Description

The objective the pilot study is to investigate the effect of one session of hypnotherapy to quit smoking in subjects who are keen to discontinue and in whom suggestions of life-style modification have failed. The design is an open-phase prospective study based at Central Middlesex Hospital outpatient clinic, London. Forty four subjects gave their informed consent to enter the study. 35 of them (19 males and 16 females) responded to our contact (letters or phone calls) 12 months following their hypnotherapy session. Six of the subjects were patients with documented coronary artery disease and 29 were normally health individuals.

Main outcome measure was the number of subjects who quit

smoking at different times until 12 months following one session

of hypnotherapy. The relation of duration of quitting smoking

to various factors and social conditions was recorded.

Results from the pilot study have shown that stress and

anxiety were the commonest factors which were related to continuing

smoking. The response to hypnotherapy was maximum (n=33, 94%)

at 24 hours following the session. The abstinence rate dropped

to 80% within one week then to 60%, 54%, 51%, 46%, 43%, within

45, 90, 120, 150 and 182 days successively following the hypnotherapy.

The number of subjects who had given up smoking after one

year was 14 (40%), three of whom were patients with coronary

artery disease. Only two subjects did not respond to hypnotherapy.

In conclusion, the one-session hypnotherapy is a successful

approach to induce cessation of smoking in subjects who are

keen to discontinue. Subjects who abstain for over 6 months

are likely to continue abstaining by 12 months.