Hypnosis to Quit Smoking

I recently spoke to a hypnotists and asked her if she had any clinical studies that looked at the effectiveness of hypnosis as a tool for smoking cessation. She told me there were no scientific journals for hypnotism and she herself had not been able to find any published articles on the subject. She did tell me though, that she had a pretty high rate of smoking cessation at her practice. She claimed the results of her hypnosis to quit smoking was above 50%.

Now I don't know if she was being truthful or not. I also do not know if those clients remained smoke-free for at least 6 months. However, I do know that most in the scientific community feel the success rate for hypnosis is right around that of quitting cold turkey - or somewhere between 3 - 8%.

Well finally, a new review article was published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (online) out of New Zealand by Barnes, et al called Hypnotherapy for Smoking Cessation. They reviewed 11 studies which compared hypnotherapy with 18 different control cessation methods. These 11 studies had conflicting results for the effectiveness of hypnotherapy compared to treatment, psychological treatment or advice. The authors' concluded that hypnotherapy had no greater effect on 6-month quit rates than other stop smoking methods or no method (cold turkey). They also go on to point out the lack of available evidence that hypnotherapy is as effective as counseling. Finally, they state that randomized controlled studies did not support the claims of uncontrolled studies which claim hypnotherapy as a superior stop smoking method.

What does this mean? Well, it means that hypnotherapy might or might not have a chance to help a smoker quit. Many people are desperate to quit and will try anything. Maybe, just maybe hypnosis is the key to unlocking their ability to quit. However, I wouldn't expect it to be effective for everyone. As I've said all along, it is important to match your quit smoking aids with your addiction, personality and behavioral tendencies. If you are one of those holistic people, then maybe hypnosis is right up your alley. If you're someone who relies on the scientific method and physician credibility, then maybe a long conversation with your doctor and a prescription for some high-tone medication like Chantix is best.

You'll never hear me say hypnosis or acupuncture is knock-off medicine. I think they have their place and role to fill. Just don't think it is the end-all, be-all. Like everything else, go into it with an open mind and lots of determination.