STOP SMOKING

Stop Smoking with Hypnosis

Change your life, stop smoking today.

At A Healthy Change Hypnotherapy, our smoking cessation program makes it quick and easy for you to become a non-smoker; often after only one session. By identifying why you smoke and pinpointing the triggers associated with your habit, we tailor a hypnotherapy session to address your specific needs, which is why the majority of our clients are smoke-free after only one visit.

Although the majority of our clients become non-smokers after only one session, we understand that each person is unique, with their own set of circumstances. Therefore, all of our therapies include up to four sessions in order to achieve your goals.

Becoming a Non-Smoker is as easy as 1-2-3

1. Contact us to schedule your FREE consultation, at which time we will explain how hypnosis works, identify the reasons you smoke and the triggers associated with your habit, answer any questions you may have, and determine a plan of action if you decide to continue with our services.
2. If it’s determined that our smoking cessation program is a good fit for you, we can conduct your first hypnothereapy session immediately after your consultation or we can schedule an appointment within the next few days for your first hypnotherapy session.
3. Begin enjoying your new life as a healthy non-smoker.

NOTE: Although we prefer to meet with you in person, for your convenience, your FREE consultation can be conducted over the phone and via e-mail. The initial consultation takes approximately 1 hour, and you can save time by printing and filling out our New Client Information Form and Smoking Cessation Questionnaire prior to your initial visit. You can download the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader free if needed.

Smoking Cessation FAQ

• What is Hypnosis?
• How Can Hypnosis Help Me Become a Non-Smoker?
• Will Hypnosis Work For Me?
• Why Can’t I Stop Smoking On My Own?
• What Are My Chances of Developing Cancer, Heart Disease or Stroke?
• What are the Benefits and Rewards of Quitting Smoking?
• What Is The True Cost of Smoking?

What is Hypnosis?

Hypnosis, also referred to as hypnotherapy or hypnotic suggestion, is a trance-like state in which you have heightened focus, concentration and inner absorption. When you're under hypnosis, you usually feel calm and relaxed, and you can concentrate intensely on a specific thought, memory, feeling or sensation while blocking out distractions.

Under hypnosis, you're more open than usual to suggestions, and this can be used to modify your perceptions, behavior, sensations and emotions. Therapeutic hypnosis is used to improve your health and well-being and is different from so-called stage hypnosis used by entertainers. Although you're more open to suggestion during therapeutic hypnosis, your free will remains intact and you don't lose control over your behavior.

Hypnosis is a very normal and natural state that most of us experience every day without even realizing it. For example, if you’ve ever passed your exit on the highway while driving home from work, daydreamed during a meeting, or lost yourself in a good book, you were in a light state of hypnosis. And a light state is all we need for most of the work that we do, including smoking cessation, weight loss, overcoming stress, anxiety, fears, phobias, and so forth. These are all examples of light hypnosis, which occur when the conscious part of our mind is distracted and the subconscious part of our mind takes over.

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How Can Hypnosis Help Me Become a Non-Smoker?

The human brain is composed of a conscious and a subconscious "mind." The conscious mind makes rational decisions and processes information; however, it is much weaker than the subconscious mind because human emotions, instincts, habits, fears and phobias are more persistent and powerful than purely rational decisions. The subconscious mind makes decisions based solely on avoidance of pain and the pleasure principle. It is not intelligent but rather reactive to pain or pleasure only. Hypnosis works directly with the subconscious mind and replaces negative or unhealthy behavior with positive reinforcement and behavior.

The subconscious mind is meant to serve as our survival instinct, and as such, is extremely powerful, but the subconscious mind is not very good at making decisions concerning something that may feel good to do right now but may harm or even kill you in the future. In other words, your subconscious mind picks the "right now" each and every time, even though they consciously know it may greatly reduce their quality of life and kill them in the end. This is because their subconscious is simply too strong for their rational mind to overcome without help from of a qualified hypnotherapist.

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Will Hypnosis Work For Me?

Hypnosis is a team effort between you and your therapist, and has proven to be extremely effective for those who truly want to quit smoking; however, you are ultimately in control of your own success. In other words, your therapist can help you achieve a deep state of hypnosis and give your subconscious mind positive suggestions so you will never want to smoke again; however, you can always accept or reject these suggestions while under hypnosis. Therefore, if you are open to hypnosis and allow yourself to be hypnotized and accept the positive suggestions given to you by your therapist, you will become a non-smoker.

If you’ve never experienced hypnosis, or have attended a group hypnosis seminar that didn’t work, it is perfectly normal to be skeptical, which is OK and will not affect your hypnosis session. During your initial consultation, your therapist will work with you to help determine if you are ready to stop smoking. Their primary goal is to ensure your success, and if you and your therapist come to the decision that you’re not quite ready to stop smoking, they would prefer that you save your time and money and come back when you are ready.

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Why Can’t I Stop Smoking On My Own?

