Hypnosis seems an attractive way to stop smoking. After all, it's painless, seemingly effortless and you avoid the suffering of withdrawal symptoms without needing pills or gum or needles like the other options. Thousands of ex-smokers swear by it. But is it really as good as it sounds?
First let's take a look at how hypnosis works against nicotine addiction.
Hypnosis claims to to help people quit smoking by working on both the physical and mental levels. The physical nature of cigarette smoking is well-known; the mental factor is less so but is of equal if not greater importance.
Nicotine addiction is a complex condition which involves the mind as well as the body. So much so that the main reason many smokers relapse is due to the mind playing tricks on the body, long after the body has expelled all nicotine and the physical addiction is over.
As you become a smoker you take on certain beliefs regarding cigarette smoking. They take the form of associating pleasure with lighting up, especially at key times. These include after meals and with coffee. Even after your body has eliminated nicotine, these beliefs linger on and trip up the unwary.
Another mental obstacle, especially if you've tried and failed to quit before, is the matter of self-confidence. Or perhaps you've read that quitting smoking is a hard and painful experience. If your subconscious mind really doesn't believe you can quit, then your chances are slim.
Hypnosis can help here because it's a way of communicating directly with the subconscious mind and essentially reprogramming certain modes of thinking.
The actual method of hypnosis varies from practitioner to practitioner. For example, the therapist could plant the seeds in your mind that smoking is a vile and unpleasant condition while at the same time convincing you that you have the power within you to quit. As your mind begins to accept this as reality, your chances of successfully quitting get a boost.
On the physical front, the hypnotherapist can induce relaxation which can help withstand much of the stress that accompanies weaning oneself off nicotine. You can also learn relaxation techniques to use yourself during the initial stressful period.
First let's take a look at how hypnosis works against nicotine addiction.
Hypnosis claims to to help people quit smoking by working on both the physical and mental levels. The physical nature of cigarette smoking is well-known; the mental factor is less so but is of equal if not greater importance.
Nicotine addiction is a complex condition which involves the mind as well as the body. So much so that the main reason many smokers relapse is due to the mind playing tricks on the body, long after the body has expelled all nicotine and the physical addiction is over.
As you become a smoker you take on certain beliefs regarding cigarette smoking. They take the form of associating pleasure with lighting up, especially at key times. These include after meals and with coffee. Even after your body has eliminated nicotine, these beliefs linger on and trip up the unwary.
Another mental obstacle, especially if you've tried and failed to quit before, is the matter of self-confidence. Or perhaps you've read that quitting smoking is a hard and painful experience. If your subconscious mind really doesn't believe you can quit, then your chances are slim.
Hypnosis can help here because it's a way of communicating directly with the subconscious mind and essentially reprogramming certain modes of thinking.
The actual method of hypnosis varies from practitioner to practitioner. For example, the therapist could plant the seeds in your mind that smoking is a vile and unpleasant condition while at the same time convincing you that you have the power within you to quit. As your mind begins to accept this as reality, your chances of successfully quitting get a boost.
On the physical front, the hypnotherapist can induce relaxation which can help withstand much of the stress that accompanies weaning oneself off nicotine. You can also learn relaxation techniques to use yourself during the initial stressful period.
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