnosis can help you develop a perspective or frame of thinking to alter negative thought processes that lead you to smoke. This happens because during hypnosis, you reach a trance-like state, and your frame of mind is akin to daydreaming where you’re aware of your surroundings, yet your mind is detached.

As a result, you are more receptive to suggestion as the trance-like state you are in detaches you from your critical conscious mind—that part of your brain that is constantly coming up with reasons for you to keep smoking.

By giving you positive suggestions that linger and stick to your subconscious mind, the hypnotherapist is able to help you set up roadblocks to counter the addiction that’s also buried in your subconscious. So when a smoking trigger crops up, your mind no longer automatically reacts and makes you reach for a cigarette. Instead, your brain becomes trained to slow down and process the new information and suggestion acquired during hypnosis.

Smoking hypnosis success rate

The big question here, of course, is whether hypnosis actually works. Can it really help you quit smoking? Well, the short answer here is yes, it can, as the smoking hypnosis success rate shows.

In a 1994 study published in Psychology Reports, the effectiveness of hypnotherapy combined with aversion therapy was examined. Ninety-three males and 93 females participated in the study and underwent a smoking cessation program combining hypnosis and aversion therapy. It was found that 90 per cent of the participants in both groups were still not smoking after three months.

A study in 2001, published in the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, showed the effectiveness of a rapid smoking cessation protocol combined with hypnosis. In this study, 39 of the 43 smokers were still smoke-free after six months.

In 2007,American College of Chest Physicians researchers conducted a comparative study between NRT and hypnosis and their effects on smokers. In the hypnotherapy group, 50 per cent of the patients were still not smoking 26 weeks after being subjected to hypnotherapy sessions. However, in the NRT group, only 15.78 per cent were still quit during the same period. Additionally, patients in both groups experienced a success rate of 50 per cent at 26 weeks.

Another research study using comprehensive meta-analysis reviewed over 600 studies focused on the different smoking cessation methods. The total number of smokers covered in the analysis numbered to 70,000, thereby helping establish a strong case supporting the results which, unsurprisingly, support hypnosis.

It was found that compared to NRT using nicotine gum, quitting cold turkey and using self-help books, hypnosis is two times more effective for smoking cessation. Moreover, hypnosis was also found to be three times more effective than physician interventions beyond counselling.

However, note that hypnosis can only work if you are consciously determined and desirous of quitting smoking. It may not work if:

• You’re unprepared to quit.
• You know you should quit, but you do not really want to.
• You’re quitting because of somebody else; hence, you are not self-motivated.

If you’re ready to quit smoking and are considering undergoing hypnosis, reach out to us so we can set up a consultation to facilitate the process.