Why People Say Hypnosis is Their Last Resort for Stopping Smoking

“Why people say hypnosis is their last resort for stopping smoking!”

by Kelley Woods, Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist

The smoker’s journey to health can be a long and bumpy road.

Many people start smoking when they are very young, for all of their own very valid reasons. Those reasons may include emulating people they look up to, wanting be part of their peer group, feeling rebellious or wanting to feel cool or more “grown up” or even more personal reasons.

When this happens, a part of a person steers them to learn how to smoke and at that point the inter-dependency natures of tobacco kick in, keeping them prisoner of the habit.

Years go by, until one day, a smoker realizes that it is time to put that old habit aside. Perhaps they have made futile attempts in the past and each failure results in furthering their belief that they can’t quit. It’s interesting that even when a person is disgusted by the habit, noticing how they, themselves, are repulsed by the negative aspects of it: the smell, taste, yellowing and drying effects, the way it inhibits their breathing and drains energy, finances and time, and yet, they still cling to smoking.

This is due to the psychological dependency of smoking, which is an overwhelmingly strong influence that keeps a smoker tethered to the habit. This is the aspect that traditional interventions fail to address. Sheer willpower, nicotine therapy and other “replacement” strategies fail to disconnect the emotional and automatic associations that keep a smoker connected with smoking.

It’s not surprising that after many smokers attempt many times to move beyond their unhealthy smoking habits with these mainstream processes that they can become desperate. In my over ten year practice, I regularly encounter clients who are facing life or death situations and truly are in dire straits, hoping to let go of their tobacco habits.

We hypnotists are used to this.

We have heard and seen extreme situations and, while these cases are compelling and moving to us, we also know that when people use us as a “last resort”, they are often ready to change.

They are finally sick and tired of feeling sick and tired. They are ready to choose life over smoking. It’s with great joy that we help lead our smoking clients to a new and healthier, happier chapter of their lives.