We have helped literally hundreds of people in Sheffield quit the smoking habit…
The Facts
People who smoke regularly and die of a smoking-related diseases lose, on average, sixteen years from their life expectancy compared to non-smokers. Smoking causes 84% of deaths from lung cancer and 83% of deaths from chronic obstructive lung disease, including bronchitis. Not only is your risk of dying from almost any cancer higher, but the likelihood that you will die from a smoking-related illness also greater.
Even if you live to a ripe old age, what sort of life will you have? In fact, at any age, you will have more wrinkles, lowered immunity, bad breath and smelly clothes and hair. Add to that the risk of reduced fertility, male impotence, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, kidney disease and high blood pressure, and it’s amazing that anyone smokes!
The Excuses
Many people continue to smoke because…
- it’s relaxing
- it’s sociable
- it helps them stay slim
- they’re addicted
- it relieves boredom
- it helps them feel confident
- it’s something to do with their hands
- it allows them to take a break
The Solutions
Of course, smoking does none of the above. But the reason we continue to smoke is that part of us wants to! Everyone who smokes has a part of them, often a subconscious part, that wants to continue, often for one of more of the above reasons. That part may have been there a long time and, despite all the evidence to the contrary, it believes that this particular smoker will escape death or ill-health and be one of the ‘lucky’ few who live to a healthy old age. It also does a good job of sabotaging any attempts to stop smoking, by having ‘just the one’ or putting off the day when we have to ‘give up’ cigarettes.
The Evidence
Hypnosis is the most effective way of giving up smoking, according to the largest ever scientific comparison of ways of breaking the habit. Willpower, it turns out, counts for very little. To find the most effective way to give up smoking, Frank Schmidt and research student Chockalingam Viswesvaran of the University of Iowa, carried out a meta-analysis, statistically combining the results of more than 600 studies covering almost 72,000 people from America, Scandinavia and elsewhere in Europe.
The results, published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, show that the average success rate for all methods was 19 per cent: that is, only about one in five smokers is likely to succeed using methods covered by the study. But for most smokers the most effective technique was hypnosis, in which smokers go into a state of deep relaxation and listen to suggestive tapes. The analysis of treatment by hypnosis, which included 48 studies covering over 6000 smokers, showed an average success rate of 30 per cent for this method.
Richard Doll, the epidemiologist who carried out the pioneering studies of the risks of smoking, said that the apparent success of hypnosis and the high quitting rate of patients with heart disease, backed his own observations. (New Scientist iss.1845, p6 – 31/10/1992)
Why Life Solutions?
You have already read the evidence that hypnosis is the most effective way of becoming a non-smoker. There are other techniques that are also useful. For example, EFT (emotional freedom technique) is a great way of dealing with cravings and can be taught in minutes, so that clients can easily gain control once their session with us is complete. Our LifeSolutions Stop Smoking package consists of: a detailed assessment to find out all about you and why you smoke, a two-hour session which employs a unique combination of CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy), Hypnosis, NLP (neuro linguistic programming) and EFT. In some cases we also add EMDR. Each session is unique and tailored to you as an individual.
You will receive a recording of your individual treatment, with effective hypnotic suggestions aimed to reduce cravings and increase motivation. Suggestions to help avoid weight gain are an integral part of the session.
Although we do not quote success rates, as this would be both unethical and impossible, we do get a large number of referrals from happy non-smokers, who are now enjoying the benefits of having more energy, feeling more in control, feeling physically fitter and healthier, having more money in their pocket, and being free of the inconveniences, worries and smells that cigarettes used to cause.
Get in touch - phone us now: 01246 416 544
For Therapists
For details of our masterclass in smoking cessation, with all you need to know about the most successful hypnotherapy techniques and a step-by-step guide to the most effective and successful client assessment process ever, please contact us for the dates of our next smoking cessation masterclass. This one-day course is one of our most popular CPD’s, allowing you to benefit from our 20+ years of experience in successful smoking cessation. Includes plenty of scripts and advice and information on both group and individual smoking cessation sessions. The fee is £95, which includes a detailed handbook (available on CD) and client handouts ready for copying.
