There are therapies out there that help people quit smoking by fighting their physical cravings, like nicotine gum or patches, and then there are therapies out there that work directly on the mind itself, like hypnosis for smoking. Though hypnosis doesn’t yet have wide acceptance in the scientific community for a variety of reasons, there are many former smokers that it has been able to help overcome their addiction, and get over smoking permanently.
Hypnosis is a form of therapy that follows the belief of “mind over matter.” Proponents of hypnotism believe that the subconscious mind is extremely powerful, and can influence any number of aspects of human existence. Therefore, by implanting certain suggestions in the subconscious mind, hypnotists can help people overcome bad habits, addictions, phobias, and other negative behavior or detrimental thought patterns. This includes smoking. By implanting the suggestion that the user no longer needs cigarettes to function and be relaxed and happy, hypnotists feel that people will then leave the session able to give up cigarettes easily, aided by their subconscious.
The up side to hypnosis is that people who are actively trying to quit smoking can combine it with any other therapy they choose. Some people choose hypnosis to help them get over their mental addiction, while using gum, nicotine patches, or electronic cigarettes to overcome their physical addiction. Some people also use aversion therapy, other forms of mental conditioning, alongside hypnosis. Still others get good results with hypnosis alone, and don’t seek out other forms of treatment to help them stop smoking. So, hypnosis essentially amounts to a good candidate for either an alternative or complimentary therapy for smokers looking to reduce their dependence on nicotine and cigarettes.
The down side to hypnosis is that there is not yet an established scientific basis for whether or not it really works. Proponents swear by it as a safe, drug-free alternative for people who are desperate to quit, while opponents claim that any results gotten from hypnosis are essentially a form of placebo effect, which means that users would have gotten results that were just as valid simply by being convinced that they had been hypnotized, rather than going through the actual process of hypnosis. Still others argue that it doesn’t necessarily matter whether the placebo effect is the root cause of users being able to quit smoking, just as long as they quit. Regardless of the number of proponents and detractors, however, hypnosis still maintains its place among the potentially useful alternative therapies for people who are struggling to quit smoking.
Nicotine is extremely addictive, and quitting smoking is hard. People who are trying to stop smoking can often use all of the help they can get. Whether that help comes from nicotine replacement products, group therapy, aversion therapy, or hypnosis for smoking, it is less important what therapy someone chooses, and more important that they seek out the help they need to allow themselves to eliminate their dependence on nicotine, permanently.
For a complete guide on how to stop smoking in about 38 minutes even if everything else you’ve tried has failed, click here:
