Hypnosis: Smoking Cessation Option That’s Worth a Shot
A very misunderstood relaxation and self-help subject is hypnotherapy. Perhaps one of the biggest reasons for this misconception is the prevalence of stage hypnosis and the relative obscurity of self-help hypnosis. During all stage sessions, participants are pre-qualified, and only the most suggestible subjects are actually brought onto stage for the performance.
The second common misconception is that people believe a hypnotist can force them to do strange things like clucking like a chicken. The fact is that a hypnotherapist can’t make you do anything that you don’t want to do, or are incapable of doing. If it’s against your nature, you won’t do it, hypnotized or not. The subjects on stage performing outrageous acts are uninhibited and outgoing by nature, and that’s why they’re on stage in the first place.
Hypnosis is little more than guided relaxation, nothing more. That’s it. It’s not a paranormal therapy, but it can be very effective for certain participants when used for self help purposes. The objective with hypnotherapy is to alter your state of consciousness so that you’re brain is more open to suggestion. The hypnotherapist can then speak some pre-approved affirmations that will be more readily accepted by your brain.
Another way to look at hypnotherapy is that it’s positive self-talk or positive affirmations made when the mind is relaxed. So there should be nothing mysterious about hypnosis. Hypnosis is simply an approach to lead your body and mind into a relaxed state and clear your mind of distractions so that it can focus on the affirmations being said.
Some people are more suggestible than others and some people are naturally averse to hypnosis altogether. About one out of five people will likely be resistant to hypnosis, but others will be able to implant positive messages into their subconscious, relax, and put themselves to sleep.
Smoking in particular is a good candidate for hypnotherapy because much of the addiction is psychological, and that is an area the self-hypnosis can help you address. Considering the expense of cigarettes, and the expense of typical cessation programs like nicotine gum, the patch, shots, and the like, the modest investment in a simple hypnotherapy audio that you can listen to in the comfort of your home is appealing.
At the very least, hypnosis will help you balance yourself, relax, and lower stress levels. If you are a smoker, a hypnosis smoking cessation program might be exactly what you need, and you can safely participate in one without worrying about clucking at odd hours of the day!