RESEARCH ON HYPNOSIS TO QUIT SMOKING

Summary	Reference
90.6% Success Rate Using Hypnosis Of 43 consecutive patients undergoing this treatment protocol, 39 reported remaining abstinent at follow-up (6 months to 3 years post-treatment). This represents a 90.6% success rate using hypnosis.	University of Washington School of Medicine, Depts. of Anesthesiology and Rehabilitation Medicine, Int J Clin Exp Hypn. 2001 Jul;49(3):257-66. Barber J. Freedom from smoking: integrating hypnotic methods and rapid smoking to facilitate smoking cessation.
95% Success Rate Using Hypnosis With NLP A comparison of hypnosis to quit smoking and hypnosis combined with NLP reported a 95% success rate using hypnosis combined with NLP and 51% using hypnosis alone.	Smoke Free International's Proprietary Method Smoke Free International http://www.smokefreeinternational.com/report.php
90% Success Rate With Hypnosis Authors report a success rate in smoking abstinence of over 90% with hypnosis.	MMW Fortschr Med. 2004 May 13;146(20):16. Klager, R. [Article in German] PMID: 15344725 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
87% Reported Abstinence Using Hypnosis A field study of 93 male and 93 female CMHC outpatients examined the facilitation of smoking cessation by using hypnosis. At 3-mo. follow-up, 86% of the men and 87% of the women reported continued abstinence using hypnosis.	Performance by gender in a stop-smoking program combining hypnosis and aversion. Johnson DL, Karkut RT. Adkar Associates, Inc., Bloomington, Indiana. Psychol Rep. 1994 Oct;75(2):851-7. PMID: 7862796 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
81% Reported They Had Stopped Smoking Thirty smokers enrolled in an HMO were referred by their primary physician for treatment. Twenty-one patients returned after an initial consultation and received hypnosis for smoking cessation. At the end of treatment, 81% of those patients reported that they had stopped smoking, and 48% reported abstinence at 12 months post-treatment.	Texas A&M University System Health Science Center College of Medicine, USA. Int J Clin Exp Hypn. 2004 Jan;52(1):73-81. Clinical hypnosis for smoking cessation: preliminary results of a three-session intervention. Elkins GR, Rajab MH.
Hypnosis Patients Twice As Likely To Quit Study of 71 smokers showed that after a two-year follow up, patients that quit with hypnosis were twice as likely to still be smoke-free than those who quit on their own.	Guided health imagery for smoking cessation and long-term abstinence. Wynd CA. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 2005; 37:3, pages 245-250
More Effective Than Drug Interventions Group hypnosis, evaluated at a less effective success rate than individualized hypnosis (at 22%). However, still demonstrated here as more effective than drug interventions.	Ohio State University, College of Nursing, Columbus 43210, USA Descriptive outcomes of the American Lung Association of Ohio hypnotherapy smoking cessation program. Ahijevych K, Yerardi R, Nedilsky N.
Hypnosis Most Effective Says Largest Study Ever: 3 Times Effectiveness of Patch and 15 Times Willpower. Hypnosis is the most effective way of giving up smoking, according to the largest ever scientific comparison of ways of breaking the habit. A meta-analysis, statistically combining results of more than 600 studies of 72,000 people from America and Europe to compare various methods of quitting. On average – hypnosis was over three times as effective as nicotine replacement methods and 15 times as effective as trying to quit alone.	University of Iowa Journal of Applied Psychology How One in Five Give Up Smoking October 1992. (Also New Scientist October 10, 1992) Schmidt, Chockalingam

 

The Benefits of Quitting 

It's no secret that tobacco use is bad for your health — even low-tar and low-nicotine cigarettes. In fact, smoking harms nearly every organ of your body and causes a long list of diseases including cancer, heart disease and lung disease. It even harms the health of unborn babies.

Let's think about what you'll get when you quit…

• 11 minutes back for every cigarette you don't smoke
• 4 hours back for every pack you don't smoke
• 2 days back for every carton you don't smoke

Quitting rapidly lowers your risk for many health problems, including:

• Heart disease
• Stroke
• Chronic bronchitis
• Emphysema
• Many kinds of cancer (including lung, pancreas, throat, mouth, and cervical)

Some people feel they have smoked too long to benefit from quitting. Others feel they haven't smoked enough to be at risk.

No matter how long you have smoked, you will be healthier when you quit.

• Within 12 hours, your pulse, blood pressure and carbon monoxide levels return to normal.
• Within 48 to 72 hours, the nicotine is gone from your body.
• Within a few weeks, your blood circulation begins to improve and breathing becomes easier.
• Within a year, your risk of coronary heart disease is cut in half.
• Within 10 years your lung cancer death rate is cut in half.
• Within 15 years your risk of coronary heart disease is back to that of a nonsmoker's.

Besides reducing your risk factors for these diseases, quitting tobacco will help you enjoy improved circulation, have fewer breathing problems, and feel less winded when climbing stairs. You'll have more energy, fresher breath, and a better sense of smell and taste.

When you quit, not only will you be a great role model, your actions will benefit the health of your family and friends. If that isn't enough, your budget will benefit too. Think of all the money you'll save by not buying cigarettes…if you smoke only one pack a day, you can save well over $1,500 a year.

Nine Ways to Know it is Finally Time to Quit.

1.      Has your smoking habit begun to control your life? Have you ever not been able to go to sleep until you are sure that you have a cigarette available for morning?

2.      Have friends and family told you that your clothing, hair and breath smell like an ashtray? If they haven't, you can be sure they are thinking it!! Are you spending almost as much in breath mints as you are in cigarettes? If you aren't embarrassed about your smoking then why are you trying so hard to cover it up? 

3.      Are professional colleagues shunning you now that they have quit smoking? Let's face it… It is no longer "cool" to smoke. Your smoking is viewed as a lack of control issue. Exhibiting lack of control is not the way to get ahead in your job.

4.      Do you sit in meetings focused only on getting to the break so you can rush outside to smoke? As a manager do you end meetings with things still left to accomplish because of your need to smoke?

5.      Does your favorite restaurant not have a smoking section any more?  Non-smokers are now in the majority and they do not want to taste your cigarette with their expensive meal. Restaurateurs are attuned to the bottom line, not your smoking needs.

6.      Are you standing outside smoking alone because your spouse doesn't allow it in the house? What do you think this is doing for your relationship?  Between work and your smoking alone, how much time is available for your relationship? Remember that breath mint… he or she doesn't want to kiss an ashtray.

7.      You're afraid to stop this dangerous habit because you fear the weight gain that so many people have experienced, but you are beginning to fear diseased lungs even more. Have you reached that "critical pack years" that almost assures your painful and agonizing death?

8.      What's up with those lines around your mouth?  The continuous lip pressure on a cigarette has now begun to add years to the look of your face.  Squinting to keep the smoke out of your eyes isn't helping them either.  And most facial surgeons won't even schedule surgery until you quit. Their reputations are at stake because a facelift quickly deteriorates when you continue to smoke.

9.      You get up in the morning and shower and use deodorant before heading out the door for work. Why?  Because you don't want to offend anyone you come in contact with. Notice how people back away after your first cigarette?  You might as well have gone to work dirty!!!

But the real truth is this… a tube of paper about the size of your little finger, stuffed with tobacco has ultimate control of your life.  Are you satisfied with that?