Has anyone used hypnosis to quit smoking.

[seabeyond]

does anyone have any suggestions to help me, help the process. any insight, i appreciate.

[FormerDittoHead]

1. My brother was a 2 pack a day smoker. ONE VISIT and he never smoked again.

Now only if it worked for his drinking.

I'm thinking who your hypnotist is makes all the difference, depending upon the person.

But it DID work for my brother.

[seabeyond]

4. excellent. this woman is a doctor and licensed. so i imagine she is as qualified as she

can be.

did he tell you anything that helped him. i have never experienced a hypnotist, so i am walking in clueless.

[FormerDittoHead]

49. Wasn't much to say. It was like an hour, and he didn't tell me much more than that.

He's since passed away.

1) It doesn't work for everyone.

2) You have to try *everything*, and if this didn't happen so close to me, I wouldn't just say it.

[LakeSamish706]

12. "Now only if it worked for his drinking." Yep, and thats another story.. ugh.. n/t

[TheCowsCameHome]

2. Never tried hypnosis, but my experience

was to:

1. Keep busy mentally and physically - don't allow time to think about wanting a smoke.

2. Don't have any cigarettes anywhere near where you will be tempted to reach for them.

3. For every minute or hour you've gone without a smoke, think of how much "quitting" time you will have given up if you give in and light up again. The longer you go without smoking, the closer you are to kicking the habit for good.

It's not easy, but it's worth it.

Good luck.

[seabeyond]

5. thanks. the upside, mother in law coming to visit in two weeks after years of being

away.

so i have years of cleaning up and fixing up to do. get me off books and computer and doing things

i will remember you advice

[TheCowsCameHome]

18. One other thing that helped me....

One day a long time ago my little blonde eight year old daughter came home from school and was very, very upset.

I asked her what was wrong and she wrapped her arms around my leg replied "Daddy, they were teaching us about how bad smoking was in school today, and daddy, I don't want you to die". I put down the butts that night, never told a soul that I was quitting out fear of failure, and never lit up again.

That was 30+ years ago and I still get choked up when I think what my little girl said........

[seabeyond]

26. ya....

nifty story. that too doesnt do it for me either. tell my kids, we all are gonna go sometime, somehow. really glad you have the story and memory and were successful

really glad you were successful

[LakeSamish706]

3. I was a pack and a half a day smoker for about 25 years....

This was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life, bar none.... I quit for 6 years (cold turkey) and then started smoking again for a year. I craved cigs. for the whole six years and after I quit the second time, I never missed em. You really, really, really have to wrap your mind around quitting. Make that final determination that you want to quit, and stick to it.

[seabeyond]

7. that is the hard part. really really really..... wrap mind around.

just that little nagging voice saying, cig cig cig....

i used chantix and quit four weeks, loved it, but....

[SheilaT]

69. Why do you suppose you craved cigs for

the whole six years after the first quitting, and not the second? You did stay off them for six years. Oh, and how long was it before you quit the second time? Just curious.

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. Didn't work for me

[seabeyond]

9. ahhhhhh./ you werent suppose to tell me that. hey.... after experience did you immediately

pick up? did you hold off, but pure will power and still wanting?

[Chemisse]

I tried hypnosis

It helped for a couple of days. Perhaps if I had the money to go for a few more sessions it would have worked.

[seabeyond]

29. hwo did you feel those couple days. still have the want? nt

[Chemisse]

99. No I felt really good, at peace

The hypnosis was really helpful.

[proud2BlibKansan]

24. It didn't work at all

I still wanted a cigarette and had one about an hour or so after I was hypnotized.

[seabeyond]

28. ty. nt

[obliviously]

8. I smoked three packs of camel non-filters a day.

Twenty years ago I quit buying them, lighting them, and putting them in my mouth. It was very effective!

[seabeyond]

10. bully for you. me, i am not so good. but

really... good for you. i am glad.

[obliviously]

23. I left out a couple of details.

The doctor pointed out a man in the waiting room with an oxygen tank gasping for breath. He said thats you in two years. The man had come to him two years earlier with breathing problems but refused to quit.

[LakeSamish706]

11. But I also bet very difficult, no? n/t

[obliviously]

25. I still enjoy the smell

of a camel cigarette . I only quit because the doctor told me I had to. It was hard but I told myself It was no longer on the list of available options.

