*Certified in Smoking Cessation by the American Hypnosis Association
Smoking Hypnosis is beneficial for anyone who truly wants to quit the habit. Most people just try using nicotine gum or having a patch. Others have even tried quality tested vaporizers to help them stop their bad habit. But habits can be formed because of the unconscious mind's desire to stay with what is known and feels safe. The unconscious mind thinks of anything unfamiliar as a threat, so even if smoking is unhealthy, the mind is more used to it than not, so it starts to feel safe. Our need to seek out the familiar is derived from ancient survival mechanisms which helped us to perceive threats in the environment. A wooly mammoth seems different in disposition from the tribe, therefore is likely unsafe. Ancient wolves evolved into dogs and became helpful and loyal companions to humans. The similarities between dogs and humans in their mutual desire for affection, friendship, and community made many dogs seem familiar to our own nature, and so they became domesticated and part of our homes and families.
Similarly, smoking is a comfort that becomes part of our lives and our experience, and, at a certain point, an extension of our experiences related to physical phenomena. What is familiar is sought out because we know we've survived it before, so we're certain we can survive it again. The problem with this thinking is when a habit or relationship is dangerous, and our unconscious mind keeps attracting us to these same experiences because it's certain that what we know is the safest bet. A positive in all of this when it comes to smoking cessation is that you've been a non-smoker before, so you can reawaken those memories under hypnosis as an additional exercise.
If you're ready to quit a habit such as smoking, it can happen and many who have gone before have stopped...so why not you? The only thing you need is willingness. Perhaps the fact that you're even reading this demonstrates a kind of willingness, or at least a consideration of what it would be like to live your life in a different way. What would it feel like to quit smoking? How would your life change? Are there any things you would be able to do that you aren't currently doing as a smoker?
Smoking hypnosis includes a different programme for everyone, depending on your personal association with tobacco use. What motivates you to smoke? Exploring the feelings beneath the perpetuation of a habit is a helpful component to changing that habit and helping you find that emotional fulfillment in other areas of your life. You can also develop an increased motivation to quit while under hypnosis, such as discovering what you want to do with all the money you'll save by quitting smoking.
The amount of sessions you would need is contingent upon the volume and period of time you've been smoking. If you're very determined to quit and are smoking less than a pack a day of a strong cigarette or less than a pack-and-a-half a day of a light cigarette, it is possible that you could quit in one or two sessions. If there is a strong emotional tie to smoking, for instance if it was adopted as a coping mechanism after grieving over the loss of a loved one, it could take longer to quit as you process your feelings of mourning in alternate ways. A follow up session is recommended in order to reinforce your new life as an ex-smoker. Someone who smokes one-and-a-half packs or more of strong cigarettes per day over the course of many years is likely to require more than one follow up session. There's no guarantee of how quickly one can quit, as each person has a particular combination of reasons for smoking, amount of time spent as a smoker, level of motivation to quit, and physical health factors.
Techniques such as reframing, replacement, reinforcement therapy, and more will be utilised in a session that will be uniquely designed to suit your own needs. Smoking hypnosis is different from quitting because there is an unconscious reprogramming that a therapist can help you with to make your mind automatically shift away from smoking another cigarette and toward replacing old habits with newer, healthier ones. You can also discover more about your reasons for smoking in a session, and therefore eliminate any deep-seated blocks that might be inhibiting your progress toward quitting.
If you feel you are ready to quit smoking, Skype sessions are available for your first appointment and any future hypnosis appointments can be by phone. If you prefer to meet in person for a session, hypnosis appointments can be made in Los Angeles if you are a regular client or the referral of a regular client. If you would prefer to see someone locally in person and are outside the Los Angeles area, it would be encouraged for you to seek out a smoking cessation hypnotherapist as soon as you are ready to take this important step toward better health and increased control over your life.