like emotions and moods; strong one day and weak the next. Hypnosis works by putting people into a relaxed state of mind in which they are more receptive to a suggestion.
Most hypnotherapists offer one or two sessions to quit smoking and a few free follow-up sessions, if needed. A therapist first gathers information about smoker’s personal reasons for taking to smoking, “What purpose did it serve in his life?” Finally, he works on purging the desire to smoke.
Usually there are two reasons for people to take up smoking: identification or replacement.
Identification is the reason when the person smokes because he admires other people who smoke, such as peers, or celebrities, and wants to be like them.
This is especially true when a loved family member smoked.
Also in this category would be what is commonly referred to in our society as
“social smoking”, the urge to light up with friends and share the experience.
Replacement is when smoking is taken up to replace some other habit, like overeating or to replace something that is lost, such as love, friendship, confidence, self-respect. Or to cure loneliness or fill up emptiness created by worry or monotony. The taste of tobacco or the sense of a cigarette in their mouth gives pleasure to these people. Essentially it is a substitute, and people who smoke for this reason have many “triggers” that they need to learn to spot if they are to effectively not smoke.
Smoking is both a mental and physical process for both identification and replacement smokers. Thus, to be successful, the quit smoking program ought to attend to both these aspects.
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