Quit Smoking – Hypnosis Will Help

If you've ever tried to quit smoking cold turkey, you know how uncomfortable the withdrawal symptoms can be. Tobacco is a very addictive albeit legal drug. With the increasing awareness we have today about the negative health effects of smoking and the benefits of stopping now rather than later, more people are beginning to say no. In many states, being a smoker is increasingly difficult as state legislatures and apartment complexes ban together to create smoke free zones. In some cities it is even difficult to find rental housing if you are a smoker. When you are ready to quit smoking, hypnosis can help.

Before you actually quit, you need to decide if you are ready. Choose a quit date and find reasons to quit smoking that are right for you. Don't just focus on the health benefits because there may be other tangible reasons that will help pull you through the hard moments. Having a plan to stop smoking will increase your chances of success and bring you through relapses - especially if you have tried to quit before. It is best if your reasons to quit are your own and not only motivated from the pressures of others. You will be successful if you own your plan.

Some reasons that others have used to successfully stop smoking include:

1. I want to feel healthier right away. When you quit smoking you will immediately improve your energy, focus, and sense of taste and smell. You will stop having yellow stains on your teeth and cough less frequently. It will take a while for the coughing to go away completely.
2. I want to be more healthy for the rest of my life. You will significantly lower your chances of dying early though cancer, heart attacks, and strokes.
3. I want my friends and family to be proud of me.
4. I want to feel more in control of my own life rather than being addicted to nicotine.
5. I want to stop exposing my family to the dangers of second hand smoke.
6. I want to have more money to spend.
7. I want to stop worrying about my next cigarette break or where I am able to smoke.
8. And any other reason that you can think of...

There is an excellent free resource available to English speakers to help quit smoking now. They also have resources geared specifically towards women who want to quite smoking. This website includes many free literature resources as well as free phone and instant message counseling. Instant messaging is only available during specific hours, but phone counseling is available 24 hours a day. Use these resources especially if you are having cravings and there is no one around to talk about it with or to distract you. In addition, the counselors can assist you in devising your personal stop smoking plan.

Hypnosis is a process of inducing a deep state of relaxation and focused concentration. While your body is relaxed, your mind is very clear and focused. Addiction is an insidious beast that preys on the subconscious mind. Hypnosis will help change addictive thought patterns and clear out the mental roadblocks that keep you from being successful in quitting. When you quit smoking with hypnosis, you add another level of support to your arsenal – that of a strengthened mind including subliminal messages that help keep you on track.

People often ask if they can quite smoking using a hypnosis tape or whether they should see a hypnotherapist (sometimes called a hypnotist) directly. Hypnotherapists are trained in using hypnotic inductions to help with a variety of symptoms – everything from pain management, to help with insomnia, to learning to be more assertive. Not every therapist specializes in quit smoking hypnosis. As a clinician, I have found it more effective and beneficial for people to see someone directly for hypnosis to stop smoking. This additional support and understanding for what you are going through, as well as someone to hold you accountable, is extremely beneficial. There are cds available that will guide you through hypnosis to stop smoking, but they aren't as effective as meeting with someone in person. Just the extra level of accountability alone is sometimes enough to provide that extra boost you need to quit for good. The other thing is that people vary in their susceptibility to hypnotic suggestion. While everyone can be hypnotized, its not always as easy. Working with a trained therapist can ease frustrations versus using recorded sessions as a therapist will understand what to do when you are having difficulties.  Addiction help is sometimes as easy as one phone call away.

Whatever path you choose to quit smoking, make sure that you reach out for support from friends and family members that you trust. You will be much more likely to succeed if you have support and a friendly person to talk to when you are having problems. Also understand that relapse is a part of addiction, it almost always will happen. The important thing isn't that you sneaked a cigarette 2 weeks after your quit date, its what you do next. AA's definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. You won't get different results...there is no such thing as just one to an addict...so you relapsed, it happens, go back to your support. Go back over your goals. Call one of the online counselors at the website above. Listen to the recording that your hypnotherapist gave you or go back for a follow up session, but don't just pick up that second cigarette. That's the true insanity.