How Many Sessions Of Hypnosis Does It Take To Quit Smoking?

There’s no one right answer to this question. The number of sessions needed to quit smoking depends on the individual. However, in my practice, my general rule is just one session. Of course, some patients need a follow-up session, but I’ve found that for most people, one long session (2 hours or so) is enough to help them kick the habit.

The most important factor in determining how many sessions of hypnosis are necessary is how ready the patient is to quit. If someone’s truly ready to give up smoking, one session is usually enough; and if they’re not ready (or don’t even want to quit), it can take many sessions before they see results.

There are plenty of people who have smoked for decades and suddenly go cold turkey and never smoke again. These people have made a conscious decision that they were ready to quit and used willpower to kick the habit both consciously and subconsciously. They told themselves that they were going to quit and that was that. Like making any other major life change, making your mind up to achieve your goal is the first and most important step – call it setting an intention.

What Does It Mean To Set An Intention?

What this means is setting a clear goal in your own mind and deciding that you will achieve this goal, no matter what. Our minds are more powerful and more stubborn than you might think and once you’ve set your sights, you’ll be focused on doing what it takes to achieve your goal.

You’ll find yourself occupied with thoughts and emotions relating to your intention and it’s the emotions which really help you move forward. Emotions are powerful things which can give you the motivation you need to do almost anything if you feel strongly enough about it.

How Do People Manage To Quit Cold Turkey?

Simply put, they set their intention to give up the habit and they focus on becoming a non-smoker. This triggers an emotional response which reinforces their resolve to quit smoking. When conscious thoughts and emotions come together, the effect can be powerful – and this includes giving up smoking.

How Does Hypnosis Fit Into The Picture?

Hypnosis is one of the most powerful tools available to help people quit smoking quickly – as long as they’re truly ready to give up the habit, that is. Think back to the example of smokers who suddenly kick the habit because they start thinking of themselves as non-smokers. These thought patterns bring up emotions and strengthen their will to quit. The conscious mind decides to become a non-smoker and these thoughts filter into the subconscious, with the individual trying to quit taking on the psychological qualities of a non-smoker.

The advantage of hypnosis is that it’s not necessary to have the kind of determination that someone who successfully quits cold turkey does. Instead, the therapist guides their patients towards the kind of mindset that creates the right thought patterns and triggers the feelings needed to set an intention to quit.

If you really want to quit for your own sake, then you’ve already set your intention. A hypnotherapist can help things along by guiding your subconscious thought patterns towards a non-smoking mindset. You don’t have to reach the point where you’ve had enough with smoking – all you need is to genuinely want to quit. That’s half the battle right there; and hypnosis taps into the subconscious mind to lay the groundwork for lasting change, even after as little as one session in many patients.

Of course, some people need more than one session of hypnosis to quit smoking. Some people need a second session and a very small number need a third before the therapy brings about the changes they’d hoped for.

Ultimately, the number of hypnotherapy sessions matters less than making sure that appropriate post-hypnotic sessions are implanted. Once this is done, the patient is well on the way to becoming – and staying – smoke free for good.

Erika Slater CH
Director
Free At Last Hypnosis
www.smoke-free-at-last.com

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Getting and Staying Well – Healthy Habits that Endure

If you have been ill then naturally you want to get well. But you do not just want to get better, you also want to maintain your health once you reach that point. Let us look at some useful suggestions for getting well and from there, staying well.

To take stock of your health you need to speak up and make sure that you are heard! Ask questions of your healthcare provider in order to understand the health issues that you are facing. An informative question and answer session will make it possible for you to get better results.

Make an effort to always keep your appointments as scheduled. Every one of the visits you have with whatever type of practitioner you are seeing builds on the one before it and gets you one step closer to a better level of maintenance for your health.

Move your body however, whenever and wherever you can! Physical activity is important because the body was designed to move. Whether you walk, bike, dance, skate, work out at the gym or play a team sport, move your body often as this improves your health and makes you more flexible.

