How to Quit Smoking Using Ericksonian Hypnotherapy

Alan Densky asked:


If you are someone who is trying to quit smoking cigarettes, you know how tough it is to eliminate this damaging compulsion. It is possible however, and half of all adult smokers are able to quit smoking forever. Many smokers have been able to quit smoking cigarettes by replacing them with new, more positive habits without having to suffer through withdrawal symptoms. By far, the most effective and easiest method to quit smoking and accomplish this end is hypnotherapy.

Quit smoking hypnosis is one of the most commonly practiced forms of hypnosis. It is often cited as a tool to quit smoking along with strategies such as the use of nicotine gums and patches and other popular methods. It helps end the smoking addiction by combating cravings for cigarettes, motivating you to stay committed to quitting, and promoting relaxation and stress relief so you will not feel the urge to smoke.

The smoking addiction has both physiological and psychological components. The physiological addiction is a physical need the body acquires for nicotine. This aspect of the addiction is what causes the withdrawal symptoms that make it initially feel near impossible to quit smoking. However, this is a short, temporary stage in the overall course of quitting smoking, lasting only between three days and one week. By the end of this time period, your body acclimates to usual, nicotine-free functioning. Based on thirty years of experience, I believe that the physical need for nicotine constitutes only ten percent of the addiction to smoking.

By far, the most challenging part of breaking the smoking addiction is overcoming the psychological addiction, which are the mental and emotional aspects of smoking. I believe this represents ninety percent of the smoking addiction. When you develop a smoking habit, you develop an unconscious desire to smoke at certain times, such as when watching TV. This is called a conditioned response. Quit smoking self-hypnosis helps eliminate the unconscious associations that cause one to crave cigarettes, thereby eliminating the conditioned response to smoke. Hypnotherapy also helps you stay motivated to give up smoking by reinforcing the ideas that gave you the wish to break the smoking addiction in the first place.

Smokers get stuck in the habit of following a ritual of lighting up and smoking. This is why people who attempt to quit smoking using nicotine patches or gums alone usually have such a difficult experience. They quickly overcome the physical addiction, but they have no replacement or relief for the ritual of smoking cigarettes, which has become a habit and pleasurable source of stress relief. Self-hypnosis techniques eliminate this habit and serve as stress reducers as well. As a relaxation tool, hypnosis helps effectively relieve anxiety and stress so you will lose the cravings for cigarettes.

Combined with some powerful NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) techniques, stop smoking self-hypnosis can keep you committed to kicking the habit by training the unconscious mind to focus on the benefits of quitting. Eliminating tobacco benefits you in numerous ways. Within days of quitting, body parts damaged by smoking begin to heal, damaged nerves re-grow, and the sense of taste and smell improves significantly. Within a few weeks, lung function and blood circulation improve. Within one year, your risk of heart disease is less than half that of a smoker. Within five to fifteen years, the risk of having a stroke is the same as a non-smoker. Your risk of heart disease is the same as someone who has never smoked at all, and the risk of death from lung cancer and numerous other cancer risks have decreased.

In spite of the harmful effects of smoking and the benefits of quitting, some smokers never overcome their harmful addiction. For the most part, this is because they have never really committed to quitting. Other smokers are afraid to suffer through withdrawal symptoms or give up the smoking habit. However, quitting smoking does not have to be the difficult process that makes so many smokers hesitant to even attempt quitting. Hypnotherapy provides a very simple, natural method of quitting.

Hypnosis is a powerful tool for easing cravings for cigarettes, providing powerful motivation, and promoting relaxation and stress relief to eliminate the psychological aspects of the smoking addiction. Stop smoking hypnosis techniques can be easily learned from specialized self-hypnosis CDs that have been developed after decades of experience using hypnosis, Neuro-VISION video hypnotherapy, and NLP to get clients to quit smoking.

