Hypnosis therapy is seen as an effective treatment method to stop smoking because hypnosis allows the brain to be retrained regarding thoughts and behaviors. Instead of being dependant on nicotine and the high that smoking provides, the brain can instead be trained to detest the taste and smell of smoking, to see the activity as harmful and to not crave the nicotine. Hypnosis therapy often uses the power of direct suggestion to replace harmful thoughts and behaviors with healthy and positive thoughts and behaviors.
Studies have shown that subjects who wanted to quit smoking achieved better long-term results using hypnosis therapy than those who quit using nicotine replacement therapy or quit on their own. Nicotine replacement therapy and quitting without any assistance simply rids the body of the physical need for smoking and nicotine, but does not deal with the mental component of the addiction. Hypnosis therapy allows the subjects to connect to the mental addiction and mental component of smoking, making the treatment method more thorough and successful.
Hypnosis therapy to stop smoking yields the best results when combined with other smoking session programs. The battle to stop smoking is not solely mental or physical, but rather a combination of the two. While a nicotine replacement therapy method will help deal with the physical aspect of the problem, hypnosis therapy is a popular way to deal with the mental addition and build up will power to quit smoking long-term.
Hypnosis therapy will only be effective to stop smoking if the smoker has a strong desire to quit smoking. A common belief is that hypnosis provides instant results, or that hypnosis can make you do anything, even if you do not want to do that particular thing. These two common misconceptions can lead to dissatisfaction with hypnosis therapy, so it is important to realize the real power and capabilities of hypnosis before beginning any hypnosis therapy program to stop smoking. Therefore, if a smoker does not see any reason to quit smoking and does not want to quit smoking, hypnosis therapy will not be effective in helping that person to stop smoking. However, if a person has a strong desire to quit smoking, hypnosis therapy will aid in the cessation process by changing long-held beliefs about smoking, feelings about smoking, and desire for nicotine.
The first steps towards using hypnosis therapy to stop smoking are to have the desire to stop smoking, have a strong belief that the hypnosis will work, and be able to completely relax in order to be hypnotized. Once these factors are in place, the effectiveness for hypnosis therapy to aid in smoking cessation can be very strong. A professional hypnotherapist will meet with the person wanting to stop smoking and begin several therapy sessions to deal with the mental component of smoking cessation.
During a hypnosis therapy session, a hypnotherapist will first guide the subject into relaxation using a hypnotic induction method. Once relaxed, the hypnotherapist will begin a series of mental exercises that will challenge the subconscious mind and alter beliefs and feelings about smoking. The hypnotherapist will make direct suggestions about behavior, such as telling the subject to initially reduce the amount of smoking done in one day. Over a period of several sessions, the hypnotherapist will work with the subject to reduce the amount of smoking, empower the subject to feel that they do not need to smoke, change the behavior that leads to unhealthy habits like smoking, and build up confidence that the smoking cessation will be a long-term change.
Hypnosis therapy is effective to stop smoking because the brain takes the suggestions made during hypnosis and translates them into new behaviors and actions. Suggestions that smoking is unhealthy, that the taste of cigarettes is rancid, and that the body does not need nicotine are received by the relaxed and subconscious mind during hypnosis. These suggestions help to reprogram the brain and aid in smoking cessations. The greatest results will be seen when a nicotine replacement therapy method is combined with hypnosis therapy to stop smoking.
