Welcome to N dependence Succeeding with Hypnosis.  At N dependance we are dedicated to helping you stop smoking through the use of Hypnosis, Guided Imagery, and NLP.

My name is Connie Boling CCHT, and I have smoked for 34 years.  I like many people caught in the smokers trap struggled to find a way to quit smoking.  I tried everything from cold turkey to nicotine replacement items and even chantrix and nothing seemed to work for me.  After 34 years of smoking I have many smoking related illness issues that I have to deal with, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, COPD and shortness of breath. Yet these health issues were not enough to drive me to stop smoking.

Even after I had begun learning hypnotherapy, I struggled to stop smoking.  My train of thought was that I really felt I was not ready to quit smoking, and not sure I even wanted to for that matter.  I was afraid to try hypnosis.  It was not because I was afraid I would spend money on something that would not work for me, I was afraid to try hypnosis because, I was afraid it would work!

You see my biggest obstacle to overcome before I could stop smoking was fear itself.

Is smoking an addiction or just a bad habit?

There seems to be allot of different opinions as to whether smoking is an addiction or just a bad habit.  I think that having all the facts about smoking and nicotine will help you understand for yourself whether you have developed a bad habit or a true addiction.

Each cigarette contains about 10 milligrams of nicotine. Although a smoker will not inhale that much. On average a smoker will only inhale about 1 to 2 milligrams of nicotine with each cigarette. A single drop of nicotine in its pure form would kill a person.

Nicotine can act as both a stimulant and a sedative, depending on how much tolerance an individual has built up to the drug.  As the nicotine is absorbed it stimulates the adrenal glands which results in a release of adrenaline. This stimulus causes the body to release glucose, or natural sugar into the system. It will also cause an increase in blood pressure, respiration, and heart rate.  Nicotine also indirectly affects the parts of the brain that control motivation and pleasure by causing a release of dopamine to these areas.  Smokers can be prone to be slightly hypoglycemics as well, as nicotine will also suppress the insulin output from the pancreas. 

Dictionary.com defines addiction as: "the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, as narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma."

As you can see the "term" addiction is used to describe both physical and psychological behaviors. There is a difference between the term "addiction" and "physical dependency" however.  Addiction is associated with a compulsive behavior, which means that although an individual knows that a drug, or a habit, (such as gambling), is bad for them they will continue to use the drug, or engage in the habit regardless of the negative effects.

As stated above nicotine does affect the physical behavior of the human body by altering many of the bodies normal functions.  However when a person quits smoking, the side effects, or withdrawal symptoms can be managed without medical attention.  Whereas other drugs, such as alcohol dependency can cause seizures and other serious side effects that can lead to death without medical attention.  It is very important to understand that if you are suffering from an addiction related to a drug, other then nicotine, or caffeine it is best to talk to your doctor before attempting to quit. This will ensure that your physical health will be maintained while you are in the process of quitting.

A psychological dependency is a dependency of the mind.  A person can be physically addicted to something but not be psychologically addicted.  In this case they can be treated by slowly tapering off the dose of the drug and will no longer have a need for the drug.  When an addiction becomes psychological it is much more likely that the person will have a harder time quitting, and will be at serious risk for relapse.

It is interesting to note that psychological addictions are not only limited to substances. They can also be caused by activities or behavioral patterns, such as gambling, Internet addiction, eating addiction, exercise addiction, and many other types of compulsive behaviors.

The theory is that psychological addictions are formed by our own natural need to feel rewarded by what we are doing.  When a drug or activity gives us pleasure, we find a since of fulfillment in that pleasure, whether that activity is healthy for us physically or not. 

When a person is removed from a drug or activity that they are psychologically addicted to they can have withdrawal symptoms such as depression, agitation, restlessness, fatigue, sluggishness, tension, anxiety, and craving. Such symptoms are experienced when one quits smoking.  The first 48 hours are the most difficult, and withdrawal symptoms will peak during this time, then gradually begin decreasing.  Usually within 6 months all withdrawal symptoms will be gone.

