The Last Resort to Quit Smoking

Yesterday I received a phone call from a woman looking for a referral to a hypnotist to quit smoking. I told her that every method will work for some but no method works for everyone but I don't make recommendations for hypnosis. The smokers that come to my workshop all say the same thing, "I've tried everything to quit and nothing works." I get all the smokers that every method-- hypnosis, acupuncture, medications or even Peruvian amulets--don't work. My approach is that change comes from the inside out, not from an external devise. Often smokers are looking for a magic wand which is, "You do something to me so that I don't have to work at changing." Just like dieters who go on a diet, only to regain their weight when they stop the diet, to be successful, new lifestyle choices need to be incorporated into the person's life. For any change to be successful, there are several key components: desire--you have to want something more than you want the old habit, Beliefs-You have to believe that you can be successful, Fears-You need to address the fears that are holding you back from making the change you want, Education--what do you need to know to get to where you want to go?, Action--practicing new habits feels awkward at first. What pulls it all together is Commitment--Are you willing to do whatever it takes to quit? Most smokers are not willing, they want the easy way out, they are unprepared for how hard it can be to resist even one cigarette. My workshops are based around these components--building a solid foundation first of desire, and self serving beliefs, addressing fears, knowledge of self and correct action. I believe that every smoker can be successful given a personalized plan that they can follow. Tell me where you are having problems and I will address them.

Does Hypnosis Work to Stop Smoking?

It is hard to do valid studies with hypnosis and so it has not been considered a reliable way to stop smoking even though there are many advocates. In my smoking cessation workshops, I get all of the smokers that it did NOT work for, in fact, often I heard that I am the smokers last resort--they have tried everything and nothing works. The University of California in San Francisco recently published a study that showed hypnosis was about the same as behavior counseling classes. But the quit rate was still low with only 22% being still quit at one year. It goes along with what I preach--Every method will work for some, no method works for everyone. Keep trying to find what method will work for you and eventually you will be successful. I wouldn't spend a lot of money for hypnosis but if you can find an inexpensive practitioner with a money back guarantee, you might be one of the lucky ones that it helps to quit.


http://pub.ucsf.edu/today/cache/feature/200806201.html