Hypnotherapy to Stop Smoking in Glasgow

Most people who smoke already know every reason to stop. That isn’t the problem. The problem is that the cigarette has become tied into your day in ways that have very little to do with logic. The first one with a coffee. The one after a stressful call. The one that gives you five minutes to yourself.

That’s why willpower alone so often runs out. And it’s why my stop smoking session looks at more than the habit itself.

Why stopping is harder than it should be

Nicotine is part of it, but it’s rarely the whole story. For a lot of people, smoking does a job. It’s a way to take a break, manage stress, calm down, or feel in control. Take the cigarette away without dealing with that, and the need is still there, looking for something to fill it.

The cigarette is often not really the thing. What it gives you is. When we understand that, stopping becomes a lot less of a fight.

How my stop smoking session works

It starts with a free 20 minute consultation, so we can talk about your smoking, what you’ve tried before and whether this is the right approach for you.

The stop smoking session itself is one dedicated session, and it’s more than just hypnotherapy. It brings together three things:

• Psychotherapy, to understand what smoking does for you, and what you’ll do instead when those moments come.
• NLP, to change the way your mind links cigarettes with relief, reward or comfort.
• Hypnotherapy, to work with the automatic side of the habit, the reach for a cigarette that happens before you’ve even thought about it.

Throughout, you’re awake and in control. Hypnosis is a relaxed, focused state, and you can hear me, talk to me and open your eyes at any point. If you’d like to know more about how sessions feel, I’ve written about what happens in a hypnotherapy session.

What it costs

The stop smoking session costs £150, whether you come to my practice in Carmyle, Glasgow, or we work online over Zoom. The first consultation is free, and you can book it using the link at the end of this page.

What the research says

I want to be straight with you about this.

The best known review of the research, by Cochrane in 2019, looked at 14 trials and found there isn’t enough good quality evidence to say whether hypnotherapy works better than other kinds of support for stopping smoking. Many of the studies were small or poorly designed.

That doesn’t mean it doesn’t work. It means the research hasn’t settled it either way.

What I can tell you is what I’ve seen. I’ve been running stop smoking sessions for nearly ten years, and in my experience the large majority of people who come to me ready to stop, do stop. The word that matters there is ready.

Using it alongside NHS support

You don’t have to choose between private help and the NHS. The NHS offers free stop smoking support, including advice and nicotine replacement products or medication. In Glasgow, Quit Your Way from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde can help on 0800 916 8858, or through your local pharmacy.

Many people find the two work well together. Nicotine replacement takes the edge off the physical cravings, and our session works on the habits and feelings behind them.

You need to be ready

This is the most important thing I can tell you about stopping smoking with hypnotherapy. It works for people who have reached a point where they’re done. They want to stop, they’re ready to stop, and they just need some help to do it.

It doesn’t work nearly as well for people who are coming because someone else wants them to stop, a partner who keeps nagging, for example, or only because they can’t afford it any more. Those are real reasons, but if part of you still wants to smoke, no session can override that.

So before you book, ask yourself honestly: am I ready to give this up? If the answer is yes, and you just need help getting there, that’s exactly who this session is for. If you’re not sure, that’s fine too. We can talk it through in the free consultation, and I’ll tell you honestly if I think now isn’t the right time.

Common questions