If you’ve never tried meditation and hypnosis to quit cigarettes before, you might be surprised at how effective it could be.
Table of Contents
Why Most Attempts to Quit Smoking Don’t Work
There’s no shortage of ways to quit. Some of the most common are:
- Going cold turkey
- Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRTs) such as nicotine gum, patches, and lozenges
- Prescription pills
- Physical exercise
- Diet changes
- Switching to e-cigs
- Acupuncture
- Herbs and supplements
The problem with all of these solutions is that they all come from the outside.
For instance, NRTs and e-cigs just replace the nicotine source without addressing the psychological layer of addiction. Exercising, eating better, and chewing gum are all surface-level distractions.
They don’t address the root cause of why you’re craving nicotine all the time, which is why they cannot set you free from it.
Unless you look inward and understand why you’re smoking in the first place, none of these methods will work.
Smoking Cessation Begins By Understanding the Self
According to smokefree.gov, “One of the initial steps to quit is to learn why you feel like using tobacco.”
Some people start smoking to deal with stress and other negative emotions. Others succumbed to peer pressure, or grew up around family members or someone else who smoked and didn’t care about their health. Many developed their cigarette habit through a combination of factors.
Mindfulness and meditation practice can help you identify and accept the roots of your nicotine addiction. In the same vein, hypnosis can help you improve those behaviors to enhance self control against cigarette cravings.
Can Meditation Help You Quit Smoking?
Absolutely, yes. Meditation and hypnosis could help you control your urge to smoke by training the brain. Studies into the topic recognize promising results:
- One health study trial found that meditation was over twice as effective as the “Freedom from Smoking” treatment from the American Lung Association, a trial program which is specifically designed to help smokers quit tobacco.
- University of Oregon and Texas Tech University researchers credit mindfulness training with a 60% reduction in smoking among participants in the trial.
But how exactly can meditation help you quit? Here’s the thing: it’s not enough to simply want to quit smoking. If it were, quitting would be a breeze!
Your subconscious mind must support this change as well.
Meditation and hypnosis are designed to unlock your subconscious. Once you start practicing your meditations consistently, a few things will begin happening:
Meditation reduces stress, which is the biggest trigger for smoking.
Many people smoke in order to be free from stress and anxiety. They already know that smoking is unhealthy, but they enjoy that moment of relaxation that comes after taking a drag of their cigarette. Unfortunately, having a smoke only covers up the stress. If you’re that kind of smoker, practicing mindfulness can help you manage stress better.
Specifically, meditation will help you relax from within. First, mindfulness will train your brain to be aware of what you’re feeling. Then, you’ll learn how to accept what’s going on around you.
Finally, you’ll be able to re-center yourself by applying appropriate relaxation techniques. Because you already know how to reach that calm state, you’ll rely less on smoking to deal with stress.
Through mindfulness, you gain control over your cravings and smoking habits.
Smoking is a behavior that’s often on autopilot. You feel the craving, you search for a cigarette, you smoke. It’s mindless and automatic.
In contrast, mindfulness includes training yourself to be aware of how you’re feeling physically and mentally.
Instead of mindlessly giving on to your craving, you start to search and examine it. Accept it. Embrace it, and realize that you have power over your feelings.
When you realize this, you’ll finally be able to reshape your behavior and let the cravings simply pass.
Meditation fortifies your self control.
Finally, meditation practice can actually cause positive changes in your brain. For instance, meditation has been found to improve the connection between parts of the brain that govern self control.
Naturally, the greater self control you have, the greater your commitment to quit smoking and be free from the cycle.
In fact, some studies even show that meditation caused smokers to reduce their smoking habit without noticing it as a result of improved self control.
How Can I Train My Mind to Stop Smoking?
Let’s set expectations first.
Training yourself to quit smoking will not be easy, especially at the beginning.
Think of your brain as a driver. Every time a cigarette craving hits, it drives down the same highway towards the same destination: smoking.
