I have had a few enquiries lately from potential clients or on behalf of their loved ones for smoking cessation so I thought it would be a good subject to write my first blog about. One enquiry was from a lady who wanted her partner to give up smoking and when she heard about hypnotherapy, she wanted to find out more about how this could help him. His habit really did annoy her, especially the smell and the negative impact it is having on his health. She stated that he had asked her to ‘keep on at him’ as that was the only way he would give up. The lady was not too happy with this suggestion and I wondered if this would be quite draining on her and not great for their relationship. We discussed the following points which may come in useful if you are considering Hypnotherapy as an aid to smoking cessation either for yourself or somebody you know.

1. You cannot encourage or set up Hypnotherapy for someone else and hope that it will work for them. The therapy has the best chance of being successful if the client seeks help ‘under their own steam’ so to speak.
2. You are more likely to succeed in becoming a non-smoker once you reach a point of absolute desperation to give up and you feel as though you ‘need’ to stop and continuing to smoke is not an option.
3. The treatment plan requires you to keep a smoking diary for a week. This serves 3 purposes. No. 1 is to provide me with information which will be used to form your tailored therapy. Danger times and patterns will emerge. No. 2 is to bring your awareness to how you are feeling when you smoke, how often you smoke, and what drives you to smoke. No. 3 is to excercise your committment to becoming a non-smoker. You may be surprised at how time consuming it is to keep a diary, especially when you smoke 20-30 a day. It is not a test, so if you do not complete 7 days of entries, it doesn’t mean you are not ready yet. As long as there is enough information to devise your therapy, then that is fine. You may be surprised at how time consuming it is to keep a diary, especially when you smoke 20-30 a day.
4. Filling in the Non-smoker questionnaire brings your attention to the consequences of your smoking habit. We sometimes need to focus on the worst possible outcome to see that change is necessary – a little like using shock tactics. They do work and the subconscious will respond.
5. The cost of £250 works out at less than a months worth of cigarettes – based on 20pk per day at £10 a pack. The initial session can last up to two hours, but most of the forms are completed before the session. You may spend approx 45 minutes in Hynosis within the session receiving your tailored therapy. The beginning and end of session are filled with looking at your motivation, consequences and positive outcomes.
6. If you are unsure or I feel that from your information that you are not ready then hypnotherapy is unlikely to magically change this. Whilst Hypnotherapy can make your transition to becoming a non-smoker painless and stress-free, it is not a magic cure. You cannot be made to do anything that you are not willing to do during hypnosis whatever you are seeking help with, so if you are not ready to give up smoking, it will not work. The blocks maybe unconcious which we would explore and I would explain after the free consultation.
7. As your level of committment plays an important part in a successful smoking cessation package, I am unable to offer guarantees. After our session, your subconscious has absorbed the therapy and you are a non-smoker. Most clients do not smoke another cigarette, but in rare cases for example, they have experienced a stressful situation or trauma and reverted back to smoking as a coping mechanism. I cannot offer guarantees. That would mean taking responsibility for the clients actions which is impossible as I have no control or rights over a clients life or what may happen around them. To end however a habit is broken after 2 weeks. Most of the physical symptoms leave sooner than this. Click here to find out how you start to benefit after 20 minutes of your last cigarette. Hypnosis can lessen the frequency and intensity of cravings as you settle into becoming a Non-smoker immediately after our session.

The Benefits of Hypnotherapy on the Quit Smoking journey.

I started smoking at 15. I had a traumatic childhood and found that smoking helped me to cope by giving me a distraction and that ‘calm’ feeling. I became dependent on cigarettes and smoked 20 a day up until the age of 23. My boyfriend/husband-to-be at the time used to moan at me for smoking. His incessant moaning did in fact cause me to give up. I used patches. My health improved, we moved in together and had our son and I settled into a very happy marriage. During this settled and happy time, I was a complete non-smoker. At the age of 40 my marriage broke down and after 17 years of being a non-smoker I began to smoke again. The next 3 year period was a very difficult time for me. I experienced my lowest of low (dark night of the soul some may say) as I struggled to find myself with the help of counselling. It is only now that I realised that smoking was only a part of my life when my life was in turmoil.

I had reached that point of desperation to give up. My son was concerned about my health and my finances were strained. As a hypnotherapy student, I knew that when the Smoking Cessation Module came up, I would volunteer. Luckily one of my fellow peers was keen to tackle the Smoking Cessation for her end of year Case Study. I went into the session a smoker and came out non-smoker. I would like you, the readers to imagine the relief and immense happiness and freedom that I experienced after that session. It was as if the heavy shackles of addiction around my ankles had been cut away.

Thanks to the tailored screed, for the first two days, I did not miss the actions of going out for a cigarette first thing in the morning for example. I spent extra time in bed. I didn’t feel the urge to go out at work for a smoke break. I found myself just sitting watching telly or reading a book or knitting. I found that the time which has previously been eaten up by waiting for my next craving or smoking opportunity were gone. I felt like a weight had been lifted. I did experience cravings, but these were light and passed in a few seconds. It’s almost as if my brain didn’t register them and carried on as though I had never smoked. I began to notice physical changes after day 2. My sense of taste and smell returned after a week. My energy increased. My clothes smelled fresher. I began to notice the smell of smoke on others. My skin condition improved with dark circles under my eyes decreasing. I achieved more around the house and became more focused at work. I slept better…….need I say more?

I have succumbed to the odd cigarette, but the taste and smell along with the sick feeling afterwards has kept me from going back into the habit. As I write this blog I am so grateful. I am a non-smoker and will remain a non-smoker for my own health, my son’s peace of mind and my bank balance. I hope that if you know someone that is desperate that you may send them this link. They are not alone and Hypnotherapy is a beautifully relaxing way to put you back on the right path of being a non-smoker. There isn’t a more important gift that you can give yourself and your loved ones by choosing life.