Habit vs. Addiction: Most smokers assume their habit and their addiction are one and the same, which in fact, couldn’t be further from the truth. Smokers have a physical/chemical “addiction” to the drug nicotine, and a psychological “habit” or conditioning of their subconscious mind, which creates a psychological “link” between normal day-to-day activities and the act of smoking; better known as “triggers.”

For example, if a smoker consciously decides to have a cigarette every morning after drinking a cup of coffee, due to repetition over a short period of time, their subconscious mind associates the drinking of coffee with smoking, and it becomes a subconscious habit the smoker is unable to break. The same holds true with other activities, such as when first getting up in the morning, while driving to work, after eating a meal, while drinking alcohol, when becoming bored or stressed, and so on. In other words, once a smoker is addicted to the nicotine, they create their own subconscious habits and triggers. To take this a step further, the number of triggers the smoker creates for themselves is directly related to the number of cigarettes they smoke each day.

Although most smokers find it hard to believe, research has shown that the addiction to nicotine in a long-term smoker is only about four cigarettes a day, and the rest is simply out of habit. Therefore, once the habitual behavior (triggers) are removed via hypnosis, it is relatively easy for the smoker to overcome the addiction. After 4-5 days of being smoke-free, the nicotine is completely removed from your system and you should experience no withdrawal symptoms and have no desire to ever smoke again. In the rare case that your cravings return, simply call our office immediately to schedule a follow-up session and resolve the issue.

Hypnosis vs. Nicotine Replacement Therapy: As you can see, the best way to become a non-smoker is to first treat the habit (your subconscious mind) and your addiction to nicotine will be much easier to overcome. This is why nicotine replacement products such gum, lozenges, patches, inhalers, and prescription medication that attempt to “wean” you off nicotine over a period of weeks or even months often fails. These products only treat your nicotine addiction and have no effect on your subconscious mind where the habit and powerful triggers are imbedded.

By working with both your conscious and subconscious minds, hypnosis eliminates the habit and triggers and reinforces your desire to quit smoking using strong emotional and instinctive support. This melding of both "minds" is why hypnosis is such a remarkably effective method to help you quit and become a non-smoker forever. Another distinct advantage of hypnotherapy is that you become a non-smoker immediately, often after only one session rather than dragging the process out over an extended period of time, which is what nicotine replacement products attempt to do.

Trying vs. Doing: Of all the smoking cessation systems and theories, this is the one key factor that determines if hypnotherapy will work for you. As with any successful achievement, there is a huge difference between “trying” and “doing.” The main difference is that trying implies a reasonable doubt and leaves room for failure, whereas doing means you’re willing to do whatever it takes to succeed. In other words, claiming that you’re going to “try” and stop smoking is a cop-out for making a 100% commitment to accomplishing your goal. During your FREE initial consultation, your therapist will work with you to determine if you are truly ready to take the steps necessary to become a non-smoker. If so, we will schedule your first hypnotherapy session, and if not, we will suggest that you wait and come back when you are truly ready to “Do It!”

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By Smoking, What Are My Chances of Developing Cancer, Heart Disease or Stroke?

Statistics
Smoking is the single most preventable cause of disease and death in the United States. Tobacco is the only consumer product known to kill half of its users.

Smoking causes almost one-third of all cancer deaths and one-fifth of deaths from heart disease and stroke. Smoking complicates diabetes, and recent studies now link tobacco use to an increased risk of developing the disease.

But there’s good news too. The health benefits of stopping smoking are immediate and long-lasting, and if you quit smoking before developing cancer, heart disease or a stroke, your body can begin healing itself.

If you’re a smoker, we can help you quit, and the following tips will help you become a non-smoker:

Tips to Help You Quit
About 48 million Americans smoke cigarettes, but most smokers are either actively trying to quit or want to quit. Since 1965, more than 40 percent of all adults who have ever smoked have quit. You can be among that group too. Here are some helpful hints to get you started.

• List all the reasons you want to quit smoking (e.g., better health, save money, play with children/grandchildren) and read them several times a day.
• Contact us for a FREE consultation and we will help determine if you are a good candidate for hypnotherapy to help you quit.
• Schedule your hypnotherapy session, which will be your Quit Date. Before your quit date, get rid of all smoking-related materials in your home and work area (e.g., ashtrays, matches, cigarette packages).
• Let your friends, family, and co-workers know that you plan to quit – and ask for their help and support. And if your spouse or partner smokes, ask them to help you out by not smoking around you for the first couple of months after you quit.
• If you slip up, don’t punish or blame yourself – simply contact us to schedule a follow-up appointment and ask for help.

2010 Surgeon General's Report
The following excerpts were taken from a post on the NIOSH Science Blog on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website entitled Smoking: A new warning from the Surgeon General.