[pipi_k]

13. I quit cold turkey twice...

the first time lasted five years.

Then I smoked for another ten years or so before I quit cold turkey again. That was in 1996.

I had to tell myself that I really really really WANTED to quit. I mean, that it was my choice and that cigarettes were NOT my "friends"...which was what made it so hard to quit before that. I actually mourned, in advance, the loss of my "friends". OOOhhhh very very sick.... :(

anyway, I did deep breathing exercises each time I wanted a smoke. I sucked in air through my mouth, held it in, then let it out...just like smoking, but without the cigarette. It's a great way to relax.

And I took it each day at a time. Sometimes each minute at a time. You don't think about tomorrow...or next week. You think about right now.

I would say it took a little over a week before I could get through the worst of it. Bad times were after meals and having my coffee, and while driving. Smoking then was a given, you know? You have to find something to replace it. I chose jellybeans and gained 30 lbs, but it did help me quit smoking.

Keep your mind and your hands occupied. That helps a whole lot.

Good luck

:)

[seabeyond]

31. it is... so... stupid. lol

i believe in the chant

cig is not my friend. and i really really really want to quit.

it is like a mourning and lost friend. that is the sick part

i understand women have a more emotional attachment. sound like, lol

[malaise]

34. Been there done that

The first time I quit I lasted fourteen years - Yep.

This time it's nearly three years.

[seabeyond]

36. good for you. nt

[pipi_k]

71. Yeah, see, you get to five, ten, or more years and...

lots of people think they're safe.

Nope.

So it's been 13 years for me, and I don't want to start again, the smoke stinks and made me stink and I couldn't breathe, etc.

But damn...if I ever picked up just ONE...I'd be back at it again in no time.

scary stuff, it is...

[pipi_k]

70. Is it a chant?

Damn.

I thought it was my own idea!


anyway, yeah, it was just as bad as an emotional attachment in an abusive relationship.

[seabeyond]

72. i do the same with going to bed at night. sleep is my friend. sleep is good for me. i need sleep

going to bed is tough

[Vincardog]

14. I quit a 4 pack a day habit in one session then I went and got my certification

as a hypnotherapist. Make sure that you want to quit. Then be prepared to let it happen.
After reading all the posts here there is a point that needs to be made.
Hypnosis can not MAKE you do anything.
If you believe 'it' can help or you believe "it" will not; YOU ARE RIGHT.

[seabeyond]

32. how the hell does anyone smoke 4 packs, lol.

wow.

i hear people say that and always amazes me. damn good thing you quit at $7 a pak.

thanks for info

[pipi_k]

75. I think I know how...

the other day Mr P and I were out...he ran into a small hardware store while I waited in the car. Across the street is a sort of homeless shelter.

Well, there was this woman on the side, sitting on a bench and she's smoking one after the other, lighting them off the previous one. I don't even know how many she had in the short length of time we were there.

And I have a sister who would only smoke them down halfway and then throw them away.

Which seems like a waste to me. I would smoke them halfway sometimes, too, but I'd carefully stub them out and save them.

[seabeyond]

76. but I'd carefully stub them out... lol, me too. can smoke one cig three four times. nt

[Journeyman]

15. I found hypnosis useless, but it probably had more to do with me than the process. . .

I never felt I was "under," and so didn't give it much credence. Perhaps it was more a matter of an incompetent hypnotist, or maybe I'm one of those who subconsciously resists suggestions, but I just didn't find it useful at all.

What worked for me was aversion therapy -- small electrical shocks administered to my wrists while I puffed but didn't inhale, all the while with my face poised directly above a large, overflowing ashtray. It took 30 minutes to stop smoking, three days to get over the habit, and almost a lifetime now to get over the addiction (24 years this January . . . and counting).

I used the Schick System. My understanding is, they're no longer in business. Can't say if the company had troubles or not, or what it's success rate may have been, but it certainly worked for me. There may be other groups in business that do the same thing. I believe it'd be worth your time.

Of everything I've quit over the years smoking was the toughest and remains a struggle to this day. It's also the most rewarding. Best of luck with your all your efforts. Feel free to contact me if there's ever anything with which you believe I might be able to help you.


