Quit smoking with hypnosis

Quitting smoking can be very difficult on one's own. Most people who quit smoking often have to quit more than once and some have to quit with the aid of nicotine patches, gum or even medication. Occasionally, people have sought out the aid of a therapist. Good news is that there is evidence that support in the form of hypnosis is better than quitting cold turkey or the use of nicotine replacement therapy.

A group of researchers reported that hospitalized smokers who received hypnotherapy as part of their smoking cessation program did much better than those who quit cold turkey or who were prescribed nicotine alone at a 26week follow up. This information comes from a recent article on Medscape.com of a paper presented at the American College of Chest physicians 73rd annual Scientific Assembly in Chicago in October 2007.

Dr. Faysal Hasan and his colleagues, of North Shore Medical Center in Salem, Mass., studied 67 patients admitted to the hospital with a cardiopulmonary diagnosis and willingness to stop smoking. The patients were able to choose one of four groups. The first group went cold turkey. The second group used Nicotine Replacement Treatment. The third group used hypnosis while a fourth group used both hypnosis and NRT.

Results showed that 25 percent of the cold turkey group, 15.78 percent of the NRT group and 50 percent of both hypnosis groups, with or with NRT, were successfully not smoking at a 26month follow-up.

All groups where reportedly equally motivated to quit smoking. The addition of a NRT to the hypnosis did not improve efficiency of hypnosis. What is amazing is that the NRT had the less effective out come.

This may indicate that that the drug itself may not help to decrease the behavior of smoking. Part of the smoking process involves a complex interaction between a physiological response, psychological needs and a set of behaviors. Although the nicotine deals directly with the physiological response, therapy (hypnosis in this case) helped in dealing with the complex nature of smoking.

Although this is a small study, it demonstrates the complex interaction between the physiological mechanism of smoking and the psychological factors related to this behavior. To be successful in not smoking, smokers may need to explore the nature of their motivation and the physiological addiction of smoking.

Ronald Brand, PhD, is a licensed psychologist and hypnotherapist with an office in Camarillo who can help in clients becoming non-smokers. Brand can also help in dealing with the psychological component of chronic pain from many sources. He can be reached at (805) 216-3453.