Hypnotherapy CDs make it easy to quit smoking for good because they break the smoking compulsion in a process that helps eliminate cravings and the desire to smoke. Whatever your motivation is for quitting, hypnosis and NLP makes it easier to focus your mind on these reasons, which makes you feel a great urge to quit. Stop smoking hypnosis CDs eliminate the impulse to smoke. Although quitting smoking can be a painful and unsuccessful experience for some, those who take advantage of stop smoking self hypnosis have a much greater rate of success because it makes the process much easier. Hypnotherapy is the most effective method for smoke cessation.

Quit Smoking With a Little Help From Zyban, Chantrix

Mark Smith asked:


Smoking Cessation Information Center. Quit Smoking… With a Little Help From Your Friends…

You’ve decided. This time, you’re really ready to quit smoking. And you aren’t going to take no for an answer.

So, how do you ensure that your determination to stop smoking delivers results that last? How do you convince yourself, and everyone else, that this isn’t just another cold turkey experiment doomed to end in failure, like those other times?

If you’ve tried going it alone or using quit smoking aids like nicotine gum and patches all to no avail, maybe it’s time to try something new… to give yourself a fighting chance. After all, this could literally be the fight of your life.

Do You Need Help to Stop Smoking?

You probably could use some outside help to stop smoking if:



You have tried hard to quit smoking or cut back but haven’t been able to.

You want to stop smoking for good, but just keep puffing away.

You find you need more cigarettes to get the same good feeling you used to get from them.

When you try to stop smoking, you have unpleasant withdrawal symptoms like cigarette cravings, anxiety, irritability, headaches, stomachaches, restlessness, drowsiness and difficulty concentrating.

You have a serious health problem you know is made worse by tobacco use (like heart or breathing problems) but you just can’t quit smoking.



 

If any of these sound like you, it may be time to ask your doctor about prescription quit smoking aids and how to get the most out of them.

The Facts About Prescription “Helpers”: Zyban and Chantix

There are two main prescription-only tablets on the market being prescribed by doctors to help their patients quit smoking: Zyban and Chantix. They are both nicotine-free products taken in tablet form to help reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms. But they have distinct differences.

Quit Smoking With Zyban

Zyban works on brain chemicals, reducing your urge to smoke and lessening the withdrawal symptoms. This makes it easier for many users to quit smoking and stay quit. You take a Zyban pill twice a day and then decide on a date to stop smoking, usually in the second week of taking Zyban.

Zyban makes the process of quitting easier by minimizing the withdrawal symptoms outlined earlier and controlling your nicotine cravings. Its active ingredient, bupropion, is also contained in Wellbutrin, a prescription anti-depressant.

It’s important to note that Zyban is NOT a magic bullet. It works for about 1/3 of users who were able to quit smoking for at least a month with its help. That success rate drops off over time. Your chances will be increased if you use Zyban in combination with a stop smoking support program or counseling.

Zyban is possibly the best known and most prescribed smoking cessation aid, but a newer product – Chantix – actually boasts a higher success rate.

Quit Smoking With Chantix

Chantix is also a prescription-only medication taken orally to help quit smoking. Like Zyban, it contains no nicotine so if needed it can be used with nicotine replacement products like gum or patches. You take one Chantix for the first three days of treatment, and then two a day until treatment ends.

The documentation on Chantix quotes independent studies that show Chantix is better at helping participants kick the habit: it says 44% were able to stop smoking with Chantix while only 30% quit while on Zyban.

This could be because Chantix is a considerably different product with unique properties. Its active ingredient is varenicline, not bupropion. And it has a dual action mechanism to help stop smoking:



Even though Chantix doesn’t contain any nicotine, it provides the body with some nicotine-like effects that help ease the cravings and withdrawal symptoms.

And Chantix also works to block the effects of nicotine on the brain to reduce the pleasure reward of smoking.



 

Summing Up

Treatment with both Zyban and Chantix lasts at least 12 weeks, maybe longer if you need additional support to stay off cigarettes. Your doctor is the best person to ask about which product is better for you. He or she will take into account any medical conditions you may have and drugs you currently use to ensure no negative interactions.

If it’s time for you to stop smoking, we can help – with information and with the lowest drug prices on the Internet. Follow these links to get more details and to order online:

Learn more about Zyban here.

Learn more about Chantix here.