On edit, I wanted to add I was a 3 to 5 pack a day smoker and was drinking heavily when I quit. This can be a potential problem to quitting -- you can get drunk and forget you quit.

[seabeyond]

33. remains a struggle to this day. isnt that just amazing.

and another 3-5 pack a day. mine is about a pack a day.

i dont drink. rarely.

thanks. what i am going to do is keep this thread and read as i need. so thanks

[EmilyAnne]

16. I swear that this book called "The Easy Way to Stop Smoking" worked for me and three of my friends.

The principle behind the book is the same as hypnosis.
I suggest it to everyone who wants to quite smoking.
You can usually find a copy on Amazon for a few bucks.
Really, I am so happy to be a nonsmoker.
I do not envy smokers AT ALL.
I never avoid social situations with smokers and I am never tempted to bum a smoke.

I bought the book after a friend had success with it.
It sat around for almost a year before I read it.
I was certain that I was "too clever" for it to work.
Anyway, it worked and I feel great.
Its been almost two years since I quit, by the way.
I had been a smoker for about thirteen years.

[seabeyond]

35. thanks

i will look into it.

[Chemisse]

17. I went to the Mad Russian in Brookline, Mass. (Yefim Shubentsov)

I smoked for 22 years and was up to 2 1/4 packs, and I wanted to quit really badly.

I went to this guy after hearing about him on 60 Minutes, and presto, it worked (although don't ask me how!) Somehow it put the part of me that needed to smoke into a twilight sleep. It was still there, but it didn't nag or press its case.

It has been 19 years without a cigarette, even though my husband still smokes.

[seabeyond]

37. wow. just wow. i dont see how it works, but i do hear this story

often.

even now i am feeling kinda sad that tomorrow is the day, lol. isnt that so bad. and i hate smoking

[Chemisse]

98. Best of luck to you!

Some advice - keep your hands busy. I did jigsaw puzzles.

[NYC_SKP]

19. Twice, but it didn't last for me... nt

[malaise]

20. First things first - you have to frighten yourself

Start by telling yourself you won't make it to Christmas if you don't stop immediately. This is a cold turkey approach.

When do you have your first smoke after waking up?
Type your daily smoking patterns.

If your first smoke is with coffee - postpone your coffee for an hour.
Every time you want a smoke, eat fruit, fresh or dried, take a sip of fruit juice or do some exercise - just basic breathing, opening and closing your palms, raising your arms above your head, stretching or even walking around in your home/wherever. It's hard work but after three days everything tastes better. Reward yourself for every hour you manage to not smoke.

More importantly put aside the cigarette money in one place and you'll be shocked how much money you have in four weeks.

That's the start and remember the longest journey starts with one step.
Hubby and I were smokers for decades. I usually stay away from the smoker threads, but you clearly want to quit.

My best advice to you - don't use any other medication to quit - just stop cold turkey. It's not half as bad as people suggest.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

30. (This reply is to you, seabeyond) Malaise's suggestions are spot-on.

After 30 years I came to the conclusion I could continue to smoke and die soon, or I could quit. It needs to be a final decision for you. Make the choice a graphic one and you will do it Reward yourself as you go through the process... as malaise suggests.

[malaise]

38. Go out to dinner with the cigarette money

:D

[seabeyond]

40. thanks.

you guys are pumpin me up. and you know, it is that desperate. a long time of inflamed gland in neck

i do NEED to.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

48. I changed all my habits for the first 2 - 3 weeks.

I got up earlier. Drank some juice, ate a banana and got in the shower. No coffee for a month. No alcohol for a month. Ate very healthful food (spent more on quality meats and fish), chewed gum, walked, and ate sunflower seeds for the oral fixation. Did crossword puzzles and Sudoku.

You can do this.

[malaise]

50. We never thought we could give up coffee for an hour

Now we still have our coffee but we also drink rosemary and mint tea.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

53. I just gave up coffee completely last week.

Wow, major withdrawals. I crave it something fierce in the morning...

Trying to get myself to eat better in the morning.

[malaise]

54. That's not happening

We are never giving up blue mountain coffee. :D

I always have a slice of whole wheat toast in the morning as well as fruit.
We rarely have big dinners and try to eat our big meal before six.

