If you prefer to watch the video I’ve made rather than read this blog, feel free to skip to the video at the end of this blog. Its not exactly what is written here word-for-word, but it’ll give you a good idea. If you’re serious and want to be thorough in your preparation to end the most preventable cause of death in the world, maybe you’ll do both; read and watch the video. Up to you.
You may have heard of a few people getting success with hypnosis to stop smoking and its got you curious. Maybe you’re one of those sceptical individuals who would have never considered hypnotherapy for smoking cessation, but you’ve tried all the nicotine replacement therapies (NRT’s), so you’re now at the point where this might be your last option to quit smoking for good. Maybe you’ve tried hypnotherapy before with one or two other hypnotherapists and it ‘didn’t work’, so why would you try it again right? Well, there are many reasons for that and you can probably find another one of my blog posts that goes into this in more detail, but here’s the important thing to remember; like all professionals, some are better at what they do than others. Hypnotherapy is a powerful tool, but it’s only as affective as the person doing it.
In all my years as a stop smoking hypnotherapist specialist in Sydney, the most common questions I have been asked is: ‘does hypnotherapy work?’. The second most common question I get asked after that is, ‘how does hypnosis work?’
As far as the first question goes, here’s the thing, the better question when it comes to any type of therapy is ‘does it help?’, not ‘does it work?’. The later is what you would ask about a product or an appliance, not a therapeutic process where the outcome is the change in a feeling.
Believe it or not, experiencing a hypnotic trance state is a normal natural thing we all experience, on average, about 7 to 9 times a day. Its those moments we’ve all experienced when driving, getting to your destination and not remembering the route you took. Or those moments when we are so engrossed in a task that we ‘loose track of time’. These could be moments when we are watching TV, writing an important email, gaming, knitting, really focussed on a task etc. Moments where someone could be calling our name and we don’t even hear them. Well, these are all moments that have met the three simple requirements for a hypnotic trance state to occur and they are: Relaxed, Focussed, Attention.
During these moments, the task you are focussed on has facilitated a kind of ‘blending’ of your conscious with your unconscious, subconscious or non-conscious mind (three words for the same thing). The only difference between this kind of hypnosis and the one you are participating in with a therapist, is that you are following a particular kind of protocol to MAKE the trance state happen on demand, rather than letting it happen in a random moment. It’s as simple as that.
When you are in this state, you and the therapist together are able to access and tap into the ‘auto pilot’ part of your mind, your ‘habit control centre’, the part of your mind that is responsible for taking care of all those automatic behaviours which have become habits over time and repetition. Through this particular type of process, language and participation on your part as the client, the end result is one where you can open your eyes, look at your old cigarettes or vape and immediately feel completely different about the need, urge, cravings and desire to do that thing you use to do. The only reason you can feel so different so quickly is because you’ve just addressed the CAUSE of your smoking craving, not the symptoms. That’s simple problem solving 101.
The video below will explain a little more about the mechanics involved so i’ll leave it at that for now, but stay tuned, in a future blog post i’ll explain more about the dynamics that’s at play that has made it hard for you to stop smoking on your own and why traditional NRT’s just don’t have the success they should.
Please let me know what you thought of this blog, did it help you? Do you have any questions? Feel free to call me directly any time on 1300 883 272.