Strategies and Design of Hypnosis Intervention for Tobacco Cessation

The purpose of this article is to share approaches and program design to assist healthcare professionals trained in hypnosis help tobacco users become tobacco free. Helping tobacco users overcome their tobacco dependency is generally seen as challenging to healthcare professionals. Efforts to stop a tobacco habit have components which are both physical and emotional in nature and which produce periods of discomfort and high relapse rates. Hypnosis can be supportive for both the physical and emotional aspects necessary for successful cessation. Health risks of tobacco use cannot be overlooked, and individuals burdened by tobacco habits will benefit from health professionals' greater appreciation for the contributions hypnosis can offer. Tobacco cessation incorporating hypnosis can be successful when careful attention is given to the program design.