Self Health Loops

The World Health Organization and the Surgeon General know quite well scare tactics don’t work. Warnings on cigarette packs and the WHO study that says tobacco makes 5.4 million kills per year are no match to nicotine addiction. Cigarette smoke carries tar, which contains more than 1,000 chemicals, including more than 60 compounds that are known to cause cancer, but for most nicotine addicts, only death or terminal disease can make them stop smoking.

Quitting smoking is quit hard. The common short-term effects of smoking cessation are increased irritability, depression, anxiety, restlessness, insomnia, difficulty concentrating, increased appetite, rhinorrhea (runny nose), cough, and increased susceptibility to upper respiratory tract infections. These side effects, however, are minor compared to the health benefits of smoking cessation.

There is a long list of support tools and techniques that can increase a smoker’s chances of successfully quitting, if he doesn’t have enough will power to quit cold turkey. A smoker can try nicotine patches, gums lozenges, sprays and inhalers. Support groups are a dial away and self-help guides are within reach. A smoker can try aromatherapy and vaporizers, kava- or chamomile-based preparations, and any of those tobacco-free herbal cigarettes. Others suggest laser therapy, acupuncture, even spirituality. And there’s this popular if controversial newcomer: hypnotherapy.

Contemporary research suggests that hypnosis is actually a wakeful state of focused attention and heightened suggestibility, with diminished peripheral awareness. The use of hypnosis in psychotherapy is called hypnotherapy. Physicians and psychiatrists may use hypnosis to help treat depression, anxiety, eating disorders, sleep disorders, compulsive gaming, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Of course, it also works for people who want to stop smoking.

Whether or not hypnosis quit-smoking sessions are really effective in the long run has been debated by experts. However, there has been much research conducted regarding the treatments, and the consensus is that hypnosis treatments are just as effective as the products that help people stop smoking. During a hypnosis session, the therapist may repeat certain phrases discussing the unhealthy nature of smoking, and he or she may give certain cues that help the patient avoid or deal with his or her cravings.

The best thing about hypnotherapy is that it does not introduce any new drug into your system. It’s all in your head, as they say. Amazingly, you don’t even have to find a hypnotherapist to try it. Certified hypnotherapists Jesse Berg and Steven B. Schneider have created the ‘Quit Smoking Hypnosis MP3.’ They won’t guarantee any miracle but if you listen to the audio, you’ll feel different the next time you take a drag on that cigarette, if you still can.