Over the past decades or even centuries, smoking has been an addictive and expensive activity that affects many people around the world. Although most people are aware of the adverse effects that cigarettes have on their health, that does not stop them from enjoying its stress-relieving benefits.
Side effects such as sore throat, coughing, or shortness of breath are experienced even by those light to moderate smokers. Plus, smoking causes more serious health complications, such as lung cancer. Smokers commonly have many reasons to quit, such as to save money, for healthier skin, to lessen the effects of second-hand smoking for your kids and loved ones, and to have a more active lifestyle, among others.
For those addicted to this habit, however, quitting can be quite a challenge. There are indeed many ways to quit smoking, such as going cold turkey or personal counselling. The thing is that certain factors like drinking alcohol, stress, driving, or mealtime, all subconsciously trigger the brain to crave for cigarettes. Over time, nicotine addiction or any habits relating to smoking has been deeply ingrained in the subconscious level. To stop smoking, what needs to be addressed first is actually the psychological issues.
If gums, patches, pills, or other methods to quit have not worked, then maybe it’s time to try a holistic approach to quitting—hypnotherapy
Hypnotherapy to Quit Smoking
Research shows that hypnotherapy has been proven to help more people quit smoking. It has actually been used in various psychological treatments since the 1950s and was recognized in 1958 as a valid medical procedure.
The “Spiegel technique” or the hypnotic therapy to help people quit smoking was first introduced in 1970 by Dr Herbert Spiegel. It focused on three main concepts:
- “You need your body if you want to live longer.”
- “Smoking is toxic to your health.”
- “If you want to live, you need to protect and respect your body.”
Hypnotherapy in Helping Psychological Issues
Most hypnotherapy will address psychological issues related to nicotine addiction because the process offers the ability to re-frame your inner thoughts. When you have cravings, the mind has already associated certain responses, such as stress, which triggers the idea of smoking as a stress reliever.
Hypnosis will help you get to a frame of mind in which you can modify this negative thought process. How does it work? During hypnosis, you follow certain breathing and relaxation techniques to get to a trance-like state of mind, which is similar to when you are daydreaming. You are aware of the surroundings and are awake, but at the same time, you are actually disconnected. In this state, your mind is more open to suggestions. It is detached from the conscious, critical mind that is always looking for reasons to remain a smoker.
A hypnotherapist will take advantage of this state to offer positive suggestions that will stick, such as that smoking causes dry mouth or that the smoke has a nasty smell. Eventually, the sessions will help you begin to think, feel, and act as a non-smoker, expertly crafting you with advanced hypnotherapy techniques and hypnotic suggestions to help you break free from the habit and manage with the pressures of life in a calm, confident, and relaxed way.
The next time, you feel the urge to smoke, your mind will not automatically react but it will slow down and listen to the new information that has been rooted in your subconscious mind.
Addictions are never easy to put away, especially ones like smoking. If you have tried various methods to quit smoking but to no avail, it might be time for you to give hypnotherapy a try. If you have the will and determination to quit, you will be able to achieve in time.
If you need more information about hypnotherapy techniques and procedures in Leeds, get in touch with us to see how we can help you.