Hypnosis and Smoking Cessation: Claiming Your Right to Good Health

You feel terrible about it. You've tried to quite 300 times, and you feel like a total failure.

You know all the reasons you need to stop smoking. You've been lectured by your doctor. You can't walk up a flight of stairs without getting breathless. Your spouse complains about your bad breath, and your car and your clothes smell bad--okay, they stink--although you're fastidious about cleanliness.

And if that's not enough, you've read about smoking and aging. Leathery skin, yellow teeth, thin bones, are bad enough. Lung cancer and strokes are unthinkable.

When I was much younger, I worked in a hospital. It's hard to imagine a time when smoking was allowed in health care facilities, but there I was, sitting back comfortably in the break room, enjoying a mid-afternooncigarette with a friend.

A young intern approached me. He was an affable fellow, and we worked well together, but today his brow was furrowed. He bent down and whispered tersely: Cigarettes kill."

What a card. What a kidder. I loved bantering with the guy. But the urgency in his voice stayed with me. His comment was no laughing matter.

I'm a healthy woman today. At 58, I exercise hard five times per week. Mid-afternoon breaks are still a deep pleasure, but cigarettes are happily absent.

How did it happen? I could tell you my story, but your story is the only one that matters.

It's commonly known that nicotine is one of the most addictive of substances. But here's the good news: Your body, your psyche, your whole being, craves health more than you crave cigarettes. Breaking through the craving crisis into a healthy, relaxed way of life, is no picnic, but it's possible. For anyone. For you.

What's hypnosis? Myths abound. Smoking, overeating, yelling at your kids, and heavy drinking supposedly go away like magic. Well, I'm here to tell you that hypnosis does work--and that no magic is needed.

You've probably experienced hypnosis already. If you've ever gotten absorbed in a good novel, missed your exit on the interstate, or lost track of time in a daydream, you're "suggestible." Hypnosis simply means settling down and entering into a state of deep relaxation in which you're profoundly open to new information and insight. It means being curious, and accessing a part of yourself that knows your innate right to be healthy.

So if it's that simple, why go to a therapist? Good question. A quick answer is this: Cigarettes have likely been a source of great comfort, or you wouldn't be fighting the urge. A skilled hypnotherapist can companion and train you to learn better, more healthy, real sources of comfort. The journey into wellness is a journey into your deeper self--the self beneath habits of thought and behavior that sabotage your best intentions.

Research shows that the human voice is more soothing than music. When you're flailing about trying to change your habits, a human voice can ease you through anxiety and pain. At one level, hypnosis provides the simple presence of a trustworthy voice, to help you through the rough times and replace the negative self-talk in your head.

But hypnosis is about other things. In each conversation, each statement that we make, there's usually a subtle embedded message. Behavioral therapists, for example, advise parents to make positive statements. "Be sure and remember your lunch box," is more effective than "Don't forget your lunch box." Why? Because the unconscious loves encouragement. The unconscious loves positive messages so much that our children skip over the "Don't" part--and go straight to the "Forget your lunch box!" part.

So here's a start. Starting now, begin to say to yourself, "I'm a person who smokes." Not, "I'm a smoker. Try saying, "I've practiced quitting all kinds of times, on the road to learning to succeed." All kinds of self-judgment begin to torment us when we over- identify ourselves with our problems. And the unconscious hates judgment. Like your kid with the lunch-box, your psyche resists being labeled.

The unconscious hates to be bullied, but it loves a good bargain. Hypnosis is a way of learning to make bargains with yourself It's a way of patiently, step-by-step, learning to love yourself more deeply. And, if you're basically sane, you don't want to abuse anyone--especially yourself. (If you do want to abuse anyone, skip this article and get yourself to an Emergency Room. Hypnosis is not for you!) We usually treat smoking in one to three sessions. Some people require more, and some require less. Why is it possible to change habits with short treatment? Again, there's no magic. But a good therapist can resonate with a healthy, soothing part of yourself that you might usually reserve for small children.

The small child within you deserves to breathe free. To be comforted in good healthy ways. To grow in your ability to feel strong and whole.

You deserve to--and you will-- look back fondly on the day when you first accepted the promise. Better health is yours for the asking. Hypnosis can help you to claim it.

Daphne Stevens, Ph.D., LCSW
www.daphnestevens.com