It is interesting to note however that when one continues a negative behavior or psychological addiction they will also experience symptoms.  These symptoms include, guilt, shame, fear, hopelessness, rejection, anxiety and possibly humiliation. It would be easy to understand, that with our natural need to feel reward and pleasure in our lives, how these negative feelings could cause us to pursue a psychological addiction even more.  For instance: when you light up a ciagarette and begin smoking the sense of pleasure and reward is immediate, when you quit smoking however, the reward and pleasure you obtain from better health and acknowledgment from friends and family is not immediate, and can actually seem unattainable at times. 

This is especially true if you have tried to quit several times in the past and failed.  You may find that your friends and family will not be a strong source of support, as most of the time they have developed what I like to call the "cry wolf" syndrome.  Which simply means they have heard you say that you have quit so many times in the past and seen you fail, that they are not to sure that you will quit this time.  So they tend to wait for the end result, a substantiated time without smoking before they are willing to jump in and pat you on the back. 

Can Hypnosis, NLP, and Guided Imagery help me quit smoking?

I have visited many sites on the Internet and read many claims by hypnotherapists that if you act now, you will be a non smoker after your first session.  I even read an article in my local newspaper the other day where the hypnotherapist and co-owner of a local hypnosis center claimed that if your not a non smoker after your first session, with the purchase of two Cd's to reinforce the session, then you have been to a bad hypnotherapist. These are remarkable claims, and may or may not be true, its really hard to determine from these statements alone, without evidence of case studies.  However, there are interesting case studies that have been done, that do prove the effectiveness of hypnosis in the treatment of addictions or compulsive behaviors.

University of Konstanz in Germany sets out to disprove hypnosis's effectiveness in treating addictions.

A meta-analysis by the University of Konstanz in Germany of over 57 studies on hypnotherapy, which only considered very strictly structured and controlled studies came to a remarkable conclusion regarding hypnosis, since the study’s stated purpose was actually to disprove hypnosis’s effectiveness in treating nicotine and other addictions.  After analyzing over 6,000 patients, the researchers came to the conclusion that 64% of those who received treatment for their addictions which included hypnosis were able to successfully combat them. 

Only 37% of the control groups, who received no hypnotherapy as part of their treatment, were able to do the same.  (Flammer, Bongartz, 2003)  If hypnosis is able to almost double the effectiveness of treatment, it seems obvious that it should be immediately implemented as a component of traditional treatment for nicotine and other addictions.

Hypnosis, NLP and Guided Imagery

Hypnosis, NLP, and Guided Imagery,  are very effective treatments in combating addictions such as smoking where a large part of the problem is behavioral.  The American Dental Association’s publication Journal of Dental Educationreported that psychological interventions such as hypnosis “contribute significantly to successful treatment outcome” in tobacco addictions, including chewing tobacco and smoking.  (Covino, Bottari, 2001)

The most common treatment for addictions today is cognitive behavioral therapy, and interestingly enough, behavioral therapy’s development has been influenced by hypnotherapy methods, according to The American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis.   (Weitsenhoffer, 1972)  In a guide for cognitive behavioral therapists entitled The Clinical Use of Hypnosis in Cognitive Behavior Therapywhich was written by therapists associated with the University of Calgary, Kent State University, Texas A&M College of Medicine, Harvard, Cornell, Northwestern University, Argosy University and Elmhurst College, researchers show that combining hypnosis with behavioral therapy helps treat addictions in patients who are resistant to the traditional therapies.  (Chapman, 2005)  Since smoking is one of the more difficult addictions to cure outside of narcotics, the use of hypnosis in its treatment is clearly indicated.

Pamela Peeke, MD, a professor at the University of Maryland, recommends that recovering addicts of all kind use stress-reduction techniques to minimize the chance of recidivism and states that self-hypnosis is effective in preventing addiction relapses.  (National Woman’s Health Report Online, December 2006.)  

