How to stop smoking

To write an article on how to stop smoking would be impossible. Each session that we do for smoking cessation is as individual as the person. What works for one person may not work for another. What we can do, however, is describe what works for the majority of our clients in a generic way. There is a high possibility that using these methods that you will be able to stop – it will just you longer to go through the material than it will for us to guide you though the one or two sessions that we offer for smoking cessation.

There are a number of videos on this page. Take your time to absorb the information in each of them.

Psychological and physical aspects of the smoking addiction

The physical element of the addiction is generated by the nicotine. However, it takes less than a few days for this to totally leave the body. Once you have managed to do this, there is only the psychological aspect to deal with.

The psychological element is generally based around your beliefs about what smoking does for you. For example, you may believe that smoking relaxes you when you are stressed, or that it gives you more social confidence. However these are illusions – for instance when you smoke your heart rate increases. If the cigarette were to relax you, your heart rate would slow down not speed up!

There may be other beliefs that you have about smoking, and we will look at those a bit later on. Now, we will take a quick look at a couple of common worries that people often have about stopping smoking.

Common worries about stopping smoking

Many people are worried about what they are going to do with their hands when they stop. Once a person is stopped, then they will not think about this. It's a bit like a person that doesn’t play the violin worrying about not playing the violin.

Another common worry is that once stopped a person will put on weight. Many people that put on weight after they stop do so because they are substituting the nicotine addiction for a nibbling addiction. This is because they are covering up the craving by snacking instead of dealing with it properly.

Dealing with the craving

The first thing that we deal with when we see a client is the craving element. You will recognize this as the "I want a cigarette". In most cases we stop this within the first 20 minutes of the session using a technique called EFT. This is a simple technique, and is related to acupressure, and involves gently tapping different parts of the body. Specifics of where and how to tap can be found on their website. The main website offers a free download showing with detailed instructions. Instructional DVDs are also available at a reasonable price. EFT Website

Dealing with the psychological aspect

People's beliefs about smoking are strong – if they weren't it would be easy to stop a smoker from smoking. In our hypnotherapy clinic we use methods that are based on Allen Carr's methods.

In his lifetime, Allen Carr built up a worldwide organization with the sole purpose of stopping people from smoking with no effort. Allen Carr was once himself a smoker, smoking 60 – 100 cigarettes a day. In 1983, after countless attempts to stop using the willpower method he discovered a method which he called "Easy-Way". It is this same method that is being used in his clinics decades later with over a 90 percent success rate.

This method of stopping smoking removes the beliefs that smoking helps to handle stress, improve concentration and confidence amongst others. Take a look at the following videos that contain information on Allen Carr and his methods.

By itself the easy way is a highly successful method that stops thousands of smokers every year kick the habit. It is available in book, audio CD, CD-ROM and DVD format from Amazon.

So, were does hypnosis fit in to this?

We use hypnosis as the glue to hold everything above together. Hypnosis provides the motivation to keep going and stay stopped. Hypnosis also unleashes the confidence that will enable you to stay stopped even when confronted with other smokers.

Plus, if you've ever experience hypnosis before, you will understand about the relaxing qualities that it can bring. This is the key to real stress relief.

Here are some hypnosis products that we can recommend: