Can Hypnotherapy Help With Smoking Cessation?

Yes, it can help many people stop smoking, particularly people who want to stop but find that the urge keeps winning. Hypnotherapy works with the habit and the triggers behind it rather than relying on willpower alone. It works best when the decision to stop is your own.

Why stopping is hard even when you want to

Most smokers already know the health reasons, and many have tried to stop before. Nicotine is part of the difficulty, but the habit is the bigger part for many people. Cigarettes become tied to particular moments: stepping outside after a meal, waiting for a bus, a break at work, a glass of wine, a difficult phone call. In those moments your hand reaches for a cigarette before you have decided anything.

How hypnotherapy helps you stop

First, at the free consultation, I ask when and why you smoke and what made you decide to stop. Then, once you are relaxed in hypnosis, we go through those moments one by one. You rehearse them without a cigarette while feeling calm, your reasons for stopping are strengthened, and we look at the stress or boredom that smoking used to cover. I adapt every session to the person, because two smokers rarely have the same triggers.

Is one session enough?

Many of my patients notice a change after the first session, and some find it is all they need. Others like a further session to strengthen the change. For smoking, the first session is currently £249 and any further session is £100. Allow between one and two hours for a session.

How to prepare

1. Choose your session date and treat it as the day you stop.
2. Write down your own reasons for stopping, such as health, money, family or the freedom of not needing a cigarette.
3. Tell the people around you, so that they can support you.
4. After the session, remove cigarettes, lighters and ashtrays from your home, car and bags.
5. Think about what you will do in the moments when you used to smoke.
6. If you take regular medication, tell your GP or pharmacist that you are stopping, because smoking can affect how some medicines work.

What about cravings and withdrawal?

In the first weeks after stopping, some people feel irritable or restless, find it harder to concentrate or notice a bigger appetite. These feelings usually ease with time. Hypnotherapy can help you stay calm when they come, and you can also use nicotine replacement or other support alongside it if you wish. Your GP or pharmacist can tell you what suits you.

What if I slip?

One cigarette does not mean you have failed or that the work is lost. Notice what led to it, whether it was stress, alcohol or being with other smokers, and treat it as information. If you find yourself slipping more than once, get in touch, and we can look at what happened.

Who it may not suit

Hypnotherapy will not make you stop if you do not want to. If someone else is pushing you to quit, it is better to wait until the wish is yours. For safety, I do not work with people who have epilepsy or who experience any kind of hallucination.

Sessions take place by video or in person at 165 Borough High Street, London. If you are ready to stop, you can arrange a free consultation from the home page and tell me about your smoking habit.

I am Shahin Gurbanov, and I am glad to help you stop smoking for good on your own terms.