In seeking holisitic methods to quit smoking, Well+Good interviewed hypnotist Jeffrey Rose to discuss success rates and methodology. Practitioners see an uptick in smoking cessation clients this time of year—smokers comprise 30% of Rose’s practice. And both use their chosen technique in conjunction with a thorough lifestyle evaluation. “We discuss everything from medical history to why they’ve decided to quit, their mindset when smoking (i.e. what are their triggers) and their sugar and caffeine consumption. Rose explains his holistic approach, “We start by having a long conversation about their diet, sleep patterns, exercise routine, alcohol consumption…I want to learn everything I can about them so I can help them be more resourceful in rejecting cigarettes.”

HYPNOSIS
How often: one two-hour hypnosis session + self hypnosis audios
How it works: Forget every schlocky hypnotism stage show you’ve ever seen. Hypnotism is essentially a narrowing of your attention, and it can never make you do anything against your will, explains Rose. After a lifestyle discussion, you watch a 25-minute hypnotic video, almost like a mini-session, that introduces a future aversion to cigarettes. Then Rose himself hypnotizes you: you relax while he encourages you to imagine healthy, smoke-free years ahead. This positive suggestion helps create new thought patterns and habits. Then he has you visualize someone else smoking and think about how disgusting it is. “In hypnosis I am teaching their subconscious that smoking, though pleasurable, is extremely unhealthy and stupid. Once my client’s subconscious mind knows that there are more healthy choices, it will let go of smoking.”