Stop smoking and vaping using hypnotherapy
How does smoking or vaping become a habit ?​
When a person smokes, they are inhaling around 5000 different chemicals, such as nicotine and tar. Of these chemicals, 70 are known to cause cancer. When a person vapes, they are still getting the nicotine hit.
Nicotine, is the addictive substance in cigarettes and vapes. It stimulates the release of dopamine in the brain. Dopamine has a positive effect on how you feel, it can increase the feeling of happiness and motivation.
The subconscious part of the brain remembers every experience you have and it can use this information to influence your behaviour. In the case of smoking, when you smoke, the nicotine creates a pleasurable sensation, which reinforces the message in your subconscious that smoking is associated with feeling good. This then creates the habit – you have a cigarette first thing in the morning with your cup of coffee, the subconscious part of your brain learns that this feels good, so the next day, it tells you that a cigarette would be a good thing to have with the coffee as it wants to make you feel good.
Every time you smoke, this message is reinforced so the habit gets stronger, and over time, your brain becomes accustomed to a certain level of nicotine. The same applies to vaping.​
"I visited Vicky about 2 weeks ago to stop vaping...and I have stopped vaping. The whole experience was really very good....from a heavy vaper to someone who is no longer a vaper, thanks Vicky."
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NJ February 2025
How can hypnotherapy help to break the habit?
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Hypnotherapy is a powerful tool for breaking the smoking or vaping habit by addressing the underlying psychological and behavioural aspects of addiction. Here's how it can help:
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1. Changing Thought Patterns
Hypnotherapy works by accessing the subconscious mind, where ingrained habits and beliefs reside. Through positive suggestions and guided imagery, a hypnotherapist can help reframe your thoughts about smoking or vaping. For example, the association between smoking and relaxation can be replaced with healthier alternatives, such as deep breathing or exercise.
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2. Reducing Cravings
During a hypnotherapy session, suggestions are given to reduce cravings and minimize withdrawal symptoms. The hypnotherapist might suggest that you feel a sense of calm and satisfaction when you resist the urge to smoke or vape, making it easier to cope with cravings.
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3. Building Confidence and Willpower
Hypnotherapy can boost your confidence and willpower by reinforcing your ability to quit smoking or vaping. You may be guided to visualise yourself as a non-smoker or non-vaper, experiencing the benefits of a nicotine free life. This positive visualisation helps strengthen your commitment to quitting.
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4. Addressing Triggers
Smoking and vaping are often linked to specific triggers, such as stress, social situations, or certain times of the day. Hypnotherapy can help identify these triggers and provide strategies to manage them. By developing new coping mechanisms, you can break the cycle of dependency.
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5. Enhancing Relaxation
One of the key benefits of hypnotherapy is it's ability to induce deep relaxation. This can be particularly helpful for smokers or vapers who use cigarettes or vapes to manage stress or anxiety. By learning to relax you can reduce the need for nicotine as a stress-relief tool.
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6. Long-Term Support
Hypnotherapy can offer long-term support by instilling positive habits and reinforcing your decision to quit. Follow-up sessions can help address any challenges that arise and keep you on track toward a smoke-free future.
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By addressing the psychological aspects of smoking or vaping and reinforcing positive behaviours, hypnotherapy can be an effective tool for quitting and achieving long-term success.
Hypnotherapy for smoking or vaping cessation is done in one session, lasting 90 mins - 2hours. During the hypnosis, I can use regression to when you started smoking, resolving any issues that may remain, this is followed by working with your subconscious to change the unwanted behaviour. This is followed by lots of positive suggestions to reinforce the fact that you will be a non-smoker / vaper, you can feel proud and confident about yourself and you will achieve your goal. Following the session I email a link to two further sessions you can listen to at home to reinforce the positive suggestions. You then have access to these sessions in time of stress if needed.