Warning: Surgeon General Finds that Cigarette Smoking Is Even More Dangerous to Your Health

On December 9, 2010, the current U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Regina Benjamin, issued the 30th Surgeon General's Report on the dangers of smoking tobacco entitled: How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease: The Biology and Behavioral Basis for Smoking-Attributable Disease.

According to the report, tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, and is responsible for 443,000 deaths each year. Thirty percent of all cancer deaths are due to tobacco. Each day 1,200 lives of current and former smokers are lost prematurely due to tobacco-related diseases. As HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius noted, "Every day, almost 4,000 youth try a cigarette for the first time and 1,000 youth become regular, daily smokers."

The new Report is a large one, spanning over 700 pages. It presents a detailed, scientific look at the toxicology and biology behind nicotine addiction and tobacco smoking, including carcinogenic effects and the adverse effects on cardiopulmonary and reproductive health. Many additional scientific and other international publications for the general public and healthcare providers are available at http://www.smokefree.gov and http://www.ahrq.gov/path/tobacco.htm

Brief Summary of Findings from the 2010 Surgeon General's Report:

1. There is no safe level of exposure to tobacco smoke. The evidence on the mechanisms by which smoking causes disease indicates that there is no risk-free level of exposure to tobacco smoke.
2. Damage from tobacco smoke is immediate. Evidence in the new Report indicates that the risk does not increase in a linear fashion with increasing exposure, and even low levels of exposure to tobacco—such as a few cigarettes a day, occasional smoking, or exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke—are sufficient to substantially increase the risk of adverse cardiac events. Smoking longer means more damage. Through multiple defined mechanisms, the risk and severity of many adverse health outcomes caused by smoking are directly related to the duration and level of exposure to tobacco smoke.
3. Cigarettes are designed for addiction. Sustained use and long-term exposures to tobacco smoke are due to the powerfully addicting effects of tobacco products, which are mediated by diverse actions of nicotine and perhaps other compounds, at multiple types of nicotine receptors in the brain.
4. Even low levels of exposure, including exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke, are dangerous. In 2006, the Surgeon General reported that the scientific evidence was sufficient to conclude that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke. The 2010 Report provides a more detailed review of the mechanisms that validate that conclusion. Low levels of exposure, including exposures to secondhand smoke, lead to a rapid and sharp increase in endothelial dysfunction and inflammation, which are implicated in acute cardiovascular events and thrombosis.
5. There is no safe cigarette. There is insufficient evidence that product modification strategies—including new cigarette products—to lower emissions of specific toxicants in tobacco smoke reduce the risk for major adverse health outcomes.

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What are the Benefits and Rewards of Quitting Smoking?

Below is a timeline of some of the health benefits you have to look forward to as a non-smoker:

20 Minutes – Twenty minutes after you quit smoking, your heart rate returns to normal.

12 Hours – Twelve hours after you quit smoking, the carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.

4 Days – Four days after you quit smoking, all nicotine is removed from your system.

2 Weeks – Two weeks to three months after you quit smoking, your coughing and shortness of breath decreases.

1 Year – One year after you stop smoking, your added risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker.

5-15 Years – Five to fifteen years after you stop smoking, your risk of having a stroke is reduced to that of someone who doesn’t smoke.

10 Years – Ten years after you quit smoking, your chance of death by lung cancer is about half that of a smoker. Your risk of cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney and pancreas decreases.

Smoking while you are pregnant deprives your baby of oxygen and increases the risk your baby being born with chest colds, coughs, ear infections and asthma problems. It also increases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and becoming a smoker themself when they are old enough to smoke. Therefore, if you don’t smoke while you are pregnant, your baby is much more likely to be born healthy, and as for you, the mother, you’ll have more energy, fewer health problems and save money, which will help you be a better parent.

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What Is The Financial Cost of Smoking?

Just how expensive is your habit? Aside from the obvious health concerns, smoking is also an expensive habit and a huge financial burden. Use the following chart to get a general idea of how much you’ve already spent on cigarettes and how much you will save once you become a non-smoker.

Although it’s impossible to put a price on your health and the health of your loved ones, most smokers can pay for their hypnotherapy sessions in less than 1 ½ months, just by what they save in no longer having to purchase cigarettes. So what will you do with your extra money?


Packs per Day @ $6 per Pack

	½ Pack	1 Pack	1 ½ Pack	2 Packs
1 Day	$3.00	$6.00	$9.00	$12.00
1 Week	$21.00	$42.00	$63.00	$84.00
1 Month	$91	$183	$274	$365
1 Year	$1,092	$2,196	$3,288	$4,380
5 Years	$5,460	$10,980	$16,440	$21,900
10 Years	$10,090	$21,960	$32,880	$43,800
20 Years	$21,840	$43,920	$65,760	$87,600
30 Years	$32,760	$65,880	$98,640	$131,400
40 Years	$43,680	$87,840	$131,320	$175,200
50 Years	$54,600	$108,800	$164,400	$219,000

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