How to Stop Smoking
Stop-tober is just around the corner, and here at The Hampshire Hypnotherapy Centre and Counselling Centre, we have amazing stop-smoking hypnotherapy specialists.
We’re diving into understanding how the process works and why this method of quitting is so effective!
To understand how to effectively stop smoking, we first need to understand the reasons behind the habit which sustain it in the first place.These can be split into physical, psychological and emotional.
Physical
The physical side of smoking is the most talked about and treated part - as, at the end of the day, nicotine is addictive. More traditional stop smoking methods target this, with replacement patches, chewing gum or mouth/nasal sprays.Sometimes, however, the reason these methods of quitting are not successful in the long term is that there are other reasons which make up the habit. It is also worth noting that different people have different levels of susceptibility to nicotine addiction.
Emotional
For some people, their smoking habit has an emotional attachment. This could be because they believe that being a smoker is a large part of their identity. Or perhaps they associate smoking with a particular time, place or feeling. Although medically not the case, many people believe that smoking helps to calm down anxiety or stress.
Psychological
Smoking is a large part of someone's day-to-day routine, especially if they have been smoking for a long time, or smoke a large amount in a day. A large part of the psychology of smoking is the habit. This is why many people when they attempt to quit change to an e-cigarette or vape, as this replaces the habit which feels easier than cutting it out completely.
Cognitive Dissonance
James Holmes, co-director of OLIP Therapy, formerly The Hampshire Hypnotherapy and Counselling Centre, talks about cognitive dissonance in his book "How to Overcome the Bully in Your Brain":
The term cognitive dissonance is the mental discomfort that we experience when we try to maintain two conflicting beliefs, values, or attitudes. As humans, we tend to seek consistency in our attitudes and perceptions, so this conflict can cause feelings of unease. This inconsistency between what people believe and how they behave motivates actions that will help minimize discomfort. People attempt to relieve this tension in different ways, such as by rejecting, explaining away, or avoiding new information that contradicts those beliefs.Smoking for instance is a good example of cognitive dissonance. Without any doubt, smoking has been shown to cause numerous health complications. However, individuals who smoke will rationalise to themselves, and often others, why they still have the compulsion to smoke despite the obvious consequences. At a subconscious level, individuals will often struggle with the clash between reason and the beliefs surrounding maintaining unhealthy habits.
This means that identifying as a non-smoker, as soon as you decide to stop smoking, will help you immensely along the path to quitting. The brain won't be conflicting with actions, and cognitive ease will be achieved, making this new habit much easier to sustain.
Stop Smoking Hypnosis
Our stop-smoking sessions tackle all three parts of the smoking habit to help you kick the habit for good and become a fully-fledged ex-smoker! Our experts offer a single 2-hour session to do this! Here's what one of our clients said about the process
I went to The Hampshire Hypnotherapy and Counselling Centre in order to give up smoking. I was sceptical at first as I had been a heavy smoker for 48 years, but I kept an open mind. The session is incredible. Since my visit, I haven’t had, or craved, a cigarette in three months, and don’t have any intention of doing so. It was worth every penny as it has paid for itself since and more. I would highly recommend anyone considering becoming a nonsmoker to go to the centre - my experience with them was highly professional and relaxed.
To find out more about our sessions, visit our page here.