The NHS are re-considering their stance on hypnosis and smoking cessation it seems.
At the recent UK National Smoking Cessation Conference delegates were presented with the findings of a pilot that offered one hypnosis session to relapsed NHS quitters.
The resulting abstinence rates at 4 weeks and then at 6 months
compared well to the NHS regime of nicotine replacement therapy and programme of weekly support.
The author of the study, Maria Spellacy, a NHS Smoking Advisor from Leeds, suggested: “That it may be worth considering as a cost-effective alternative in smokers that find it attractive. This is an issue that merits further study.”
It remains to be seen whether the NHS ‘powers that be’ would incorporate or endorse the use of a drug free alternative therapy that helped smokers quit.
Does NRT Really Aid Cessation?
As many alternative practitioners and therapists who successfully help smokers to quit know nicotine is a drug that rapidly leaves the body. For many people trying to quit by using nicotine patches and the like just prolongs the agony of addiction.
Helping someone understand that they need an attitude change to their behaviour and then helping them achieve that is both efficient and effective.
But up until now NLP Practitioners and Hypnotherapists offering this approach are in the main seen as the enemy by NHS Stop Smoking Services. They argue that as a whole the drug-free approach offered is not based on evidence.
Short Lived Success
Yet the evidence that they rely on to prove their success is based on an abstinence of only four weeks. Even then a proportion of their proof of success is reliant upon the quitter saying they haven’t smoked.
Also in most instances these Stop Smoking Services do not follow up their quitters after four weeks.
So although the NHS refers to their evidence-based Stop Smoking Service the evidence they have doesn’t prove an awful lot.
It would be interesting to see all UK NLP and Hpnotherapists nationally register their successes on a similar success criteria and also find out the abstinent rate at six months. Something that most practitioners would find easier to do.
What do you think?

If you liked this post, then please share it: