Hypnotherapy for smoking is quickly turning into one of the most preferred ways to treat nicotine addiction. It is not only because of its high efficacy rates as addiction treatment but also because it is safe, works quickly, is affordable, and presents minor side effects.
According to studies, hypnotherapy is not only an effective way to stop smoking. Most smokers are likely to be completely free from the addiction within six months after a single session of hypnotherapy. The American College of Chest Physicians presented these findings in 2007.
How Many People Are Addicted To Nicotine?
Nicotine is the addictive compound in all kinds of tobacco products, including cigarettes, cigars, non-combusted cigarettes, and most e-cigarettes. As of July 2018, an estimated number of people already addicted to nicotine worldwide stands at 1.1 billion. In Australia, 11.6% of the adult population smokes daily, making it the country’s leading source of highly avoidable diseases and death. Nicotine addiction affects nearly 50 million adults in the United States, making it the most common addiction in the country.
The Negative Effects Of Smoking
Tobacco, regardless of the means of consumption, can be exceedingly hazardous to one’s health. It is because it contains a lot of toxic chemicals, some of which are cancer-causing. These are some of the harmful components or chemicals:
- Benzene
- Nickel
- Vinyl chloride
- Beryllium
- Chromium
- Ethylene oxide
- Arsenic
- Acetaldehyde
Unfortunately and contrary to popular beliefs, smoking doesn’t harm the lungs alone, but it can also affect most, if not all, body parts and organs. Some of the adverse effects of this common addiction on the body include:
- Unhealthy teeth – tobacco stains the teeth, causing a yellowish-brownish color, often leading to low self-esteem issues.
- Poor vision – future vision problems, like glaucoma, cataracts, and macular degeneration are among the most common eye problems in smokers.
- Lung cancer – this one is the most common cause of preventable death among smokers of all genders.
- Constricted blood vessels – nicotine ingestion can restrict blood flow, leading to heart conditions like stroke, high blood pressure, and stroke.
- Wrinkly skin – this happens as a result of restricted blood flow and dry skin.
- Infertility – studies have shown that individuals who smoke can experience short-term or permanent infertility.
- Low sex drive – low sex drive also happens due to restricted blood flow and hormonal disturbances and contributes to infertility issues.
Emotional Effects of Smoking
Smoking has a variety of emotional consequences, which have been related to its calming effects on the brain. Nicotine initially gives a “pleasant” feeling of relaxation (typically within the first few minutes of smoking), eliminating any stress or anxiety the smoker may be experiencing.
Nonetheless, these feelings of relaxation are not permanent – they get milder with time, an effect that prompts the smoker to smoke again. It eventually becomes an addiction that comes with severe withdrawal symptoms, including a low mood, depression, anxiety, stress, anger, and others – all of which the smoker tries to manage by smoking more.
How It Works
Hypnotherapy to stop smoking helps both the therapist and the smoker explore the smoker’s subconscious mind in the search for the subconscious trigger/triggers of this negative behavior. The therapist may utilize various hypnotherapy approaches to help the smoker manage their triggers more positively once the root cause of the addiction has been identified.
For example, the therapist may train the smoker’s subconscious mind, which stores addictions and other learned behaviors to associate a trigger with the adverse effects of smoking, causing the smoker to develop thoughts of disgust whenever the urge to smoke hits them.
Of course, the technique or techniques used in hypnotherapy to stop smoking will depend on individual factors, including the duration of addiction, the smoker’s mental health, the underlying factors, and many others. What works for you may not work for another, and the number of sessions required may differ individually.
The key, however, is the smoker’s willingness to quit; the stronger their desire, the faster they’ll recover.
So, are you ready and willing to quit smoking? If you are, congratulations – you have already won half the battle, and a professional hypnotherapist can help you win the other half.
If you are ready to take this big step, help is available today – feel free to reach out and schedule an appointment: a fully licensed hypnotherapist with a positive history of helping smokers as you quit is waiting to walk the journey with you.