Among all of the other methods and products devised to help people quit, hypnotherapy for smoking is one of the ones that seems to have the most promoters and detractors. Proponents of hypnotherapy in general say it’s a fantastic substitute for nicotine replacement products, and allowed them to quit smoking quickly, safely, and permanently. Opponents say that there is not enough of a scientific basis for using hypnotherapy to treat anything, particularly smoking.
Hypnotism is a very old practice, which used to be used by mentalists or magicians as a parlor trick.
Almost everyone has seen the idea of hypnosis humorously used to make someone bark like a dog or act like a chicken, but the fact is that the same process that produces these behaviors can be used to help people overcome addictions, bad habits, fears, or other negative character traits. For this reason, several forms of hypnotherapy have arisen to help smokers get over their dependence on nicotine, and give up cigarettes.
Hypnotherapy works by inducing a state of very deep relaxation in the patient. At this point, between sleeping and waking, hypnotherapists believe that the subconscious mind is open to various suggestions, which the hypnotherapist then gives the patient. The idea is that the subconscious mind is actually a very powerful force in our waking lives, and the suggestions that the hypnotherapist implants will bear on the patient’s daily life, and keep them from desiring cigarettes.
Because of the popularity (and expense) of professional hypnotherapy sessions, it’s possible for people who want to give up smoking to find anti-smoking hypnosis in various forms for home use. Some are videos, which use music, voices, captions, and images to induce a state of relaxation and implant suggestions into the smoker’s mind. Some are audio tapes, which can be used during the day or while sleeping, when the subconscious is at its most active.
Proponents of hypnotherapy claim that it has allowed them to give up cigarettes without having to resort to nicotine replacement products, excess snacking, or other means of replacing a person’s addiction to cigarettes with an addiction to something else. They say that they no longer felt the desire to smoke after their session, and were able to go on about their lives without picking up another cigarette.
Opponents say that there is no scientific basis that hypnotherapy really works, and any beneficial effects can be attributed to the placebo effect, so patients who have been hypnotized would have had the same results simply by being convinced that they had been hypnotized. Still others say that it doesn’t matter, so long as the intended effect is produced.
Though hypnosis in general has been around for hundreds of years, the idea of using it to help break smokers of their addiction has become popular much more recently. Though there may not be enough of a scientific basis behind its effects, the fact is that hypnotherapy for smoking does help many people to quell their urge to smoke, and ultimately eliminate their need for tobacco entirely.
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