Hypnotherapy to Stop Smoking
Hypnotherapy, Bangalore
Hypnotherapy for weight loss
Hypnotherapy for Stress Relief and Motivation
Hypnotherapy Benefits
The anatomy of a cigarette
Cigarettes aren’t simply tobacco and paper. During the manufacturing process, a whole cocktail of chemicals are added. With each cigarette, a person will be inhaling harmful substances, including:
Nicotine – This is the drug that stimulates the brain and causes the addiction. If a person smokes regularly, they may experience some unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. Symptoms may include intense cravings, increased anxiety, irritability and headaches.
Tar – After smoking tobacco, tar is the residue that is deposited into the lungs. From here, it enters the bloodstream and gets carried to other parts of the body. Tar contains over 4000 chemicals, over 50 cancer-causing carcinogens and other poisons. This is why smoking is considered one of the biggest causes of disease.
Carbon monoxide – This gas affects how much oxygen the blood can carry around the body. As a result, smoking prevents the body from getting the oxygen it needs to function smoothly. The smoker may experience shortness of breath, low energy levels and poor circulation
One remains addicted to cigarettes not only because of the nicotine addiction, but also because of the psychological one. And this is why hypnosis is so effective in helping you be free of this bond.
So many people have tried to quit smoking in the past, and have succeeded for a limited time, only to start again. The very phrase ‘quit smoking’, ‘give up smoking’, implies that there is something to give up, something to lose in stopping smoking. This is far from the truth. All that smoking gives you is bad breath, diseased lungs, and an increased chance of cancer. Relaxation? No, the only relaxation smoking causes is the relief you experience when you smoke, because of your nicotine addiction. There is no relaxation, only relief. Add to that all the negative propoganda by everyone, including the television, showing how dangerous smoking is, only causes you more stress, due to which you turn to smoking again – because you believe it helps you relax.
Hypnotherapy helps you see things as they are, and change this belief system. Once this belief system is changed and once you realise that you have nothing to lose when you stop smoking, stopping becomes easy and effortless.
Why stop smoking?
Smoking increases the risk of developing a wide range of health ailments and diseases. But the habit does not only harm the smoker’s health, it can also have a negative impact on the people around them. Children and babies living with people who smoke are vulnerable to many health problems. This includes chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and an increased risk of cot death.
Some of the most common smoking-related illnesses include:
- Infertility – Smoking affects the fertility of men and women, making it difficult to conceive.
- Gum disease – As well as staining your teeth, smoking can cause premature tooth loss due to gum disease.
- Heart disease – This is considered the UK’s biggest killer. Nearly one in six cases are smoking-related.
- Lung cancer – More than eight in 10 cases of lung cancer are directly related to smoking.
- Other cancers – This includes mouth, throat, nose, blood, cervical and pancreatic cancer.
Adults who endure passive smoking for a long period of time are also at an increased risk of heart disease and lung cancer. Tobacco is also an irritant; therefore it can make conditions such as asthma worse.
Hypnotherapy for smoking
A great number of people find hypnotherapy for smoking an effective treatment. The method works to break the negative behaviours and thinking patterns associated with smoking. The thoughts and behaviours the smoker holds is often what prevents them from successfully giving up.
When a person makes the decision to stop smoking, the key aspect is to let go of the routine and change their perspective of cigarettes. Breaking an addiction like this is a challenge. Many people find changing how they think about something difficult. As hypnotherapy focuses on this change, it is fast becoming one of the most popular forms of treatment.
When considering stop smoking hypnosis, the first thing the person has to do is make sure they are choosing to quit for themselves. Hypnosis for smoking has been found to be most effective when the person really wants to quit.
Hypnotherapy works by putting the individual into a deep, relaxed state. During this time the mind is more open to suggestion. At this point, the hypnotherapist will look to change the thought patterns of the smoker. They will make suggestions such as, “I do not want a cigarette” or “the smell of cigarette smoke makes me nauseous”. The hypnotherapist may ask the individual to imagine unpleasant smells and feelings that they can associate with smoking. The person may also be taught various stop smoking hypnosis techniques so they can practise at home.
Many people find stop smoking hypnosis is enough to break the habit, while others prefer to combine the treatment with NRT (nicotine replacement therapy) or medication. This helps to tackle both the physical and the mental addiction together. By exploring all the options, a person should be able to find a suitable and effective treatment.
It is important to remember that hypnotherapy for smoking is not a quick fix. While for some people, just one session is enough to quit smoking (or continue the journey alone), others may benefit from follow-up sessions. The ultimate aim of stop smoking hypnosis is to empower people to take control of their addiction. Hypnotherapy for smoking will promote healthier behaviours. It can help the individual to develop new patterns of thinking.
Benefits of quitting
It is never too late to quit smoking. Whatever age the smoker is, if they make the decision to stop, their health will benefit. However, the sooner a person quits; the faster the body can recover and the risk of developing serious health conditions will decrease.
There are many benefits to stopping smoking, including:
More energy
As carbon monoxide affects how much oxygen the blood can carry, the body can find it difficult to function properly. When a person stops smoking, the carbon monoxide in the blood lowers. This allows the lungs and muscles to work the way they should. It also means more oxygen reaches the brain, boosting alertness and energy.
Improved immune system
Smoking causes the immune system to drop. This makes the body more susceptible to colds and flu. Quitting allows the immune system to remain healthy.
Longer life expectancy
If a person quits smoking by the age of 30, their life expectancy can increase by 10 years. Even if a smoker is 60 years old, quitting can still add three years to their life.
Better breathing
Within nine months of giving up, lung capacity is said to increase by as much as 10 per cent. This allows the body to carry out daily tasks without the loss of breath. The “smoker’s cough” should also disappear and any breathing conditions, such as asthma should be reduced.
Less stress
Many smokers reach for a cigarette when in a stressful situation. The immediate hit of nicotine after withdrawal may make them feel relaxed but in the long-term, smoking increases stress levels.
Younger looking skin
Smoking prematurely ages the skin. Regular smoking can leave the skin dull, dry and prone to wrinkles. When a person decides to stop smoking, the effect is reversed as the skin begins to receive the nutrients it needs. Over time, the appearance of the skin should dramatically improve.
More money
ET Wealth estimates that a 30-year-old who smokes five cigarettes a day would lose over Rs 1 crore due to the habit by the time he is 60. As the world gets ready to observe No-Tobacco Day on 31 May, we did some number crunching to find out the real cost a smoker pays. The biggest drain on the wallet is the price of cigarettes. Cigarettes are priced around Rs 10-15, but we have assumed a price of Rs 12 per stick. If a person smokes five cigarettes a day, he spends Rs 60 daily — or Rs 1,800 a month.
How does hypnosis for smoking cessation work?
Our brains function on two levels: consciously and unconsciously. The conscious part of our brain influences the behaviour we are aware of; we make decisions, think and act using our conscious mind. This part of our mind processes on average seven pieces of information at a time. The unconscious part of the brain is where it gets really interesting. This part of the brain processes millions of pieces of information all at once, enabling the functioning of our bodies and controlling behaviour we’re not aware of – in other words, our habits.
While we may believe we can control our behaviour with the rational, conscious part of our mind, all behaviours are actually controlled via the emotional, unconscious part of our brain. We can be aware that our habits are harmful – such as smoking – and want to stop, but find ourselves unable to do so. This is why hypnosis is so effective: it interacts directly with the unconscious mind. The relaxed state of hypnosis allows re-training of the unconscious mind, making it easy to change compulsive, life-long habits with just one session.