Smoking Cessation-How many sessions

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Permalink Reply by Karen Lockman on June 29, 2009 at 5:42pm

Hello Arlene:

I have about an 80% success rate for smoking cessation in one session which is still effective even after 5-6 years or more.

I charge $135/session no matter how long... 40 minutes or 4 hours. My stop smoking sessions are usually 2-2.5 hours long after the 40 minute pretalk. In the pretalk, have them hold that cigarette in their hand, look it in the eye and tell it, "I'm sick of you, I'm tired of the control you've had over my life and I want you out of my life!" Then have them crumble it up, throw it in the garbage can, and dust their hands off. I always find out how many cigarettes they smoke today, when at various times during the day, when they had that first cigarette and with whom, if family members smoked, and what was going in their life when they may have quit and then started in again. I will use this info in the session. I also will convince them in the pre-talk that they are NOT addicted to nicotine, but to the habit. This makes the session very successful.

After the instant induction and a few minutes of deepeners, I always start with an emotional regression... regress on the most severe need to have a cigarette that they've had in the last year. Find the age, the emotion, the situation and the players. Is the feeling new or familiar? Usually it's familiar and you're not at the initial event. Do ICW.... change perception and then response changes. Then do a non-directed regression to the first scene, situation or event that caused you to have this feeling. They will usually go back somewhere before the age of 6. Do ICW again. May need to do chair therapy and forgiveness work. Then go back to moments after birth, when they are insecure and have something in their mouth which makes them feel secure. Do ICW. Then notice how putting something in your mouth for security was felt in so many places in their life. Go to the initial event you started with and notice how that feeling of needing to place something in your mouth for security has changed. Future pace a few scenes for reinforcement.

Go through their days and break the connections between smoking and anything they do during the day. Then go through the day again and notice how smoking is not connected to the activities of their life. Then I use a variety of methods to reinforce the broken connections between smoking and their life, and build up new healthy connections. Then use various visualizations to have them build up a feeling that everytime they see someone smoking it just reinforces to them that they are in control of their life and no longer controlled by tobacco.

Build up self-love and respect for the body. I do a variety of direct suggestions and visualizations on tobacco as poison and how they don't need poison in their body and in their life. Then do various visualizations from their life and have them realize "who they are!" A non-smoker. I use various visualizations about the filthiness of tobacco in that pretty white paper, and the sugar added, which is really the addiction (I have a few ads and articles I give clients which show that tobacco companies add many types of sugar to attract teens and to keep people's tastes interested in cigarettes.) Build up more respect for the body and new healthy being and eating habits. Then do comparisons between the healthy strong happy enthusiastic child of "yesteryear" (something I got from the client in the pre-talk, usually around age 7-10), and the adult of today, and do a merging so the adult of today can have the strong, pink, healthy lungs, the zest and enthusiasm for life as the child, and the desire to only spend their money on things that taste good and make them happy (even paying bills...for adults keeping everything up to date makes us happy!).

I will constantly stress throughout the entire session how they are now in control of their life, they respect their body, and they ARE a non-smoker, and no longer need to have poison in their body.

This is a VERY emotional session. Upon emerging I'm about 8 inches from their face looking them in the eye, and will reinforce the positive change for another 30-45 seconds. Very effective.

I do not use CDs. They walk out of my office a non-smoker and know it. I feel that if I send them out with the need to keep listening to CDs, then what we just did didn't work. I get a lot of referrals from my non-smokers.

Hope this helps.
Karen

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Permalink Reply by Roger Moore on June 29, 2009 at 7:31pm

I charge $449.00 for 90 minute stop smoking session which includes my stop smoking book and CDs. I offer two follow-up 55 minute sessions at no charge. The expectation is that at the end of the first session they are a life-long non-smoker.

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Permalink Reply by John Cleesattel on June 29, 2009 at 8:39pm

Hi Arlene,

You will find every flavor of technique and philosophy among the different hypnotists you get a reply from. They use what works for them. The one I do costs $250 and takes about 45 minutes total; from the time they walk into the door until the time they walk out a non-smoker. Truth be known, thats all it really takes if you set it up right. Its great hypnosis wise, but kinda dumb business wise. I do give a CD but it is just relaxation and affirmation of how good they feel about taking charge of their life. Once I discovered how to eliminate the smoking triggers, it was all downhill from there.

I suggest that you offer a stop smoking package for your customers. If you are going to have a CD, and do not include it, make sure they know that it is for those who can't afford a real session. It helps, but doesn't come close to doing what a session does.

From a business aspect, I would suggest at least two sessions. It is much more survivable for your business than doing it in only one session, and I would call around to see how much everyone else is getting for it and price it at a high medium to the average you find in your area.

I hope that helps you
John

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Permalink Reply by Andreas Tenhagen on June 29, 2009 at 9:41pm

Hy Arlene,

I charge 200,-.€ for a smoking cessation (pregnant pay 50% ...and under 18 years and pregnant are free)

My offer for this price is a pre-talk, a hypnosession (40-2 h) and a 3-4 "follow-ups".

I had also a successrate of about 80% with only one session. The percentage-rate went down when people arrived and said. They decided them for my way of cessation because only one session is not believable and up to 3-4-5 session that makes sence. I made it clear, that in my experience the people went out as truely "Non-smokers" but however they sabotaged themselves with their own suggestion "one-session-magic is not to believe". And I m thinking should I change my homepage? not to suggest it is not possible to do it in one session?