[seabeyond]

59. lol.... on the coffee. love your guys subthread. good stuff. nt

[malaise]

61. Hope it helps

Let us know how it's working. It's hard work but it's worth it. :fistbump:

[seabeyond]

63. thank you all. gonna keep rereading the thread next couple days,

with or without posts. lots of info to encourage

[HCE SuiGeneris]

55. One other item.

I had filtered cigarettes out in the car trunk and rolling papers and Drum tobacco stashed in the house. From previous trials, I found it easier to quit knowing that I had immediate access. Go figure. :shrug:

[malaise]

57. 100% correct

It means you know they are near so there is no reason to be desperate.
Eventually we threw them out.

[seabeyond]

60. really. this surprises me. i still have a pack and half in house and was wondering

what to do, what to do.

that is a mixed bag of worms. obsessed if not there. available if there.

[malaise]

64. One of my sisters quit in 1984

after jumped in her car at 2.30am and left home looking for cigarettes. She decided that was an act of madness.

reword

[seabeyond]

66. been there done that and YES so stupid. lol. nt

[shirlden]

78. Worked for me too

I quit 12 years ago and still have my "last pack" of cigarettes. Having them in the house kept me from that OMG!! panic. Have never needed to open them.... quitting was the hardest thing I have ever done but the rewards are sooooooo great.

Just keep trying and you will eventually find a way that works for you.

:hi:

[seabeyond]

39. first... how do you wake up without coffee, bah hahaha.

for real. i am bad. and have kids to get off to school.

i think you are right on the coffee thing though.

i am going to keep your post to read and reread. lots of info there.

thanks

i get to hire someone to clean house if i quit, lol. my gift to me.

[malaise]

42. I postponed the coffee

and drank juice first, then ate a banana - an hour passed and then I'd have the coffee either at home or in my office.
If we could do it so can you...believe me on that one.

[seabeyond]

44. my appt is 11. but i thought i would jsut do without until then.

try not to have a first tomorrow. maybe brush teeth and then go in basement and exercise half hour. as replacement for cofffee. then do as you suggest and have coffee as getting kids out of house.

see how that works

thanks

[malaise]

52. When you're getting those kids ready

tell yourself you want to live to see their kids - frighten the hell out of yourself. Then exercise have some juice and a banana. Keep on postponing that coffee for as long as you can. That works.

[Madam Mossfern]

21. Yes, over 35 year ago

I went to a group session for cigarette smokers and over-eaters. I was the one who didn't go under...or I thought. When the hypnotist asked that we let our arms 'float up' when we felt we were going under, I had no compulsion to do so and I witnessed a room full of lifted arms. I went home disappointed.

It turned out that I did indeed stop smoking as a result of that and that I had picked up the post hypnotic suggestion of the overeaters, so that whenever I wanted a cigarette, I ate a carrot! Not only did I quit, but I didn't gain weight either. I know that I really wanted to quit badly when I found myself routing through the garbage for soggy butts to dry out with a hair dryer.

Good luck!

[seabeyond]

41. good idea. will ask her to throw in carrot.

what did you feel. just not the desire to light up?

[Madam Mossfern]

88. More like

control over the desire to light up. I did go through nicotine withdrawal and got pretty damn nasty. My boyfriend at that time married me anyway...dear guy. The hardest times were when I was having coffee.

[seabeyond]

90. cig and coffee. when i quit for four weeks coffee consumptioned dropped a good half. nt

[laureloak]

22. It didn't work. Determination + Patch finally worked. n/t

[seabeyond]

43. ok, thanks. glad you found something. nt

[Nickster]

27. Look at the price and do the math. Everytime I see a $67 price tag for

a carton of smokes, I think of all the wonderful things I can do with all that extra money.

It really wasn't as bad as I thought. Seriously, the more you think about it, the worse it will be for you. You'll get anxious about not being able to have one and the stress will make you want one. I didn't set a deadline, I just convinced myself that I should and waited until it felt right after finishing a carton. I used the patch and I cut back on my caffeine intake so I wouldn't be as stressed. It's been about 6 months now and I'm doing great. I smoked at least a pack a day for about 20 years.

