subject: How Effective Is Hypnotherapy In Making You Quit Smoking? [print this page] Hypnotherapy is a treatment based on the grounds that the mind and body work simultaneously. By sending the person who wants to quit smoking into a hypnotic state, the therapist aims to arouse the body's mental and physical self healing processes that lie in the subconscious mind.
In the hypnotic state, the person's subconscious mind is reprogrammed with certain feelings in a distinct way. The conscious mind of the person who wants to quit smoking is introduced to various positive suggestions which ultimately diverts his/her mind from smoking. Hypnotherapists often focus on decreasing the urges related to smoking and work towards strengthening the will of the person who wants to quit smoking.
Effectiveness of Hypnotherapy
Studies indicate that a single session of hypnosis treatment to quit smoking comes with an effectiveness of 25% whereas it can be up to 66% effective for those who undergo at least 4-5 sessions of hypnosis. It has also been found that people who undergo 4-5 sessions of hypnotherapy eventually quit smoking after a period of 6-12 month.
Among all the smoking treatments that go into quitting smoking, hypnotherapy has been proven to be the most effective. It is more effective than methods such as Cold Turkey and Nicotine Replacement therapy. This is mainly because it thoroughly addresses the emotional factors that go into the phenomena of quitting smoking. The main focus of all these emotional factors is the desire of the person who wants to quit smoking. If he/she feels strongly about quitting, then the chances of success increase with the help of hypnotherapy.
However, the effectiveness of hypnotherapy cannot be proven in the long run. There is no guarantee that a person who wants to quit smoking will not relapse and begin smoking and it also doesn't teach a person how to handle difficult situations.
Thus, we can draw a conclusion that hypnotherapy has provided mixed results and it is said that only people who are really determined to quit smoking should use hypnotherapy. Many people find it very effective for the immediate, but relapse later on. Some, after attending a session or two, attain complete success in quitting. It is one of the best methods used to quit the habit, as it is free from any kind of side effects.
