Alternative Healing

Many alternative methods to quit smoking have arisen in recent years, as many of the drugs used for smoking cessation can have adverse side effects. These side effects include headaches, feeling lightheaded, nausea, drowsiness, and upset stomach, to name a few. When you’re trying to quit, the last thing you need is another problem.

Hypnosis is one popular new method, and the results have been rather positive. There are different types of hypnosis: hypnosis by a licensed hypnotherapist and self-induced hypnosis.

What is hypnosis? Hypnosis can be defined as: an artificially-induced altered state of consciousness, characterized by heightened suggestibility and receptivity to direction.

That being said, hypnosis can be considered a form of meditation. The hypnotherapist guides you through a relaxing meditation, making you and your subconscious mind more susceptible to positive suggestion.

The subconscious mind doesn’t seem to differentiate between reality and imagined reality. So, in short, if you can imagine yourself a non-smoker, your subconscious mind will absorb that and “believe” you are a non-smoker.

This may not be the easiest thing to do by yourself, so a hypnotherapist can guide you in the right direction. This is not a sleep-like state you are put in; rather, it’s a relaxed state where the mind is awake and alert. In most cases you are still in total control of yourself and can snap yourself out of it if desired, so it’s not as scary as it sounds!

Self-hypnosis (or auto-suggestion) is the practice of guiding yourself through a relaxing meditation and implanting images or thoughts into your mind with the goal of influencing the subconscious. This can be done in many different ways to quit smoking.

One method is to hold the image or feeling of being a non-smoker in your mind as much as possible through the day, acting as if you are already smoke-free. Another method is to repeat an affirmation over and over again at different times of the day, like “I can stop smoking, and can live a healthy smoke-free life.”

This method was made popular by French psychologist Emile Coue. Ever heard the old adage “everyday, in every way, I am getting better and better”?

The question on your mind now may be, will these methods actually work? As for self-hypnosis, this is an effective way to quit, but takes practice and will. For some people, this may sound like a little too much when they already have the weight of quitting on their shoulders.

Hypnosis by a licensed therapist has been a proven method for many people. In some studies there has been a success rate as high as 66%. The combination of seeing a hypnotherapist and using self-hypnosis could be beneficial as well. If you see a hypnotherapist, he or she might be able to aid you more with what you can do on your own.

Barbara Williamson