450 E 96th St, #500, Indianapolis, IN 46240
Hello, its Amber, back for yet another weekly dose of hypnosis information and news. Today I want to talk to you about smoking. That nasty habit that so many people have. A habit that claims lives and ruins the health of thousands every year and that many people try to quit. But never fear, we’re here to tell you some benefits to quit smoking.
A famous hypnotist, Jason Linett, recently wrote an article on the subject. And I wanted to share with you some of his thoughts. We all know the dangers. We’ve all seen the public service announcements for both smoking and vaping. Many of us have heard the news talking about efforts to raise the legal smoking age back in November. Or the effort to ban vaping in one form or another.
Regardless of what you think of these events, smoking is dangerous to your health. Not as dangerous as say, Cocaine or Heroin, but still damaging. And we should all be worried about our health. Because we want to be there for our families.
Did you know that nearly half of the clients hypnotist see are smokers or weight loss clients? Yes, it’s true. Those are the two most prevalent reasons someone seeks out a hypnotist. In fact, in a study by the University of Iowa, hypnosis was found to be the most effective method of ditching cigarettes. Nearly three times effective than replacement patches and 15 times more effective than trying to quit alone.
In his article, Jason points out something very important. The fact that each of us is different. However, while we all have different reasons for quitting, there are only so many reasons out there. More importantly, the individual has to quit for their own reasons rather than those of someone else.
I cannot tell you how many times a client has come to us saying the following: “I want my husband to quit smoking. Can you fix him?”
To which we often have to reply: “Does he want to quit?”
If the answer is no then I have to give her some rather unfortunate news. Hypnosis is not likely to work if he doesn’t want to change for himself. So not only do I have to find out if her husband wants to quit, but why he wants to quit. Someone who only wants to quit to suit the desires of someone else is less likely to succeed in that endeavor because the behavior is still serving some likely unknown purpose.
I can’t tell you in this article why you smoke. You could call in, talk to one of our hypnotists, and we could determine your struggle, but we are not mind readers. For some people its an emotional struggle, for some it’s a habitual thing, for others its a motion. There isn’t just one reason why people smoke. But it often doesn’t take long during a consultation for me to determine what one or many of those underlying issues may be.
We’ve all met the woman who is anxious. Or the man who is stressed. The person who needs something in their mouth or hands. Or maybe that person who has lost all that weight, but suddenly starts smoking. It happens.
The best reason to quit is one that suits you personally. And the article identifies just a few. There are any number of reasons to quit. In his article, Jason explores just a few of the more common ones. Such as:
We all have heard of the numerous health risks to smokers. From lung cancer, emphysema, breathing issues, and more, smoking takes a toll on your health. One of the worst toxins in there is carbon monoxide which replaces oxygen in your system.
Worse, that carbon monoxide can damage your bones, stomach, muscles and more. Research even indicates that non-smokers live ten years more on average than smokers.
So my father smokes cigars. More specifically those little cigars that look like cigarettes. They cost around $16 per carton and he smokes 2 cartons per month. Do the math. That’s 32 dollars per month and over 500 dollars per year. And that’s way cheaper than your average pack.
Jason estimates that the average smoker spends over 300 dollars a year on cigarettes. So much so that he considers his services a way to save you money, even though you are paying for them. He explains it as follows. If his sessions cost 600 dollars that’s two or three months of the average smoker smoking where he lives in Virginia (Taking into account price and cost of living differences).
Even at that we often only have clients in session once or twice before they are non-smokers. What are a couple of hundred dollars in comparison to what you could be saving? What could you be doing with that money instead? It’s something to think about.
A study at John Hopkins showed that non-smokers are more likely to sleep through the night than smokers. Four times more likely due to the fact that nicotine is a stimulant. And if you don’t already know the effects of sleep deprivation or troubles then you should definitely check out the sleep link above. From confusion to other health conditions sleep deprivation is not something you really want in your life.
While many people think that you may gain weight when you quite, the opposite is often true. A study of around 80,000 people showed that smokers were more likely to eat foods that would cause weight gain. Particularly foods that are high in unhealthy fats. In addition, smoking ruins your sense of taste, making you less able to really enjoy your food.
This has to be my favorite part. So many people feel that quitting has to be miserable, but it really is the opposite. In fact, a study at Brown indicates exactly that. People who don’t smoke and who quit, tend to be happier than those who smoke. Those who quit have elevated moods and levels of happiness.
Most importantly, you are taking back control of YOUR life. The ball is in your court. With hypnosis smoking can just be something that you used to do. A hypnotist can make it like you never smoked in the first place.
For more information check out our page on smoking cessation.