Now, we’ll be forcing it to drive down a new road. Away from the only destination it knows– and the addiction is going to fight you for control.
The more you practice your meditations, the better you get at steering your brain towards a new destination.
Follow these tips:
Acknowledge
Every time you want to light up a cigarette, simply acknowledge it. Take deep breaths. Feel the nicotine craving happening in your mind and body. Don’t fight it. Just acknowledge that you want to smoke right now, but you don’t have to act on it yet.
Relax
Next, practice relaxation techniques. Focus on the sensation of breathing. Inhale and exhale deliberately, and try doing this for a minute. Then two minutes, or as long as you can. By focusing on this experience, you’re shifting your focus away from the thoughts of smoking.
Visualize
Close your eyes. Imagine the most calming place you can think of. Explore it. Is the weather hot or cold? Are there people, or are you alone? What objects can you recognize? What can you smell and hear?
This is called guided imagery, and it further distracts you from any discomfort you’re feeling from wanting a cigarette.
These are simple meditation techniques, and very doable for beginners. The key is to practice them until they become a habit.
Furthermore, remember that you don’t have to be perfect at this.
Give yourself credit every time you succeed in letting the urge pass, and give yourself compassion when you don’t. Take it one day at a time.
Combined with hypnosis, they can get you started on your journey to a smoke-free, healthy life today.
Can You Hypnotize Yourself to Stop Smoking?
Yes, there are safe, self-hypnosis techniques you can do at home. They are ideal if you want to try hypnotherapy and meditation, but don’t want to hire a hypnotherapist or you simply want to do it yourself.
These are some of the basic techniques:
Future Pacing/Visualization
This technique requires you to relax, then imagine yourself living your daily routine as a non-smoker and experience the positive feelings that come with it. The more detail you can visualize, the better.
Self-Hypnosis
By following scripts from books and other resources, you can create a trance state in which you can repeat positive suggestions.
Hypnotic Recordings
You can find many hypnosis recordings online today. There are also hypnosis apps you can download on your phone, featuring certified hypnotists in the audio.
Hypnosis apps guide you to quit cigarettes and create better habits by resetting your behavior patterns through guided hypnosis. Many smokers experience positive physical and mental results after one session.
But to make the benefits permanent, you can listen to the audio content for the next 3 months for more guided training.
Together, hypnosis and meditation can successfully change your experience with smoking. However, the most important element is still your commitment to living a better, healthier lifestyle no matter what it takes.
Hypnosis May Be Your Best Option to Quit Smoking
Tired of failing every time you try to quit? Don’t give up just yet. Several studies have cited the effectiveness of hypnosis for smoking cessation. According to this study, it’s been found to be more efficient with quick and long-lasting results.
Because of this, hypnosis can be the missing link between you and giving up your bad cigarette habit for good.
Quit: Hypnosis to Stop Smoking is a free app that uses hypnosis guided by certified hypnotists. Their soothing voice will guide you through each session designed to reprogram your smoking habit through your subconscious . You can use it anywhere, and at your own pace.
Quit: Hypnosis to Stop Smoking: FAQs
Is hypnotherapy safe?
Yes. It’s 100% natural with no side effects, and only makes use of your subconscious without medications involved.
How often should I listen to the audios?
For best results, follow everything in the program as designed. Listen to the audios based on the order in the app.
Does hypnosis really work if I want to quit cigarettes?
It may or may not work for everyone, but it’s effective for most people. As long as you commit to changing, you can enjoy positive results.
Will I be asleep during hypnosis?
No, you will only need to be in a relaxed state. Since hypnotherapy is interactive, you will even be listening to background sounds and music.
What if I get stuck in a hypnotized state?
You won’t. Being hypnotized feels more like daydreaming, not falling asleep. There’s no danger of “not waking up” after a session.
It’s never too late to leave smoking behind. Download our free Quit: Hypnosis to Stop Smoking app and take step one towards a healthier life.
