by Rebekah Aura Nemethy

Created on: August 28, 2009   Last Updated: September 11, 2009

Smoking is not only a physical addiction, but a psychological addiction as well. Most smokers follow patterns; they smoke as a stress-reliever, they smoke after a meal, they smoke on their breaks from work, and breaking from the tradition in which they smoke can be just as difficult as weaning off the nicotine.

Most quit-smoking aids rely on nicotine replacement therapy. Gum, patches, pills, and prescription drugs, such as nicotine nasal spray and inhalers all aim to satisfy the chemical dependency that smokers have, but none of them focus on the psychological reasons for smoking like hypnotism does.

Many people will use these replacement therapies longer than is suggested and some will completely replace cigarettes with gum or patches. While this is healthier than smoking it is also more expensive.

You can easily find a hypnotist that charges under $150 for a one-on-one session. Most hypnotists will suggest that you come in multiple times but some only require one session and then include a CD of your session so that you can listen to it before bed each night. You can also look for group sessions at a much lower cost, but be aware that you will probably not get the attention your personal case requires.

Hypnotists will usually use one of two techniques to help you quit smoking. Either they use negative reinforcement or positive reinforcement. In the former technique you concentrate on associating cigarettes with a negative image, such as a photos of a smoker's lung or anything that truly disgusts you.

With positive reinforcement you train your subconscious to replace the addiction of smoking with other more beneficial habits, such as drinking water, or chewing Trident. With this technique you can also add a good habit to your life instead of simply subtracting the bad one. The power of suggestion on our subconscious is far more powerful than we are aware of.

A good hypnotist will interview you beforehand. You should prepare yourself to answer the following questions before you meet with your hypnotist:

What is your main reason for smoking? Do you smoke to relieve stress, or to stimulate yourself?

When do you smoke most often? Do you smoke more when you're bored or stressed?

Why do you want to quit smoking? Is it mostly the health problems associated with smoking, the high cost of cigarettes, or the way non-smokers react to you?

If you're a smoker, odds are that many or all of these answers apply to you, but to what extremes? You need to figure out what personally drives you most to smoke.

If you're worried about going to meet with a stranger you can always take the self-hypnotism route. Although there are hundreds of pre-made CDs on the market, it is much better to research self-hypnosis and record your own session. You know yourself better than any generic CD. There are plenty of books on self-hypnosis to help you quit smoking where you're most comfortable: at home.

Here are some resources to help you get started:

http://www.registeredhypnotist.com/client.cgi Find a certified hypnotist close to you with this directory.

http://www.viahypnosis.com/qualifiedhypnotherapist.h tm This is a must read article about what to look for in a hypnotherapist, including credentials, practices, and questions to ask before hypnosis. This site is full of valuable information, check out the 'Self-Hypnosis' link to the left, it's a great quick-start guide for beginners.

http://www.lakesidetherapy.com/index.htm You can order personalized CDs from this site. Before your CD is made you will be asked to answer some questions so that the hypnosis will apply specifically to you.

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