Case studies - the use of Hypnosis to stop smoking

Freedom from smoking: integrating hypnotic methods and rapid smoking to facilitate smoking cessation: Of 43 consecutive patients undergoing this treatment protocol, 39 reported remaining abstinent at follow-up (6 months to 3 years post-treatment). This represents a 90.6% success rate using hypnosis. Reference: University of Washington School of Medicine, Depts. of Anesthesiology and Rehabilitation Medicine, Int J Clin Exp Hypn. 2001 Jul;49(3):257-66. Barber J.

Smoke Free International: A comparison of hypnosis to quit smoking and hypnosis combined with NLP reported a 95% success rate using hypnosis combined with NLP and 51% using hypnosis alone. Reference: Smoke Free International's Proprietary Method - http://www.smokefreeinternational.com/report.php

Performance by gender in a stop-smoking program combining hypnosis and aversion: A field study of 93 male and 93 female CMHC outpatients examined the facilitation of smoking cessation by using hypnosis. At 3-mo. follow-up, 86% of the men and 87% of the women reported continued abstinence using hypnosis. Reference: Johnson DL, Karkut RT. - Adkar Associates, Inc., Bloomington, Indiana. Psychol Rep. 1994 Oct;75(2):851-7. PMID: 7862796 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Clinical hypnosis for smoking cessation: preliminary results of a three-session intervention: Thirty smokers enrolled in an HMO were referred by their primary physician for treatment. Twenty-one patients returned after an initial consultation and received hypnosis for smoking cessation. At the end of treatment, 81% of those patients reported that they had stopped smoking, and 48% reported abstinence at 12 months post-treatment. Reference: Texas A&M University - System Health Science Center College of Medicine, USA. - Int J Clin Exp Hypn. 2004 Jan;52(1):73-81.

Guided health imagery for smoking cessation and long-term abstinence: Study of 71 smokers showed that after a two-year follow up, patients that quit with hypnosis were twice as likely to still be smoke-free than those who quit on their own. Reference: Wynd CA. - Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 2005; 37:3, pages 245-250

Descriptive outcomes of the American Lung Association of Ohio hypnotherapy smoking cessation program: Group hypnosis, evaluated at a less effective success rate than individualized hypnosis (at 22%). However, still demonstrated here as more effective than drug interventions. Reference: Ohio State University, College of Nursing, Columbus 43210, USA

How One in Five Give Up Smoking: Hypnosis is the most effective way of giving up smoking, according to the largest ever scientific comparison of ways of breaking the habit. A meta-analysis, statistically combining results of more than 600 studies of 72 000 people from America and Europe to compare various methods of quitting. On average – hypnosis was over three times as effective as nicotine replacement methods and 15 times as effective as trying to quit alone. Reference: October 1992. - (Also New Scientist October 10, 1992) - University of Iowa - Journal of Applied Psychology