Cigarette smoking is one of the major causes of health complications in the world. Some of those who smoke always express the desire to stop the habit despite the overwhelming desire to continue. Currently, smoking cessation programs have been developed to reduce the effects of smoking among the affected and reduce the number of deaths resulting from it. These efforts have been enhanced by recent studies that have made it easy to understand nicotine addiction and its psychopharmacology. However, the addictive nature of cigarettes often make it hard to quit smoking as many of those who start the process of often face a lot of challenges. The failure of conventional medicine to address these challenges has increased the need for complementary therapies, hence making hypnotherapy one of the popular alternative treatments for cigarette smokers. The proponents of hypnotherapy argue that this alternative therapy may induce self-motivation and regulation, thereby leading to abstinence. Several researchers conducted studies to determine the efficacy of hypnosis in treating cigarette smokers, and some of these have since confirmed that the therapy is a reliable method of inducing abstinence.
Hasan et al. (2014) examined the role of hypnotherapy in treating patients with cardiac or pulmonary disease. The patients were enrolled in a behavioral counseling-based smoking cessation program to help them quit their smoking habits. The overall effect of this therapy combined with hypnosis was compared with that of Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT). The participants in this study were categorized under three groups depending on the type of therapy they were receiving, such as NRT alone, hypnotherapy only, and hypnotherapy and NRT combined. The hypnotherapy group were taken through hypnotherapy sessions administered to each individual within 1-2 weeks after hospital discharge. This was a 90-minute session administered by a certified hypnotherapist. All the participants were then examined based on their tobacco abstinence after undergoing treatment. It was determined that hypnosis can be more effective than the normal pharmacotherapy combined with NRT in inducing abstinence through behavior change. It was determined that patients who undergone hypnotherapy were more likely to resist smoking after 26 weeks of hospital discharge than those who were treated with NRT combined with counseling. Combining hypnotherapy with NRT did not enhance smoking cessation more than it was achieved with hypnotherapy alone.
Similarly, Bollinger, Beadling & Waters (2020) examined if hypnosis can be used to reduce the classic Stroop effect in patients with high hypnotic suggestibility. The researchers also examined how hypnosis affects craving for cigarettes. The study participants were first taken through hypnotic induction and deepening followed by hypnotic suggestions. The researchers found that for individuals with high levels of hypnotic susceptibility, there was no indication that hypnotic suggestions reduced the effects of classic Stroop or smoking Stroop on smokers. However, hypnotic susceptibility significantly moderated the effects of hypnotic suggestion on craving. This means that individuals with high levels of hypnotic susceptibility realized high degrees of reduced cigarette craving. The most striking finding of this study is that susceptibility to hypnotic suggestions had a moderating effect on the relationship between hypnotic suggestions and craving. The researchers conclude that hypnotic suggestions can be used to induce abstinence through its effects on cigarette craving.
These studies show that hypnosis is an effective alternative therapy that can be used to reduce cigarette smoking and lead to abstinence. The use of alternative therapies has increased due to the failure of the current pharmacotherapies to address nicotine addiction. Thus, hypnotherapy can be effectively used to ameliorate the effects of cigarette smoking and even the number of deaths caused by various illnesses it causes.
References
Bollinger, J. W., Beadling, C. W., & Waters, A. J. (2020). Effect of hypnotic suggestion on cognition and craving in smokers. Addictive Behaviors Reports, 11, 100220.
Hasan, F. M., Zagarins, S. E., Pischke, K. M., Saiyed, S., Bettencourt, A. M., Beal, L., … & McCleary, N. (2014). Hypnotherapy is more effective than nicotine replacement therapy for smoking cessation: Results of a randomized controlled trial. Complementary therapies in medicine, 22(1), 1-8.
Melvin S. Marsh is a certified hypnotherapist serving Atlanta GA, Augusta GA, Statesboro GA, and Savannah GA. He performs hypnotherapy appointments both in person and worldwide virtually. He can be reached at www.afterhourshypnotherapy.com .
