Hypnotherapy and Smoking Cessation

1594 Words4 Pages

The theme of this study is to investigate the efficiency of hypnotherapy, with regard to smoking cessation. An evaluation will be made regarding the efficacy of single session therapy, against multiple session therapy. In view of this evaluation, a non-clinical case study will be discussed, in order to assess the benefits of tailoring therapy around the needs of the individual. Hypnotherapy for smoking cessation has produced impressive results, according to numerous studies. Having said this, results are varied. Some studies claim impressive success i.e. 90.6% (Barber, 2001), 90% (Klager, 2004), and 80% (Crasilneck, 1990), whilst others report lower success i.e. 48% (Elkins and Rajab, 2004) and 25% (Ahijevych, Yerardi and Nedilsky, 2000). This variation may be due the number of methods and approaches adopted (Crasilneck, 1990; Barber, 2001; Spiegel, Frischholz, Fleiss and Spiegel, 1993). Or, perhaps it may be due to the personality of the therapist i.e. the powerful ‘chemistry’ of alliance (Kroger, 1977; Lynn and Rue, 1991; Hubble, Duncun and Miller, 1999). A number of variables exist with regard to the study of smoking cessation. However, the onus of this study is to concentrate on the constant variable, a variable common to all studies, that is, the patient.

Firstly, however, it is important to explore whether single or multiple session therapy may prove most effective. There is strong evidence to support the use of multiple session hypnosis above single session hypnosis with regard to smoking cessation (Hammond, 1990). In fact, a variety of counselling methods have proved more successful in multi session, regardless of technique (Zhu, Stretch, Balabanis, Rosbrook, Sadler and Pierce, 1996). Furthermore, meta analysis further s...

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... patient (2) family and social circle (3) the culture in which the patient lives and (4) the treatment intervention itself. It follows that (4) must be influenced by (1), (2) and (3). Therefore an appropriate treatment plan was considered in accordance with this. D expressed that he was unhappy being a smoker. Furthermore, he expressed worries concerning his skin, his smell and the isolation and social stigma that surrounds his smoking habit. D is from a family of smokers and his father provided his first cigarette, when he was 12yrs. Social learning plays an obvious role in shaping self-perception and behaviour (T. Barber, 1969, 2000; Spanos, 1991) with early experience having considerable influence (Klein, 2008), which may be one reason for D’s initial inability to succeed in cessation. Furthermore, it may be a secondary gain of D’s to ‘fit in’ with his family.

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