Stop smoking

Help yourself to become the person you want to be.
And if the new you is a non-smoker, then we can help.

No matter how much we are told about the dangers of smoking, our destructive habit continues. Why? Basically, it has become an ingrained habit in our life. This habitual behaviour is controlled by your subconscious mind, and so the most effective way to stop it is with hypnosis, because hypnosis works directly with your subconscious mind – the storage location of your habits.

During a single two-hour session, you will be provided with the information and the motivation to stop smoking completely. You will learn how the brain works and understand some of the internal conflicts. We will examine strategies to deal with "difficult" situations, and even look at overcoming relapses should they ever occur. On top of that, the hypnotherapy session will strengthen your subconscious mind to help you achieve your goal of becoming a non-smoker.

For more information or to book a single two-hour session contact Trevor Eddolls on 01249 443256 or e-mail trevor@ihypno.biz.

Note: there is no initial consultation for stopping smoking.

A single two-hour session costs £120.00.

So, what’s the best way to stop smoking? Here are some of the popular methods:

• Just stopping by using willpower (cold turkey) has a success rate of between 4% and (at best) 10%.(1) If you decide to stop smoking by this method, you need to be aware that it is not very successful! You need support, either of a group, or of another method!
• Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT = nicotine patches, gum, spray). Despite all the types, all the advertising money spent by the pharmaceutical industry, and despite the free availability of NRT on the NHS, the published clinical studies show a rather disappointing success rate. One study(2) showed a success rate of only 6.8%. The success rate shown in other clinical studies is varied, ranging from 10%(3), to 16%(4), with the highest being 30%(5).
• Zyban (bupropion) is an antidepressant that is often used to help people stop smoking. One clinical trial showed a success rate as low as 14.6%(6), with as many as 12.6% of the Zyban group leaving the study early because of the side effects! The manufacturer’s own information leaflet claims a success rate (people not smoking after 1 year) of only 23%. The best figures show a success rate of 55.1%(7), but the people in the study had to continue taking the drug for 1 year instead of the manufacturer’s recommendation of 12 weeks!
• Champix / Chantix (varenicline). The best clinical study produced a success rate (1 year abstinence) of only 23%(8). Side effects include abdominal pain, dry mouth, constipation, rash, breathing problems, headache, increased appetite, tiredness, and insomnia.
• E-cigarettes are not licensed as a medicinal product in the UK. There are no statistics for their success rates, and there is some evidence they can cause cancer.(9)
• Acupuncture in smoking cessation shows a success rate (abstinence at 1 year) of 30%.(10) An individual study in 2004 showed a success rate of 41%(11).
• In 1970, a study(12) showed a success rate of 88% for Hypnotherapy. Other studies(13, 14) demonstrate success rates between 53.4% and 67%.

References:
1. Hughes JR, Keely J, Naud S., "Shape of the relapse curve and long-term abstinence among untreated smokers." Addiction 2004;99:29-38
2. BMJ 2009; 338:b1024
3. British Medical Journal 1983; 286(6366):595
4. New England Journal of Medicine, 1999;340(9):685
5. Doran, CM et al, (2006) “Smoking status of Australian general practice patients, and their quit attempts.” Addictive Behaviours 31: 758 – 766
6. Jorenby DE, Hays JT, Rigotti NA, Azoulay S, Watsky EJ, Williams KE, Billing CB, Gong J, Reeves KR (2006). "Efficacy of varenicline, an alpha4beta2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor partial agonist, vs placebo or sustained-release bupropion for smoking cessation: a randomized controlled trial". JAMA 296 (1): 56–63.
7. Hays JT, Hurt RD, Rigotti NA, et al. Sustained release bupropion for pharmacologic relapse after smoking cessation. Ann Intern Med 2001; 135:423-33
8. Jorenby DE, Hays JT, Rigotti NA, Azoulay S, Watsky EJ, Williams KE, Billing CB, Gong J, Reeves KR (2006). "Efficacy of varenicline, an alpha4beta2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor partial agonist, vs placebo or sustained-release bupropion for smoking cessation: a randomized controlled trial". JAMA 296 (1): 56–63.
9. Murray Laugesen (2008). "Safety Report on the Ruyan e-cigarette Cartridge and Inhaled Aerosol". Health New Zealand Ltd.
10. Cui Meng, Advances in studies on acupuncture abstinence, Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1995, 15(4): 301–307, and Cui Meng, Advances in studies on acupuncture abstinence (continued), Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 1996; 16 (1): 65–69.
11. Ausfeld-Hafter B, Marti F, Hoffmann S Forsch Komplementarmed Klass Naturheilkd. 2004 Feb;11(1):8-13.
12. Kline, M(1970) International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis
13. Doran, CM et al, (2006) “Smoking status of Australian general practice patients, and their quit attempts.” Addictive Behaviours 31: 758 – 766
14. Crasilneck, HB, & Hall, JA (1985). Clinical hypnosis: Principles and applications (2nd ed.) Orlando, FL: Grune & Stratton

Here are some other studies:

University of Iowa, Journal of Applied Psychology, “How One in Five Give Up Smoking”. October 1992. (Also New Scientist, October 10, 1992.). A meta-analysis that combined 600 studies of 72,000 people and is one of the largest studies on smoking and hypnosis ever. It stated that “hypnosis is three times more effective”. The study found that hypnosis was three times more effective then the patch and 15 times more than willpower. Hypnosis is the most effective way of giving up smoking, according to this largest ever scientific comparison of ways of breaking the habit.

“Guided health imagery for smoking cessation and long-term abstinence.” Wynd, CA. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 2005, 2005; 37:3, pages 245-250. It’s simple and powerful conclusion: willpower just wasn’t enough to quit or maintain freedom from smoking. This study found that patients are twice as likely to quit when using hypnosis. As a matter of fact, 71 smokers showed that after a two-year follow up, “patients that quit with hypnosis were twice as likely to still be smoke-free than those who quit on their own.”

University of Washington School of Medicine, Depts. of Anesthesiology and Rehabilitation Medicine, Int J Clin Exp Hypn. 2001 Jul;49 (3):257-66. Barber J. This study had an almost 91% success rate using hypnosis with smokers wishing to quit. Of 43 consecutive patients using hypnosis as the treatment protocol, 39 reported remaining abstinent at follow-up (6 months to 3 years post-treatment).”

Texas A&M University, System Health Science Center, College of Medicine, College Station, TX USA. Int J Clin Exp Hypn. 2004 Jan;52(1):73-81. Clinical hypnosis for smoking cessation: preliminary results of a three-session intervention. Elkins GR, Rajab MH. This study found that 81% reported they stopped smoking after hypnosis. Thirty smokers enrolled in an HMO were referred by their primary physician for treatment. Twenty-one patients returned after an initial consultation and received hypnosis for smoking cessation. At the end of treatment, 81% of those patients reported that they had stopped smoking, and 48% reported abstinence at 12 months post-treatment.