Hypnosis and Smoking

Continuallyccumulating data¹ link smoking with a significant increase in morbidity and mortality in a variety of disease states. Many efforts have been and are being made to induce individuals to eliminate or reduce smoking. Hypnosis has been one of the psychological treatment methods espoused. Theoretically the hypersuggestibility inherent in hypnosis should make it an ideal vehicle for removal of an unwanted, undesirable, bad habit. Pragmatically, however, we must ask the following: How well does it work? What place does it have in the treatment of people who desire to stop smoking? For consideration two sets of data are presented: first, a survey of the literature; and second, findings from the use of hypnosis on ten patients, most with serious medical illness, who were specifically referred to a psychiatrist for assistance in stopping their smoking.

Literature Survey  While considering the scientific basis for anecdotal hypnotic cures, I studied the world medical