At The Self Image Institute, we utilise many hypnotherapy techniques and treatments to help our clients overcome a variety of conditions and mental health issues. We utilise our hypnotherapy techniques to help clients with anxiety, stress, dieting and smoking addiction. If you would like to learn more about our hypnotherapy techniques and services, explore our website or contact us today.
We often encounter clients wanting to quit smoking and use our hypnotherapy techniques to overcome it. Read on to find out how hypnotherapy can help you.
Why Do People Get Addicted to Smoking?
Chemical Imbalances
Smoking is an addiction because nicotine is a powerful psychoactive substance. It alters your mood and affects the way you think, feel and behave. When you smoke, nicotine quickly gets absorbed into your bloodstream and goes to your brain. There, it binds to receptors and releases stimulating and relaxing chemicals. These changes in your brain can be pleasant and make you want to smoke more.
Over time, smoking leads to changes in other brain chemical systems as well. For example, it may increase levels of the stress hormone cortisol. This makes cigarettes seem even more important and difficult to give up.
Stress and Anxiety
For some, smoking is viewed as a way to release stress and anxiety. It can become a way of self-medicating. This is especially the case when people use smoking to avoid withdrawal symptoms, such as irritability, headache and anxiety. It is important to understand why smoking provides people with a release from situations that cause stress and anxiety.
Socialising
Smoking is also a social habit. It’s often something people do with friends or family members. This can make it hard to give up because it’s tied to positive emotions. Hence, positive chemicals called endorphins can be released and provide people with a sense of joy and happiness, lifting their mood. Therefore, giving up smoking can also mean giving up some social activities and losing a sense of camaraderie.
Hypnotherapy Techniques for Smoking Cessation
While hypnosis has been shown to be effective for a variety of issues and disorders, hypnotherapy specifically can be beneficial for those struggling with addiction.
When you’re under hypnosis, your conscious mind is more relaxed and open to suggestions. This means you may be more likely to follow the suggestions given to you by the hypnotherapist.
During hypnotherapy, the hypnotherapist will usually aim to:
- Help you understand why you smoke and what benefits smoking provides for you
- Address any underlying issues that may be contributing to your smoking habits
- Help you develop healthy coping mechanisms for stress and anxiety
- Teach you how to relax without smoking
- Provide positive suggestions for living a smoke-free life
Understanding Why You Smoke
One of the most important aspects of hypnotherapy is understanding why you smoke. This can help you to develop healthy coping mechanisms for when you’re dealing with stress and anxiety. It can also help to address any underlying issues that may be contributing to your smoking habits.
Some of the reasons people smoke include:
- To release stress and anxiety
- To avoid withdrawal symptoms
- To socialise with friends or family members
- To feel a sense of joy and happiness
Addressing Underlying Issues
Hypnotherapy can also be beneficial for addressing underlying issues that may be contributing to your smoking habits. For example, if you smoke as a way to cope with stress and anxiety, hypnotherapy can help you to develop healthy coping mechanisms. This can help to reduce your reliance on smoking.
Some of the underlying issues that may be addressed in hypnotherapy include:
- Stress and anxiety
- Chemical imbalances
- Social habits
- Positive emotions
Developing Healthy Coping Mechanisms
Hypnotherapy can also help you to develop healthy coping mechanisms for when you’re dealing with stress and anxiety. This can help to reduce your reliance on smoking.
Some of the healthy coping mechanisms that may be taught in hypnotherapy include:
- Relaxation techniques
- Visualisation
- Breathing exercises
- positive thinking
Teaching You How to Relax Without Smoking
One of the goals of hypnotherapy is to teach you how to relax without smoking. This can be done through a variety of techniques, such as relaxation hypnosis, progressive muscle relaxation and autogenics.
Relaxation hypnosis involves entering a state of deep relaxation where your mind is more receptive to positive suggestions. Progressive muscle relaxation involves tensing and relaxing different muscle groups in your body. Autogenics is a self-relaxation technique that involves repeating positive affirmations to yourself.
Providing Positive Suggestions
Another hypnotherapy technique is to provide positive suggestions for living a smoke-free life. This can help to change your attitudes and beliefs about smoking.
Some of the positive suggestions that may be given in hypnotherapy include:
- I am in control of my smoking
- I can easily resist the urge to smoke
- I am motivated to quit smoking
- Quitting smoking is easy for me
- I feel great without smoking
- Smoking is no longer a part of my life
If you’re thinking about quitting smoking, hypnotherapy can be an effective treatment method. hypnotherapy can help you to understand why you smoke, address underlying issues and develop healthy coping mechanisms. hypnotherapy can also help to teach you how to relax without smoking and provide positive suggestions for living a smoke-free life.
Contact Us
If you’re interested in quitting smoking, The Self Image Institute can help. Our hypnotherapy techniques can support you in understanding why you smoke and overcoming it by finding healthy alternatives. If you would like to learn more about our hypnotherapy techniques and treatments, explore our website or contact us on 07534 448713 or yasminswilliams@gmail.com.
Article: Phoenix Marketing
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