| If you have tried every possible route to stopping | | | | receptive to what he wants to tell you. |
| smoking and nothing has worked, perhaps it is time to | | | | There is usually one main session which lasts around |
| try hypnosis to stop smoking. Many people claim that | | | | an hour to an hour and a half. Then there are some |
| this is the only really sure-fire way to giving up. | | | | self-instruction tapes or CDs to take away and |
| Hypnosis is not the thing that you see in the movies | | | | practise on your own. These are essential. Once the |
| and on TV. It is not really possible to make people into | | | | main message has been delivered, then a certain |
| mind-controlled robots using hypnosis. You can't | | | | amount of reinforcement is required to keep you on |
| hypnotise someone and then phone them up and say | | | | the straight path. |
| a trigger word and get them to do silly things. Or make | | | | Smoking is such an addictive habit. The nicotine enters |
| them say 'beep' every time they hear the word | | | | your brain and causes the pleasure centres to fire. |
| chicken. | | | | Once this has become a habit then it is very difficult to |
| Instead, it is a series of positive affirmations delivered | | | | stop. Of course it is! Some people try for years using |
| under a state of extreme relaxation. So the hypnotist | | | | will power alone, or nicotine gum or patches. But they |
| might get you to totally relax by giving you special | | | | constantly crave the next fix. It is possible that the only |
| instructions. Then, under this fully relaxed condition, you | | | | thing needed is a little nudge in the right direction and |
| mind will be more open to suggestion. It will be more | | | | giving up becomes easier. What have you got to lose? |