Quit and Hypnosis - These two words generally revive images of a funny sort - swinging bobs and desperate quitters. Is this practice actually beneficial? We have tried to answer a few basic questions regarding hypnotherapy and how successful it could be.

What is hypnotherapy?

Hypnotherapy is the process during which a person (the patient) is hypnotised or in simpler terms, put in a state of mind, which lies somewhere in the subconscious. This state is achieved by the hypnotherapist by smoothly guiding through gentle voice commands. A skilled hypnotherapist can actually hypnotise pretty much anyone if he know how to go about it. When a person is in the stage of hypnosis, the person is liable to follow any voice command and this is when they are urged to quit smoking. The working seems simple but is it effective?

Is hypnotherapy effective to help people quit smoking?

Statistically, hypnotherapy has proven to be highly beneficial for about 70% of the people who have under gone therapy from the year 1999 onwards (source: Euro monitor International).

Practically, hypnotised states are quite difficult to achieve as they require a huge amount of skill and patience. Secondly, hypnotherapy has not been verified by scientific tests and so it cannot be claimed to a medically approved therapy. It is something which people believe in because they have ‘heard’ stories of people being cured ‘magically’.

Actually, they have ‘heard’ these stories because there ARE hundreds of people across the world who have been cured, not only of smoking, but other unhealthy tendencies such as alcoholism and drug abuse. Some things are beyond human reason and scientific discovery and the human brain, like outer space is definitely one of them.

What are the general stages during the actual hypnotherapy session?

Different hypnotherapists have different styles to tackling their patients’ problems through hypnotherapy. The most common method which the majority adopt is:

1.       The first appointment of the client is used in knowing the client’s medical history, smoking habits, lifestyles, illnesses and degree of control over one’s senses. The therapist then gives certain tasks and questions to the client who helps him or her to prepare them for the session ahead. Smoking is targeted as an unwanted habit and is constantly contrasted with improved health benefits. In other words, the client is usually counselled and prepared before the session.

2.       If the client has inculcated the desire to actually quit smoking and is not doing it half heartedly, then the therapist continues. This is important because for the hypnotherapy to be successful, it is important that the patient takes the treatment positively and is very keen on quitting smoking for good.

3.       Thereafter, the hypnosis session ensues and not much is known about the exact methodology of any hypnosis session. Except for popular notions of a swinging bob or a stop watch, or a smooth voice guided therapist, nothing else is known and we don’t want to false guide you. It is best you talk to a certified professional or those who have undergone these hypnosis sessions successfully.

What is usually expected after these sessions is that the smoker gradually develops a major dislike for smoking and therefore quits it soon. If you press on and work towards your goal of a cleaner lifestyle, then regular hypnotherapy quit smoking sessions can help you to be on your way to being successfully smoke free.

Are there any products which can help in self-hypnosis?

Yes. A nippy search on Google can reveal many hypnosis kits but do not buy them unless you are totally sure of what you are doing. These kits are usually recordings and videos such as spiralling black and white circles, again whose effectiveness is not proven medically. However, if you are keen on doing self-hypnosis, you can try as it is harmless. We will be posting reviews on some of the popular products in the near future too.

Many are highly reluctant to involve themselves in anything that does not have concrete medical evidence backing their claims and this is justifiable. But if you have the sense of adventure and are not afraid to try out new and varied techniques to improve your lifestyle via quitting smoking, then you must undergo a reasonably planned hypnotherapy session with a trusted and qualified therapist.