Massage is very therapeutic for your body and your mind. It can relax your muscles and joints and it is very good for the psyche. Get a massage as often as you can to relieve stress in your body.

Better nutrition is essential to helping you to get better and to stay better. You will heal faster if you provide your body with the necessary raw materials. Eat a healthy and well balanced diet every day. Commit yourself to eating the healthiest foods that you can afford. Buy local produce and start your own garden if that is a possibility for you. Eat as much “raw” fruits and vegetables as you can as this is the best way of getting nutrients into your body.

Drink more water. Your body is made up of mainly water. You lose water frequently through sweat, urine and tears so you need to replenish it every day. It is imperative that you consume enough water every day. If you eat lots of raw foods – not meats – then you’ll get a lot of your water requirements this way.

So many people do not get enough sleep every night. Are you one of them? Restful slumber is important for your health and well-being. It is rejuvenating and restorative for everyone. You need to get enough sleep every night so your body can make the repairs it needs to make. During sleep the body works to heal itself.

Cut back on the caffeine you consume. Just like other drugs, caffeine is a drug that affects your nervous system. You need to drink less coffee and fewer soft drinks. Caffeine as well as many of the other harmful ingredients found in soda pop has been linked to numerous health problems. Drink less soft drinks or preferably give them up all together.

Stop smoking to improve your health and to remain on the positive health track. The health risks involved in smoking are well documented. It is never too late to quit.

Drink alcohol in moderation. When you do so you can enjoy the health benefits but heavy drinking will negatively impact your health and the efforts you are making to get well and stay well.

Samantha

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Do You Ever Ask Yourself “Why Am I Not Getting Better?”

Many people who have been sick or have suffered an injury from a fall or an accident sometimes expect their recovery to be very swift. When they do not receive the fastest relief possible they get discouraged. They are supposed to heal quickly (or so the drug advertisements say). Right?

If the slow pace of your healing process has got you down then there could be numerous explanations for that, and some of this can be self-inflicted by accident. Here’s some suggestions for you.

Missed Visits:

If you are supposed to be seeing your family doctor, a specialist or an alternative care practitioner (such as a chiropractor) on a regular basis and have missed some appointments then this could slow down the rate at which your recovery is taking place. The recommendations of medical professionals are based on the results seen in other people who have similar health conditions and challenges.

Each one of your visits builds on the one before. If you have been absent for an appointment (or two, or three) then that may stall your healing. Consistency is required to create the momentum that is a necessary element of the healing process.

Lacking Resolve:

Resolve is the determination needed to accomplish something. It is determination that is firm and strong, as opposed to being flimsy and weak. Healing is a process that does not take place over night and it varies from one individual to another. When you lack resolve it can take longer for you to get better and sometimes even slide back!

Outside Interference:

There may be things you are doing that are impeding your progress that you do not realize are interfering with your body’s ability to heal itself properly. For instance, if you are over exerting yourself this can slow the rate at which you heal. Repetitive motions can also affect your body’s rate of recuperation, as can heavy lifting and other motions that you have been cautioned not to do. You need to listen carefully to your healthcare practitioner and then follow through!

Self Sabotage:

Nobody wants to believe that they could be sabotaging their own efforts to heal but perhaps you are and you do not even realize it. There are a number of choices you could be making for your lifestyle that could be inhibiting your optimal level of health and wellness.

Are you being proactive when it comes to what you do after you leave your doctor’s office? To put it another way, are you doing everything necessary to support the care that you receive from your healthcare provider?  Perhaps you will told that you should change your diet, drink more water, get more exercise or get more rest. If you are not doing what you were strongly recommended to do then this is a form of self sabotage.

Be aware that carrying too much weight on your body and the use of tobacco can diminish your ability to recuperate in a swift manner. If this is you then stop adversely affecting your recovery by sabotaging your efforts.

Some ailments are stubborn to leave our body, but given the right nutrients and habits our bodies are wonderful machines to help us recover – just make sure you’re giving it the right environment to fix itself.

Becca

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