NLP, or neuro-linguistic programming, a discipline developed at the University of California, Santa Cruz that combines cognitive therapy with linguistics, is also a great tool to combat an addiction to smoking, chewing tobacco, or caffeine.  NLP replaces negative thoughts associated with addictive behavior patterns with positive thoughts that cause the addict to replace negative behavior (smoking) with positive behavior (any healthy activity).  Richard Bolstad, the preeminent authority on NLP in New Zealand and a recognized leader in the field worldwide, states that NLP treats this problem by resolving the conflict between the parts of the brain that want the comfort the addiction provides and the parts that want to be free of it.  In fact, Dr. Bolstad goes as far as to say NLP is more effective than negatively-oriented treatment programs such as 12 Step programs, which keep reinforcing the belief that the subject is an addict.  (Bolstat, Hamblett, 1999)

Guided imagery is equally helpful in dealing with insidious addictions like smoking.  A study at the University of Miami measuring patients who received therapy with guided imagery against a control group who did not undergo guided imagery found that the group who was exposed to guided imagery had significantly lower levels of stress hormones in their blood afterwards.  (McKinney, Tims, Kumar, Kumar, 1997)  A similar study performed at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, MD found lower levels of these stress hormones as well as reduced heart rates in the subjects who were exposed to progressive relaxation techniques, a formula that includes guided imagery.  (Scheufele, 2000)  Since people experiencing great stress are more likely to maintain addictions like smoking or fall back on them if they have quit, guided imagery is therefore indicated as a highly recommended component of successful long term addiction treatment. 

Ultimately, all the evidence that hypnosis, NLP, guided imagery and other relaxation techniques are helpful in the treatment of addictions like smoking is very reassuring.  With so many routes to recovery out there, finding a method that you can implement immediately, inexpensively, safely, and effectively, not just in the short term but with lasting results, is a big relief. 

Hypnotherapy

Hypnotherapy is treatment which is carried out with a patient under hypnosis. The word "hypnosis" comes from the Greek term hypnos, which means "sleep." In this process of healing, the Hypnotherapist uses suggestions that take the patient into a state of deep relaxation.  Which in other words is also known as a state of trance.   A person in this super-conscious state or trance is extremely receptive to an image or idea; however this does not imply that a hypno therapist has the control over the patients’ free will and mind. Rather, hypnosis effectively tells people how to control their own different states of awareness. By doing so, the patients can modify their own psychological responses along with physical functions.

The Illnesses or Habits That Are Benefited Most By Hypnotherapy

People with Certain habits and addictions are also hugely benefited by Hypnotherapy. Like the patients who are trying to quit addictions like smoking, are greatly benefited by this therapy.

Stop Smoking Through Hypnotherapy

Smoking is more a psychological addiction than simply nicotine addiction. Nicotine is out of your physical system in about 3 to 4 days, whilst other chemicals in the cigarette might take another 4-5 days. However, it is that psychological addiction that attracts people back to smoking.

Hypnotherapy is deliberately planned to overcome different psychological addictions. This therapy allows the smoking habit to be replaced by helping the subconscious mind. Hypnosis strengthens the motivation and desire of the patient to discontinue smoking by persuasion by the therapist in the trance stage.

Many therapists offer just a one-off session for smoking discontinuation with free follow-up sessions, if at all necessary. A consultation for stop-smoking with a hypnotherapist usually involves compiling information into your personal motives for wanting to stop smoking. The stopping smoking session(s) includes hypnotherapy techniques, suggestions along with positive affirmations. After the session, a patient is provided with a stop smoking CD to take home so that he can go on emphasizing the suggestions in future.

The expenditure incurred in a hypnotherapy session for quitting smoking is minimal if compared to the monetary and health expenses incurred throughout a smoker’s lifetime.

Quitting smoking through hypnotherapy isn’t difficult or unpleasant usually. Although nicotine is quite a difficult to go without while quitting smoking, nevertheless after 3 to 4 days it is out of your body system and most smokers agree that quitting smoking through hypno therapy is very much achievable.

Hypnotherapy has already proved its worth in helping people out of many an illness as well as addictions and ill habits. And recent studies show that it is one of the most effective therapies to stop smoking because by Using hypnosis, you will be able to deal with all of the psychological and emotional aspects of quitting smoking which become the main barrier when a person tries to stop smoking.

Reference

The National Institute on Drug Abuse.