Hypnotherapy

I shall tell you about how I gave up smoking.

It was August 1989 and I was 5 weeks pregnant with my first child. At the doctor's I asked about hypnotherapy and was given the name of a local practitioner. I made an appointment and went to see him. "I'd love to help you," he said, "but I'm off on holiday next week and I think you'll need three sessions. However I have a friend who's really very good - why don't you give her a call?"

So a couple of days later I rang her, only to be told, "I'd love to help you but unfortunately I'm off on holiday tomorrow. However why don't you try this chap? He helped my husband and he's really very good."

So, I rang him. The first thing he said was, "Actually, I'm on holiday at the moment but I can make an appointment." Which we did. The he said, "Do you really want to give up?" And I, truthfully, said that unfortunately I still enjoyed it but I knew I needed to stop for the sake of my unborn child. "I can't possibly help you then," he replied. "I've had people with advanced lung cancer crawling to me on their hands and knees begging me to help. Unless you really want to stop like that I can't do anything for you." We had a ding dong argument for a few moments at the end of which I slammed down the phone having told him what to do with his appointment.

That was at 4:45pm on 8 August 1989. I haven't smoked one single cigarette since, ever (and I was a sixty a day girl). So he was really very good and incredibly cheap.

Willow10, I could have written your post! At least, the bit about driving tests. I failed 3 times, despite being a very good driver (admitted grudgingly by an instructor who didn't think women should be allowed on the road, but was happy to take my money!) but just couldn't cope with the exam nerves. My GP hypnotised me half a dozen times, then taught me how to self-hypnotise, and I passed on the next attempt. I've since used it when undergoing really unpleasant dental work...I'm not afraid, but I'd rather be somewhere else...on several occasions when having minor medical procedures done, and a few times when I was in hospital last year being treated for sepsis. The medical staff were most impressed, because it made their job much easier as well as making it less unpleasant for me. Smoking? Can't comment...I went cold turkey from being a very dedicated and passionate smoker (around 100 a day, including the ones I gave to friends) on will power alone. I'd say it's definitely worth a go,but make sure you see a registered practitioner. A word of caution too, if I may; my GP , when addressing my scepticism, assured me that hypnosis cannot make anyone do something that they would not be prepared to do in an unhypnotised state.

I tried it for a snake phobia because, at the time, my two cats kept bringing me slow worms (I know they are not snakes but, they look and move like them).
It worked for several months. I could never pick one up but, I could look at pictures of snakes and not have a panic attack if there was one in the house.
Sadly, the effects wore off but, and I hope I do not speak to soon, the current feline house owners don’t bring them in.

Hypnotherapy worked v well for me after my husband died in 2006 at 53 of brain cancer. A few months on I had moved house to a rental, left my job, plus our children had gone to Uni/got married so I was empty nesting too. I was a terrible mess, on sleeping pills and deeply unhappy. My new doc recommended a therapist so I checked out a professional in the local Yellow pages and off I went. It changed my life: it was so effective, calming, restorative and amazing. I attended sessions for 5 months and I am the person I am today because of that therapy.

It sounds like overall it is worth a try. I will look into it further. Thanks!

Many years ago my dentist tried it on me. I did not think it had worked but she had finished before aia had a clue.

I tried it to curb my sweet tooth which was making me gain weight, I went to a fully qualified hypnotist who had worked for the NHS, I had a course of six sessions but it didn’t work as his voice got on my nerves and I felt like laughing.

I am a hypnotherapist but no longer practice. I specialised in stopping people smoking and also with weight loss. Before I retired I stopped over 400 people smoking. Generally they needed 3 sessions of 45 minutes each, but it varied. I only charged £15 per session. On occasion I helped with other problems too, such as fear of going out without having to return multiple times to check that the gas was off and all doors securely locked, also a young boy who could play tennis well but always got so nervous before a match that he lost ( after treatment he started winning his matches and went on to become a successful tennis coach). Also helped somebody who was terrified of touching door handles in case of germs... I loved doing the job but had to give it up as I got severe headaches after one or two clients.
I would say, go to a qualified hypnotherapist, but don't go if someone else is pressuring you to go. You must go of your own accord.

Yes, I did try it. I had to make a speech about complementary therapies and I was terrified. I eventually phoned my hypnotherapist friend and asked him to do the speech. I told me to round to his office where he hypnotised me. Speech time arrived, I hear this person speaking loud and clear - then realised it was me!! Yes it worked.

Have used it successfully to stop smoking and deal with other stress issues, and I use a hypnosis audio at night if I have trouble sleeping . Am nearly always asleep before it finishes

Mine for smoking and driving test was done back in 1980 - one session each time at a cost of £15 each. The best £30 I ever spent! Oddly enough I didn't think it would work at the first session because I wasn't concentrating. I was wearing a short skirt, sitting opposite the male hypnotist. Not knowing what would happen and if I would fall asleep, I was only concentrating on keeping my knees together!

Perhaps your GP could refer you do a medical hypnotherapist? Or check out the association of medical and dental hypnotherapists to find a professional on their register. Good luck x

yes to stop smoking. did not really want to, but said i would try. Had my last cig just before i went in and not touched one for 20 years, best decision ever.

a dentist friend said he used to hypnotise himself to drill his own teeth.
Worked for him, it seems

Has anyone tried hypnotherapy to help with blood pressure checks please? Just writing this makes me want to erase the post and run. I have had cognitive behavioural therapy which means I can now go to the surgery and I don't cry and shake as much as I used to. It has been a real help in many other ways too. However it can take me days to be able to take my own reading at home which I have to do monthly, they often don't get done. Can anyone offer me a ray of hope please?

I should say it's not the physical part of the BP reading that upsets me, it's the result I dread. I'm on medication, one 50mg tablet per day and it's not that high. Always higher at surgery though.

I tried to use it to stop smoking. The hypnotherapist was a bit, shall we say, new age. I couldn't stop laughing or take her seriously. Needless to say it didn't work.

Yes & yes.
Helped with an annoying 'bodily reaction'.
You don't go 'under' like the Darren Brown type hypnosis but are fully aware all of the time.
A very relaxing experience!

Paul McKenna self hypnosis disc was 100% successful when my choc-oholic daughter realised she was, literally, addicted to chocolate and had been for very many years. No chocolate anywhere was safe from her! She listened to the disc at bedtime immediately before sleep and has never touched chocolate since. In fact she cannot bear even the smell of it, 20 years on. Highly recommended!

I had a course of ten sessions to overcome my firework phobia. He told me I was cured so I went to a public display, first firework that went off, I was crying hyperventilating, threw up, then passed out in the mud!Had to be dragged back to car through the mud as I couldn’t stand up! So no, didn’t work for me!

My DD was a heavy smoker and had tried all the patches, etc. to no avail. She went to a hypnotherapist about 5 years ago and has never smoked since.

Hetty58

Has anyone used it to stop smoking?

I did. Came out and had a cigarette. No use. But I gave up a few months later using (Alan? Michael? ) Carr’s book.

A friend at work had hypnotherapy to give up smoking and it worked.
But for some time afterwards she kept falling asleep and had to stay off work. She still doesn't smoke though.

I had it for taking my driving test(the second time) it worked brilliantly and I passed. I was beyond nervous the first time.
My son failed his test twice and the hypnotherapist at very short notice agreed to see him on the morning of his test. He was in a terrible state before he saw her, virtually catatonic, but he passed the test after seeing her.

Has anyone used hypnotherapy to lose weight/ stop snacking etc?