Scare tactics are futile, the Surgeon General and the World Health Organization would say. Addiction to nicotine proves stronger than cigarette-pack warnings and WHO’s finding that tobacco accounts for 5.4 million deaths a year. Cigarette smoke carries tar, which contains more than 1,000 chemicals, including more than 60 compounds that are known to cause cancer, but for most nicotine addicts, only death or terminal disease can make them stop smoking.

Quitting smoking is quit hard. The common short-term effects of smoking cessation are increased irritability, depression, anxiety, restlessness, insomnia, difficulty concentrating, increased appetite, rhinorrhea (runny nose), cough, and increased susceptibility to upper respiratory tract infections. These side effects, however, are minor compared to the health benefits of smoking cessation.

There is a long list of support tools and techniques that can increase a smoker’s chances of successfully quitting, if he doesn’t have enough will power to quit cold turkey. There are nicotine gum, patches, lozenges, inhalers and sprays. He can call up any of the support groups or read self-help books. He can smoke tobacco-free herbal cigarettes, take kava- or chamomile-based preparations, or try aromatherapy and vaporizers. Others suggest laser therapy, acupuncture, even spirituality. And there’s this popular if controversial newcomer: hypnotherapy.

Contemporary research suggests that hypnosis is actually a wakeful state of focused attention and heightened suggestibility, with diminished peripheral awareness. The use of hypnosis in psychotherapy is called hypnotherapy. Hypnosis may be used by qualified physicians and psychiatrists as an aid in the treatment of anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, eating disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder and compulsive gambling. Of course, it also works for people who want to stop smoking.

There is a lot of debate regarding whether or not hypnosis quit-smoking treatments are actually useful in the long term. The consensus arrived at after much research, however, is that hypnotic treatments are as effective as other support tools and techniques that help people quit smoking. The hypnotherapist, during a session, repeatedly says certain phrases that discuss the serious effects of smoking, giving certain cues that encourage the patient to avoid or deal with his addiction.

The best thing about hypnotherapy is that it does not introduce any new drug into your system. As they say, it’s all in the mind. Amazingly, you don’t even have to find a hypnotherapist to try it. Certified hypnotherapists Jesse Berg and Steven B. Schneider have created the ‘Quit Smoking Hypnosis MP3.’ These experts promise no instant cure after listening to the audio, but you will feel the difference the next time you light up your cigarette, if you still can.

Filed under: Health and Fitness

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