[seabeyond]

46. ahhh

now see as today has gone along, i started getting more anxious that tomorrow was it. hence this post, lol. good stuff, and different ideas. thanks

glad it is working for you

[madmom]

45. Keep your hands busy. I learned to crochet, made the worlds biggest afghan.

[seabeyond]

47. i want to learn how to do that. been thinking. dont know how i can read my books though

as i am crocheting, lol.

it is a good time cause next couple weeks i am going to be so busy. no puter. no time to read

[Fire1]

51. Been there done that. That's when I found out I can't be

hypnotized. Didn't work for me.

[cynatnite]

56. Well, being admitted to the hospital put me on the road to being an ex-smoker...

Not that I'd recommend it.

It was that first week afterwards that was the toughest. I adopted a mentality about it. I had gone two days without smoking already and I decided I wasn't going to screw up those two days by smoking. I kept that thought in my head and it helped. I haven't smoked in almost 2 years now and no way in hell do I want to screw up 2 years of not smoking. I'm scared to death to smoke again. If I do, I'm afraid I won't be able to quit again.

This is what's kept me smoke-free so far. I take it one day at a time, too.

I hope that helps a little bit.

[seabeyond]

62. thank you. i quit four weeks and started feeling so good.

i will remember that feeling.

[Thickasabrick]

58. Good luck. I am still addicted and have had a 90 day supply of

Chantix ready for the big day - I just can't convince myself that day is here yet. If you quit for 4 weeks on Chantix - what happened?

[seabeyond]

65. that little voice that keeps talking to you..... i listened. then

i would just smoke a cig a day, or two a day adn keep taking the chantrix. kept me from smoking like normal. ran out of chantrix and eventually went to normal smoking.

[Thickasabrick]

67. Bummer......thanks for the heads up. I will try and tell the little voice

to fuck off but I'm usually not a very confrontational person.

Let us know if you try the hypnosis!

[seabeyond]

73. 11 in the morning. and i will. i am very confrontation, yet so submissive

to the little voice. only thing in life....

[Booster]

68. I've tried everything, but my problem is I don't want to quit. I just

bought an ecigarette (electric) but haven't figured the damn thing out yet. I tried Chantix - didn't work for me but worked for my old supervisor who was a 3 pack a day smoker (that alone would make me quit) and he hasn't smoked since. Some day I'll hit on the one thing that works for me, but I know I've got to want to quit and that is my problem.

[seabeyond]

74. ecig didnt do it for me. hubby bought all the stuff and couldnt get into it

sold it the other day.

[The Midway Rebel]

80. Just Google "nicotines effects on the body"...I dare ya'

I smoked heavily for 30 years. Hypnosis did not work for me. I almost quit once but started again due to the pressures of college algebra. Eventually, I busted the addiction cycle (and a cycle is what it is) with the gum and exercise. Many heavy smokers (like I was) are also adrenalin junkies. Nicotine causes a fight or flight reaction and your body dumps into your bloodstream serotonin, adrenalin, hormones, sugars and fats in response. It is a cocktail chemical high that will kill you eventually either through heart attack or lung disease. You are addicted to that "high" effect your body creates as well as the nicotine. Vigorous exercise will help simulate that "high" effect and make it easier to quit. I rode a bicycle...like a maniac. You can do this.

[seabeyond]

85. interesting.

hadnt looked at it that way. told hubby brush teeth (to wake up without coffee) and then go downstairs and exercise. we have all the stuff.

thanks.

[Booster]

96. sigh I have all the stuff too, but ya gotta get on it, and that seems

to be a big problem with me. I'm gonna try again this year - why should this year be any different. The ecig sure came in a fancy, dancy box. LOL

[seabeyond]

97. lol lol. isnt that the truth. bah haha. nt

[Fire1]

79. I think that is the key b/c people do what they WANT to do. n/t

[Ilsa]

77. If you smoked when you were young, I wonder if your brain may

be hardwired for tobacco. It's just another question that I suspect the professionals will ask.

My friend's wife is a professional hypnotherapist. I think she works with alot of smokers.

I wish you loads of good luck in your effort. I hope whatever method you choose, it works for you. :pals:

[seabeyond]

86. what person picks up cigs old, lol. we all know better. it is only started young.

and i am sure it is hardwired in. maybe that is why so friggin tough to stop. thanks

[applegrove]

81. Chantix worked for me. Also go to the website quitnet.com They have

lots of places where you can ask questions and get information. Also great support. Good luck. I've been quit just over one year and I love it.

