Stop Smoking with Hypnotherapy
Logically, you know that, of course, you should give up smoking. You’ve possibly been meaning to quit for quite a while now. And yet, there’s a less logical part of your mind that just keeps lighting up. Maybe it’s because it’s such an ingrained part of the everyday routine? Maybe it’s because it seems to help when you're stressed? Maybe it’s because there’s something about inhaling smoke that still seems enjoyable?
Hypnotherapy can take the stress out of stopping smoking by gently reasoning with that part of your mind so that it too wants to become smoke-free. With hypnosis, you can re-educate your subconscious to understand that quitting isn’t about depriving yourself of smoking. It’s about setting yourself free to enjoy a happier, healthier, cleaner life as a non-smoker.
So what’s it like to have hypnotherapy?
Though it can be quite profound and powerful, the experience of being in a hypnotic trance is no more mysterious than the mind-state you are in when you’re absorbed in a book, a film or a TV programme – except the story you’re focussing on is your own unique and fascinating mind.
Contrary to popular myth, hypnotherapy is nothing like stage hypnosis. You will not be in someone else’s ‘power’ and you can open your eyes and come out of trance anytime you want to, just like you can when you’re watching TV.
In fact, in many ways, hypnotherapy is the complete opposite to stage hypnosis, in that the therapist helps you to 'de-hypnotise' yourself from the triggers that make you want to smoke. Throughout the session, you remain in control of your decisions and you can tell your therapist if anything is worrying you or distracting your focus.
There are SO many good reasons to give up smoking
…That stale smell that gets in your hair, on your breath, on your clothes, in your home…
…The damage it’s doing to your arteries, your brain, your heart, your lungs, your skin, your taste-buds, every cell in your body…
…The increased risk of cancer, heart attack, stroke, respiratory disease…
…The impact of smoking on your loved ones, the effect of second-hand smoke, the worry that smoking could mean that you’re not around for them as much as you could be…
…The waste of money (up to £3000 a year) on something that causes all of the above…
Just imagine what it would be like to be free of all that.
Why isn’t will power enough on its own?
You might be angry with yourself for not being strong enough to stop smoking by will power alone. But so much of the human mind isn’t logical, at least not in terms of the lives we lead today. This is why going cold turkey has been shown to be the least effective (and often most soul-destroying) way to quit – so don’t beat yourself up if it hasn’t worked for you.
How can hypnotherapy help with stopping smoking?
Hypnotherapy has been shown to be ten times better than willpower and six times better than nicotine replacement therapy.
So often, the less logical, but far stronger subconscious mind, will have deep emotional and habitual attachments to smoking, still believing that it genuinely helps in some way. Hypnotherapy allows you to explore and understand these attachments so you can gently set yourself free of them, re-educating your subconscious to see how great life will be as a non-smoker.
A good stop smoking hypnotherapy package will also help you address all the concerns you have about quitting such as ‘ How will I cope when I’m stressed?’ and ‘What will I do instead?Your hypnotherapist can also teach you some simple yet effective psychological techniques for dealing with nicotine withdrawal symptoms and cravings should they arise.
Every human mind is different and your reasons for wanting to smoke and wanting to stop will be specific to you. In many cases, people are not aware of these deep-rooted reasons until they come for hypnotherapy, which is one the things that make it so fascinating. It’s a journey of self-discovery.
Carol Bullock DipPHH
www.hypnotherapyforbrighton.com