Hypnosis for Smoking – What the research says
Hypnosis for stopping smoking, or smoking cessation; ‘does it work?’ That’s a very fair question. Has any research been done? Well, yes; and the findings may surprise you.
Now, if you go googling this you will find mixed reviews. The NHS website gives only faint encouragement, saying only that ‘hypnosis can be efficacious’, ie it can be effective. However, this lukewarm view is not consistent with scientific research findings.
The overwhelming evidence is that hypnosis is far and away the most effective technique of all for stopping smoking and quitting for good (eg Lynn, Green, Accardi, & Cleere in the New Scientist, 2010). It is especially when it is carried out with an element of counselling. That is precisely why Richard combines hypnosis with a tailored personal approach, focused on a one-session treatment session. (It’s the ‘therapy’ part of hypnotherapy.)
The research evidence
When ‘scientific’ studies are carried out, they design a standardised method, so that they can compare results on the same footing. The way they usually do this for hypnosis trials is by using standard ‘scripts’ or even pre-recorded tapes. This is a big problem for hypnosis because, firstly because it disallows any room for personal interaction, or ‘counselling’ elements. While some hypnotists may work this way, most hypnotherapists working one to one will vary and tune their method according to the particular client.
A good hypnotherapist certified at practitioner level will most likely tailor the work to the individual. Richard says ‘Certainly I spend an hour learning about what leads my client to smoke, and discovering their motivations to stop and to remain a non-smoker.’ Even so, these standardised trials still report a success rate of one in three (Viswesvaran & Schmidt, 1992).
A high-quality controlled study in 2006 found that intensive (8-session) hypnotherapy resulted in 40% of patients being free from cigarettes after six months (Elkins, Marcus, Bates, Rajab, & Cook, 2006). Not a single person in the control group had managed to stop smoking on their own for this length of time.
If you aren’t ready to make a booking, why not try out my Stop Smoking Hypnosis Challenge? Along with comprehensive guidance, it includes a free hypnosis download.
What about claims of ‘guaranteed success rates?
Some hypnotherapists like to claim success rates as high as 94%, and often refer to research published in 1968 by Von Dedenroth in the American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis. However, this research was largely based on anecdotal data, which makes it less reliable for comparison. Actually, this brings up an important point. When someone actively chooses to see a hypnotherapist, pays money, and maybe carries out tasks in preparation for the treatment, they tend to be more a motivated client. So therapists in private practice will very often have higher success rates than you will find in a ‘one size fits all’ standardised trail amongst people who include a mix from highly- to barely motivated.
Even so, I think you’d be best advised to be a little sceptical of claims of near-certain success rates and ‘guarantees’. For sure, some therapists may offer your money back as a kind of guarantee; but that’s not a guarantee of success. It’s really just a marketing gimmick. Richard adds that ‘some professional bodies, such as the BSCH, frown on guarantees, as potentially misleading’.
Counselling and Acupuncture
Behavioural counselling has been shown to be more effective than treatment with medication. See Hartmann-Boyce et al (2013) and Heckman et al (2010). However, counselling is vastly more effective when hypnosis is also used (Lynn, Green, Accardi, & Cleere, 2010). A review published in the American Journal of Medicine found that acupuncture is effective treatment for smoking, again more effective than medication or nicotine replacement, but not as effective as hypnotherapy (Tahiri, Mottillo, Joseph, Pilote, & Eisenberg, 2012).
Nicotine Replacement Therapy & Medication
Nicotine replacement have traditionally been the most popular method to try and quit smoking, because products such as nicotine gums and patches are readily available over-the-counter, and people are led to believe that they are addicted to the nicotine in cigarettes. However, research has found that between only 7 to 10% of people succeeded in stopping smoking for six months using medications like buproprion (Wellbutrin), varenicline (Champix), patches, gum, or nasal spray (Eisenberg et al. 2008; Shiffman et al, 2002).
Of course, the new kid on the bloc is Vaping, which is marketed as a safe alternative. I am already seeing people who are addicted to vaping. The risks to health of these products is slowly emerging.
If you aren’t ready to make a booking, why not try out my Stop Smoking Hypnosis Challenge? It is a comprehensive guide, and includes a free hypnosis download!
References
- Eisenberg, M.J., Filian, K.B., Yavin, D., Belisle, P., Mottillo, S., Joseph, L., Gervais, A., O’Loughlin, J., Paradis, G., Rinfret, S., & Pilote, L. (2008). Pharmacotherapies for smoking cessation: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 179 (2), 135-144.
- Elkins, G., Marcus, J., Bates, M., Rajab, J., & Cook, T. (2007). Intensive hypnotherapy for smoking cessation: A prospective study. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 54, 303-315.
- Hartmann-Boyce, J., Stead, L.F., Cahill, K., & Lancaster, T. (2013). Efficacy of interventions to combat tobacco addiction: Cochrane update of 2012 reviews. Addiction, 108(10), 1711-1721.
- Heckman, C.J., Egleston, B.L., & Hofman, M.T. (2010). Efficacy of motivational interviewing for smoking cessation: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Tobacco Control, 19, 410-416.
- Lynn, S., Green. J., Accardi, M., & Cleere, C. (2010). Hypnosis and Smoking Cessation: The State of the Science. American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, 52(3), 177-181.
- Shiffman, S., Hellebusch, S.J., Gorsline, J., Gorodetzky, C.W., Chiang, Y.K., Schleusener, D.S., & Di Marino, M.E. (2002). Real-world efficacy of prescription and over-the-counter nicotine replacement therapy. Addiction, 97(5), 505-516.
- Spiegel, D., Frischholz, E.J., Fleiss, J.L. & Spiegel, H. (1993) Predictors of Smoking Abstinence Following a Single-Session Restructuring Intervention with Self-Hypnosis. American Journal of Psychiatry, 150(7), 1090-1097.
- Tahiri, M., Mottillo, S., Joseph, L., Pilote, L., & Eisenberg, M.J. (2012). Alternative smoking cessation aids: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. American Journal of Medicine, 125(6), 576-84.
- Viswesvaran, C., & Schmidt, F. (1992). A meta-analytic comparison of the effectiveness of smoking cessation methods. Journal of Applied Psychology, 77, 554-561.
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