Hypnotherapy to quit smoking

The hypnotic scripts that Briony uses for people who wish to give up smoking are a combination of the world’s best practice and evidence-based approaches for dependence/addictive behaviours.

Briony has been an Honorary Lecturer in Addiction Studies at Flinders University when employed as a Senior Education Officer at the National Centre for Education and Training on Addictions so this is one of her specialty areas.
She uses a combination of:

• Psycho-education
• cognitive behavioural therapy (including looking at triggers)
• mindfulness
• motivational interviewing
• relapse prevention strategies

Hypnosis is a useful way to deliver some of the above, the research supports success rates for using hypnosis or hypnotherapy/or hypnosis to give up cigarette smoking.

While some people find one session sufficient, others require more. The factors that determine success include:

• how long you have smoked; 
• how motivated you are to give up; 
• the level of dependence at the time of hypnosis; and 
• the supportive or protective factors, such as a non-smoking encouraging partner or group of friends/colleagues with low levels of smoking behaviour.