Thursday 6 September 2007

Stop Smoking with Hypnosis

At the University of Iowa, Frank Schmidt and research student Chockalingham Viswesvaran published a study in 1992 on the most effective method for stopping smoking. They used meta-analysis, utilising the results of more than 600 studies totalling nearly 72,000 people.

The amazing results, which included 48 studies of hypnosis covering 6000 smokers, were published in the Journal of Applied Psychology. The result? Hypnosis was the hands down winner, beating aversion therapy, acupuncture, nicotine gum and nicotine patches. Hypnosis was three times more effective than Nicotine Replacement.

"Hypnosis is the most effective way of giving up smoking, according to the largest ever scientific comparison of ways of breaking the habit. Willpower, it turns out, counts for very little". (New Scientist, Volume 136 issue 1845 31 Oct 1992, page 6)

What are the other options for stopping smoking?
- Champix (Drug) up to 22% (with side effects)
- Acupuncture up to 25% success rate
- Zyban (Drug) with its side effects, up to 21% success rate
- Nicotine patches (with their side effects) up to 13%
- Nicotine Gum (with side effects) up to 11%
- Self-help books, 9%
- Willpower alone 6%

One organisation not surprised by the results is the British Society of Medical & Dental Hypnosis. Christopher Pattinson, the society's academic chairman, said, "Current hypnosis techniques are a far cry from their popular image of music-hall tricks involving swinging fob watches. The latest relaxation techniques achieve success rates of up to 60 per cent from a single session".

The advantage of hypnosis is that it removes the dependency and craving of quitting without risking the side effects of rashes and potential long term damage that has been associated with Zyban. Those using Nicotine replacement are known to have to try to quit on average six times before succeeding, thereby investing heavily in substitute products and addictive chemicals, before developing a stronger will or abandoning any belief in quitting altogether.

The American Journal of Clinical Hypnotherapy published a report which showed that "94% of patients that stopped smoking through hypnosis were still not smoking 18 months later".

"..93% of Niotine patch users fail within a half year..." (Freedom From Tobacco - Quit Smoking Now).

Stop smoking with a Hypnosis MP3 Download

Antonia Stuart-James is an English Hypnotherapist in Belgium helping people to stop smoking and overcome other unwanted habits.

2 comments:

Sarah King said...

The only way to make someone stop smoking is to make him believe that he or she will get more joy from non-smoking life than from smoking itself. Smokers believe they like to smoke, instead they just addicted. When they realize that they addicted they most likely is going to understand that they do not get pleasure or relax from smoking, they just feed their addiction.


Stop Smoking - Stop Your Addiction

Antonia Harrison said...

Indeed. That is the pain or pleasure syndrome.