1. Alcohol issues
2. Anxiety
3. Bed wetting
4. Confidence issues
5. Diabetes
6. Eating disorders
7. Exam nerves
8. Fibromyalgia
9. Hypertension
10. IBS
11. Insomnia
12. Interviews
13. Jealousy
14. Low moods
15. OCD
16. Pain management
17. Panic attacks
18. Mild phobias
19. Public speaking
20. Sleep
21. Sports performance
22. Stage fright
23. Stop Smoking
24. Stress management
25. Weight loss

Stoptober according to government feedback was a success

The government backed the NHS on a stop smoking incentive - Stoptober - to stop smoking in October. So where is the hypnotherapy in all this? Well when I once asked a doctor, he told me there wasn't enough research. Funny that I have found many research documents saying that it's a highly effective way of stopping.

Statistics on the effectiveness of hypnotherapy

When you look closer at methods of giving up, many of them include drugs of some description, and this could give us some idea of who is behind the arguement that hypnotherapy is ineffective. The amount of money generated in gums, drugs, patches is huge, compared to those who spend one or two sessions in hypnotherapy. No wonder they don't want you to know how effective hypnosis can be.

Stop Smoking with Hypnotherapy

Addiction to tobacco is more psychological than physical, if you had to fly on a plane for 11 hours without smoking, you would be able to because your subconscious accepts the fact and does not promote the habit until all the barriers are out of the way

If you don't want to stop smoking, but have been told to by a doctor then I'm afraid hypnotherapy won't help you. If you've made the decision to stop, this helps any barriers left. Many people each day give up smoking without any aids, showing it can be done, it just depends on how much you want to give up, and what you are prepared to put up with. Most who give up without any aids say they just need to be more careful in certain situations. Being mindful about the times you're most vulnerable certainly helps, and you can avoid the situations.

Latest research in the States, reported in the American Journal of Medicine has shown hypnotherapy has it's place in the toolkit for smoking cessation. They report that it works just as well as medication and can be used as an alternative for those who do not want to take medications.

Go to American Journal of Medicine for more details.

The part of the brain that promotes the smoking, is also responsible for negative emotions, so someone highly stressed or has problems dealing with emotional issues may turn to smoking as a way to help calm them down. Unfortunately it does the opposite. Smoking will create high blood pressure as the body thinks it's in danger and turns on the fight or flight mechanism. If you have tried giving up many times then looking at your lifestyle and stress levels will certainly help.

How many sessions will I need for stop smoking?

Many hypnotherapists work from a one off 2 hour session, however I have found that is more effective if the person has had hypnotherapy before. Anyone who is a bit nervous, I find doing 1 hour consultation and relaxation, followed a week later by the stop smoking is more effective as people take time to get used to being in the trance state.

Please bear this in mind when you come to book a stop smoking session.

I have had clients from all over the UK, and Europe come for Stop Smoking sessions. The furthest was Poland, and two years after she gave up, my clients husband decided to fly over and see me.

Stress and Smoking - a case study

Dave (not his real name) came to see me to stop smoking. He admitted he smoked most when he was at his most stressed out. I asked him how stressed he was at the moment and he was very stressed. His wife had told him he had to stop or she would leave him, this of course would send anyone's stress levels sky high.

The other source of stress was his work, he was in charge of a department, but his work meant he was out of the office most of the time, so when he came back into the office he had to catch up. The department was going through problems, everyone was grumpy, negative, there was a lack of motivation.

When I asked him the question "If tonight when you go to bed a miracle happens, but because you were asleep you don't know a miracle has happened, what would the first signs be at work, that something special has happened?".

From the answers he gave it was quite evident that he needed to sort it out and soon. I suggested to him that I could help him coach his staff, so he agreed and for the next 3 weeks I taught him the Solution focused approach. Over the next 3 weeks he reported back to me that it was working. The mood in the office was much improved. He had offloaded some of his own work onto one of the admin staff, and everyone was doing a fairer share.

We then worked with the SF approach in psychotherapy to improve his relationship with his wife. After a couple of sessions he realised he had to stop being so selfish, that the independence she was looking for came in the form as starting up her own business. Dave now realised how stressful this was for her, so started to pay more attention and being more interested in her venture.

By week 6 Dave found he was much improved in his stress, so I carried out a stop smoking session. He stopped, was happier about his relationship and his work life.

Sometimes you need to sort out your lifestyle, relationships and job, as the level of stress can impact on your habits.