Stop Smoking / Become a Non Smoker Hypnotherapy
The main requirement is that you are motivated to stop smoking and become a non smoker. Hypnosis used within hypnotherapy can certainly help you to quit smoking, but you need to have the motivation. As a hypnotherapist I cannot just banish your urge to smoke using hypnosis, but I can greatly improve your chances of success.
Approach to Smoking Cessation with Hypnotherapy.
A common misconception concerning the work of hypnotherapists is that they simply use hypnosis to plant a direct suggestion in a person's mind eg: in this case, to no longer wish to smoke or for the urge to reduce. In actual fact, in order to be successful, hypnotherapy requires a more in depth approach exploring a person's motivations to stop smoking, occasions on which they smoke, etc.
This requires an approach tailored to the individual. Research indicates that approaches tailored to the individual smoker are much more effective. The many stop smoking recordings ( incorporating hypnosis and self hyopnosis ) on CD and Audio Tape are often limited in their effectiveness for this reason, as they usually are commercially produced on a large scale applying one approach to everyone. Research also indicates that recordings are not as effective as live sessions. This is not to say that tailored recordings on CD and Audio Tape do not have some value.
The specific approach adopted will vary according to the individual, but I give below an indication of my general approach at Natural Path Weybridge.
After establishing that you are motivated to stop smoking I explore any motivations, reasons or pressures eg: social pressures, that you may have to continue with the smoking habit. Sometimes residual motivations can linger long after they are relevant eg: many people start smoking during their teenage years as a coming of age rite. We then identify with you those situations in which you commonly smoke and the things that trigger smoking. All of this would be discussed with you during the consultation, but certain aspects could be further explored under hypnosis if necessary. Some people find this helpful as they are not always fully consciously aware of all the aspects of their smoking habit.
Within hypnosis I would use whichever approaches are most relevant and most likely to succeed for you. As an example these may include some of the following:
- Reframing the original reasons that you started smoking.
- Systematic desensitisation to help you feel more relaxed in situations which would previously have triggered smoking and to feel relaxed about not smoking in general.
- Finding alternative, positive ways of dealing with emotions which may have triggered smoking.
- Suggestions to reduce the pleasurable aspects of smoking, whatever these are for you and creating negative associations in their place.
- Explore the negative consequences of smoking.
- Generally make you comfortable with your new identity as a non smoker.
- Reinforce your own identified motivations and perceived rewards and benefits to become a non smoker.
- Develop control over the urge to smoke.
- Reduce negative thoughts and doubts and reinforce your confidence in your ability to succeed.
- Develop new ways of finding relaxation and enjoyment without drifting into other negative habits such as overeating.
- Seeing yourself in the future as a content non smoker.
The above is not exhaustive but will give you an indication of the general approach. All of the above would involve the use of direct and indirect suggestions, visualisation, imagery, reframing of how you view smoking and your new identity as a non smoker, etc. Because we are working together with your unconscious mind we are tapping into resources to help you change that which is usually not easily accessible to your conscious mind.
Stop Smoking / Become a Non Smoker Hypnotherapy Programmes
I offer three different programmes to assist you to stop smoking:
One-off Hypnotherapy Session to Stop Smoking
There is a one-off session of two hours for people who wish to stop smoking. The total cost of the session is £125 (inclusive of consultation). As said above, while there are general tried and tested approaches within hypnotherapy to assist people to stop smoking the chances of success are greater if the approach is tailored to you as an individual. This is why time set aside for consultation is important. Optional booster sessions (one hour) for £40 are available should you wish.
Four Session Hypnotherapy Programme to Stop Smoking
For some people a longer period of hypnotherapy may be more effective. I therefore also offer a four session programme to stop smoking for a total of £175 including the consultation. It is possible to combine Sessions 1 and 2 in a two hour session if you wish. The programme involves:
- Session 1: Consultation (1 hour).
- Session 2 (One hour).
- Brief telephone feedback to me. Two or three days apart.
- Session 3 (One hour). One to two weeks after first session.
- Brief telephone feedback to me. Two or three days apart.
- Session 4 (One hour). Two to three weeks after second session.
- Ongoing telephone support if required..
One Session Group Hypnotherapy Programme to Stop Smoking
In certain circumstances, where there is sufficient in common both between the motivations of people and the situations/circumstances in which they smoke, it may be possible to arrange a Group Programme. Therefore, if you have a group of friends/colleagues who wish to stop smoking and your circumstances are similar you may wish to contact me to discuss a Group Programme. This can be organised on the lines of the One Session model. There is a reduction of £15 per person for three or more people. There is a reduction of £10 per person for two people.
Will Stop Smoking Hypnotherapy Work for Me?
The short answer to this is that no one can give a cast iron prediction for you as an individual. All that can be said is that the majority of people benefit from hypnotherapy to stop smoking and it can make the difference between stopping and not stopping. I do not make claims as some sites do about success rates as I feel that this can be misleading. For example if someone claims a 90% success rate it just raises a lot of questions. For example, over what time period have the people not smoked: one month, six months, one year? Who undertook the research? Success rates should ideally be based upon independent research. The general independent research that has been conducted on hypnotherapy using the latest methods to help people stop smoking indicates that claims of anything like 90% are over optimistic. The research also indicates that prolonged approaches, eg: three sessions over a period of time, significantly improve success rates over one session approaches. However, for many people one session works. If you choose to go for the one session approach with me you can always have a booster session later.
I have had the occasional person come back to me for further sessions. A typical example which I think it would be of benefit to share with you is the following scenario. The person said that they had had no craving or urges to smoke even after six months. One day they thought "Oh, I'll just have one to see what it's like, because I can easilly stop again." Of course once they did that they quickly found themselves back into their old pattern of smoking. The situation was remedied when they came back to me for further hypnotherapy. Of course during that six months their health and well being had improved and they had covered the cost of both the original and follow up hypnotherapy sessions many times over. The lesson is that you really need to want to stop. There cannot be any half measures and you cannot afford to experiment by having a cigarette because you don't experience the intensity of the old craving.
Writing up the above story reminds me of another one it may be useful to share. Someone else came to me for a booster session. She had been to another hypnotherapist initially and, as in the case of the person mentioned above, had been pleased that after many months she was not smoking. However one day she decided to have an "experimental" cigarette. This person had paid £500 for her first session and the hypnotherapist had offered a lifetime guarantee with free booster sessions. The person had received one free booster session but then couldn't trace the hypnotherapist because he had moved. So, if you do decide to go to a hypnotherapist who offers lifetime guarantees (which will usually involve a substantial fee) then you need to check out any potential future difficulty in contacting them. This is even more important if they are based in a more transient situation such as commercial offices.
Contact Details
If you feel I may be able to help you through hypnotherapy please do not hesitate to contact me. You can always telephone me for a chat without any obligation. You can phone me on 01932 844702 or Mobile: 07899 775920 or please click here to send me a message using an Enquiry Form.
My postal address is:
Gaynor Polirer,
Natural Path Weybridge, 26 Monument Road, Weybridge, Surrey KT13 8QX
"Natural Path Weybridge" is just 50 yards along Monument Road from the Monument itself on the green outside the Ship Inn on Weybridge High Street. There is a small public car park by the green or you may be able to park in Monument Road itself as there are no yellow lines.
Home Visits
If you do not live nearby and it would be difficult for you to travel to me it may still be possible for me to visit you at home or work. For my own security I always have a companion with me the first time I make a home visit. Please call me to for further details.