Steve Hill writes:
NLP stands for NeuroLinguistic Psychology, and many people are finding as one of the more beneficial stop smoking programs. Typically, this is one part of a bigger overall package that may include several quit smoking products and methods. While it’s evident that NLP does work on some who are looking for help to stop smoking, it’s also apparent that no stop smoking hypnotherapy will work unless several factors are present.
Arguably, the most important factor is a personal desire to quit smoking cigarettes. If the smoker is looking for stop smoking aids because a spouse is constantly nagging about the smell of smoke, it’s unlikely that any stop smoking help is going to work. Quitting smoking has to be the smoker’s desire. Look at some examples between an internal and external drive.
If the smoker is fully aware of the health risks of smoking, he or she may say it’s time to quit. An internal reason to seek quit smoking help is that you (as a smoker) know you’re doing harm to your body, and to your family and friends who deal with your second-hand smoke. This is an internal prompt to quit cigarette smoking. In this case, the desire is real and quit smoking hypnosis or NLP may very well be just the boost you need to successfully quit.
Another important factor in this case is that the family and friends are likely to be supportive, rather than censuring an occasional desire for a cigarette. There’s typically less pressure on the smoker who’s trying to quit when he has a good stop smoking support network.
Some examples of external prompting to seek some program such as stop smoking hypnosis or NLP are the spouse who is constantly nagging about the smell of smoke, or even the cost of cigarettes. While those are legitimate reasons for stopping smoking, the desire is typically not as strong and it may be more difficult for the smoker to actually quit. When the desire for a cigarette comes around (as it most likely will), the smoker with external drives to quit smoking cigarettes is more likely to choose the cigarette even though the penalties will be the cost of the cigarettes or the nagging of the spouse.
That’s not to say that external prompts can’t be strong enough to help the smoker quit, only that those prompts aren’t as likely to succeed as if the smoker truly has the desire.
If the cost of the habit is prompting the smoker to give it up, he may find that he’s not willing to pay for follow-up treatment. Many who undergo some form of hypnosis find they need additional sessions to remain strong against the desire to smoke. Hypnosis isn’t a free stop smoking therapy, but then nothing (other than sheer willpower) is free. If money alone is your prompting, you have to look at the long-term effects – money you’ll save over the next year, two years or longer. That might help you justify the cost of hypnosis or NLP as a resource of how to stop smoking.
One of the most important aspects of hypnosis and NLP therapies is the focus on both the physical and mental aspects of quitting smoking. Smokers who use only a stop smoking aid such as gum may find themselves longing for a cigarette simply because they feel the need to have it in their hand. Hypnosis stop smoking programs usually help deal with that part of the addiction, as well as the physical symptoms of withdrawal.