[seabeyond]

87. ahhhh, good for you. chantix worked for me too. and started again. the only

time i was able to quit. if this doesnt work i am getting another perscription, but hard to get, lol. have to go visit doctor and beg

would be the third time.

[applegrove]

92. I quit the third time too. Actually I had many mini quits that lasted a day or a few days but I will

not count those. So yeah it was my third time. For months leading up to the quit I didn't smoke when I was at the computer....I got up and had a cigarette in the kitchen. So when I was quitting I just avoided the kitchen and did'nt miss it when I was on the computer. And the Chantix worked because I stopped associating cigarettes with that great feeling in my head because I smoke for a week on chantix and none of the nicoteen got to my brain. I also had a change of thinking.... all the other times I quit I'd look at smokers and covet their smokes. This time I look at smokers and feel sorry for them they are slaves to the nicodemon. That feeling is still with me even a year after my last smoke: oh that poor person is tied to something that could kill them.

Third real quit was the charm for me. Good luck with this quit!

[Historic NY]

82. I used laser acupuncture. It worked for me a 1 1/2 pack a day smoker of 30+ yrs.

I had it 4 yrs ago and haven't had one since. Smoke & mirrors or what it worked.

[seabeyond]

89. interesting. i have never heard of it.

glad you quit.

[FLDCVADem]

83. I didn't use hypnosis

But I'm not sure what made me quit...I've tried for years, and just couldn't do it. I would put on a patch, wear it for a few hours, take it off, smoke a cigarette, put it back on, then give up in a couple of days.

But this past June, I was at the commissary...asked for my carton of Marlboro Light 100s, and the lady put them on the counter. I reached out, touched the carton, pulled my hand back and said "No, I've changed my mind...I want the box of nicotine patches instead". Used those for 6 weeks, didn't even finish the whole course of patches, and I've quit. I've changed my other habits, try to stay away from triggers, but so far, so good.

Good luck to you!

[seabeyond]

91. take it off, smoke a cigarette, put it back on... that is funny. so, no sex

hubby isnt going to like that. but i will just tell him you told me.... no sex cause no after sex cig and after all sex would be the trigger, wink.

seems to be a big key. change routine, and the trigger

teasing on the sex

[grandpappy]

84. No coffee---------no smokes

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrgggg would drive me to drinking, oh wait a minute I stopped that 30+ years ago. I tried the hypo stuff and it didn't work. Patches and nose sprays didn't help either. Chantix sounds dangerous to me. I tried to stop last year by cutting down on each time that I lit up, thus less cigarettes. I kept a record for a week listing each time I lit up,did this for a week. Than on the next Monday I would keep to the schedule from the week before, I skiped 2 smokes during the day and wrote down the times that I skipped. After 4 days I would add another skipped cigarette and finally got down to about 10 smokes a day. I started at a 1 1/2 pack a day. This lasted for about 3 weeks than for some unknown reason I started to smoke more and more again. The next time will be my fifth time of trying to stop.

As for coffee it has been in my life since I was a baby. Since my family was so poor my mother would add some coffee in my bottle with milk to maker the bottle stretch. Hell now I can drink a cup on the way to the bed room and hit the bed and fall right to sleep. 90 degrees out side I drink a cup of coffee. My body is condition to the effects of coffee, it doesn't keep my awake but it does calm me down.

[seabeyond]

93. i cut off coffee at 5. but wow to your mama. never heard of that. lol

it is hard. i am concerned abotu the chantrix but was the only thing that helped me sto for four weeks.

[subcomhd]

94. no, but I once used it to pull off a jewelry heist in singapore.

do tell us how it worked, if you do it.

[LoZoccolo]

95. My technique was pick a week where I was gonna be having fun, and use a little nicotine gum too.

For some reason the nicotine withdrawal symptoms simply had the effect of making me feel more of whatever I was feeling. I suppose if I had a lot of stressful stuff going on, I would have felt more tensed out when I quit, but I quit when I took a few days off of work and the excitability afforded to me by the withdrawal kind-of turned into more of a fun, excited feeling, I used the gum a little bit but not as much as was recommended on the box. They have those electronic cigarettes now but they haven't been approved by the FDA.