You may not want the rug pulled out from under you before getting some cozy slippers. For this reason, unless you smoke purely for the sake of it, the first session is best geared toward the reason WHY you smoke.
The tips below can inform your decision to become smoke free with hypnosis. All of these suggestions are optional – you can even replace them with your own. It’s all about finding what works best for you with the least amount of resistance or resentment while keeping the benefits of your goal in sight (and noting any resistance or obstacles you encounter so we can work on it together).
Planning
Ideally we’d book an appointment just before your “Quit Date” (you pick a date – perhaps a significant event or anniversary, or just any day.) With regard to planning your customized smoking cessation protocol, the number of sessions can be loosely estimated by answering the following questions:
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My readiness to quit |
(least) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (most) |
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My desire to quite |
(least) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (most) |
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My belief in my ability to quit |
(least) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (most) |
For example, if someone says 8 and 9, I would estimate 1-3 sessions. If someone says 8 and 3, I would estimate closer to 8 sessions. This said, I tend to not take clients who are not highly motivated to quit because they end up saying that hypnosis didn’t work when in fact success correlates directly with the client’s desire to change. On the other hand, I have heard of cases in which the client kept seeking hypnosis until the desire to smoke was gone.
Challenge
There’s no need to feel bad if you have a cigarette eventually; the game here is to continually extend the delay before lighting up.
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Tips |
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Whenever you buy cigarettes, keep switching to new brands you’ve never smoked before. |
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Break & toss any cigarettes remaining at the end of the day (recommended for smokers of ½ pack daily or more.) Each cigarette you break liberates you. |
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Buy and start a fresh pack each day (recommended for smokers of ½ pack daily or more). The fresh pack interests you much less than the day ahead. |
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Delay all smoking impulses by having a sip of water or herbal tea. Each sip is relaxing. |
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Respond to the urge to smoke by eating baby carrots or celery sticks. Each bite makes you feel more healthy. |
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Taking a multi vitamin, deep breaths, and/or do whatever stretch your body would like most (ask your body). Each time you do this, you feel healthier. |
Alternatives
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Tips |
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Think of other goals you can achieve by freeing up the time you spend smoking. |
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Think of what you’d like to do with the extra money. |
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List what it is you enjoy about smoking and think of a list of a few alternatives to *each* component. |
Voice all of your reasons and arguments for each cigarette and we’ll respond to them together.
Still smoking after only one session?
- Please don’t tell others “it didn’t work” or “hypnosis doesn’t work”. It does! But only if and when you are ready and you commit to a process for change. At the very least I recommend trying 2 sessions. Most smokers need 4-10 hypnosis sessions to quit; some choose to keep coming until they don’t want to smoke anymore! And yes, for many others, one session can be enough. Sometimes a “brush up” session is useful months or years down the road.
- The first session is just a broad stroke with many approaches built-in so the client can observe what was useful and what was difficult. Then the hypnotist and client can work together to plan solutions for the obstacles
- If when you came you still enjoyed smoking and were feeling afraid to give it up or afraid that you wouldn’t be able to, you could actually respond by wanting to smoke even more after 1 session. I myself have experienced this effect with things I knew I ought to give up but really didn’t want to (and resented the notion that I should).
Considering another session? Please contemplate the following questions:
- When do you most want to smoke?
- What breaks your resolve? (thoughts/peers/hands reaching out, etc.)
- Do you really want to quit? Hypnotism cannot help you to do something that you do not want to do.
All of this said, of course I encourage you to come back! If you’d like to resume your customized smoking cessation protocol, note that it’s better to come on 1-2 week intervals than to leave a lot of time in between appointments.
You may also find this smoking cessation social network helpful – https://quitza.com/groups/1082/quitting-smoking-with-hypnosis.