What others think?

Greetings

Andreas

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Permalink Reply by John Tolles on June 29, 2009 at 9:49pm

http://www.jdentaled.org/cgi/reprint/65/4/340.pdf

percentage of smokers abstinent with one session

45% after 11 months
20-25% after 2.5 years

I don't see why three sessions would necessarily be a bad thing. O.o?


Andreas Tenhagen said:

Hy Arlene,

I charge 200,-.€ for a smoking cessation (pregnant pay 50% ...and under 18 years and pregnant are free)

My offer for this price is a pre-talk, a hypnosession (40-2 h) and a 3-4 "follow-ups".

I had also a successrate of about 80% with only one session. The percentage-rate went down when people arrived and said. They decided them for my way of cessation because only one session is not believable and up to 3-4-5 session that makes sence. I made it clear, that in my experience the people went out as truely "Non-smokers" but however they sabotaged themselves with their own suggestion "one-session-magic is not to believe". And I m thinking should I change my homepage? not to suggest it is not possible to do it in one session?

What others think?

Greetings

Andreas

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Permalink Reply by Karen Lockman on June 29, 2009 at 9:54pm

Andreas:

Educate them in your pre-talk. Let them know that they are NOT addicted to nicotine, but to the HABIT. You'll assist them in changing that blue print in the subconscious mind so that cigarettes are not attached to the different activities they do in their day, and that they can BREAK or REVISE that habit into new healthy habits. So... it doesn't seem like a one-session miracle. I tell them that they will have about 2-3 days of shift in their subconscious mind. Just like an inverted pyramid. You pull out that tiny base of the pyramid, and everything built on it shifts. So, they'll have a shift in perception.... maybe some funny or strange dreams for the next 3 days, and they'll find themselves doing things differently, more healthy for their body, and won't even realize the change has taken place because it's now familiar... a part of that subconscious blueprint of response. They LOVE it. It just comes automatically without even conscious awareness or effort.

Karen

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Permalink Reply by Andreas Tenhagen on June 29, 2009 at 10:09pm

well John, its not because of the 3 or even 5 sessions. It is because of their "self-suggestion" ---"It must take that long, because only one session ----can´t work....I am a difficult to handle and I tried several methods and nothing worked how can Hypnosis do this in only one session?"

Well I talked with a former smoker she helped herselve with the Allan Carr -book (i wasn´t a hypnotist at that time) says "it only could work from now till tomorrow....to reduce the amount had no effect (with her)" and she is still free of that stuff.


What I meant.....don´t I suggest through my offer of 3-4 follow-ups that they need it, because one session won´t work?

@ Karen

Thanks.....i will bring more education into my pre-talk then i did before.

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Permalink Reply by Fable Goodman on June 30, 2009 at 1:25am

I come from a culture, ( north east of England) where the esxpectation is that you go to see as hypnotherapist once, and you are a non smoker.

I work with this expectation, telling my potential clients over the phone, that the most important thing is that they make thier own, clear, commited decicion to be a non smoker. Once they have made that decision, then hypnosis will help to make it a whole lot easier, and that the way I work, usuualy just the one sesion is all that is neccesary for that. That session takes about an hour and a half, and after the session I will be giving them a CD recording to use each day for two weeks afterwards. With that and the help from hypnosis, most people find that is all the help they need.

Once I have told them that, they come to see me with that expectation, I do a thorough pre hypnosis discussion, (which usually takes about half an hour, and then the actual session of hypnosis usually takes an hour.

Within the session I condition them to respond well to the recording, suggest that each time they listen to it, they will respond even better than the time before, and reinforce the suggestion that they use it every day for two weeks.

As most of my client come from referals from previous clients, I get good feedback on how well this works.

Love and hugs,

Fable

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Permalink Reply by John Cleesattel on June 30, 2009 at 7:45am

John Tolles

I'm sorry, a bunch of dentists, writing a article about hypnosis and smoking, using reference materials written between 20 and 100 years ago, holds no value or credibility for me, at all.

I will admit that the numbers you present may be indicative of those who follow those teachings, but then again, the medical profession at one time deemed methamphetamines to be the wonder drug that would replace all drugs. Facts change when things are better understood.

John

John Tolles said:

http://www.jdentaled.org/cgi/reprint/65/4/340.pdf

percentage of smokers abstinent with one session

45% after 11 months
20-25% after 2.5 years

I don't see why three sessions would necessarily be a bad thing. O.o?


Andreas Tenhagen said:

Hy Arlene,

I charge 200,-.€ for a smoking cessation (pregnant pay 50% ...and under 18 years and pregnant are free)

My offer for this price is a pre-talk, a hypnosession (40-2 h) and a 3-4 "follow-ups".

I had also a successrate of about 80% with only one session. The percentage-rate went down when people arrived and said. They decided them for my way of cessation because only one session is not believable and up to 3-4-5 session that makes sence. I made it clear, that in my experience the people went out as truely "Non-smokers" but however they sabotaged themselves with their own suggestion "one-session-magic is not to believe". And I m thinking should I change my homepage? not to suggest it is not possible to do it in one session?

What others think?

Greetings

Andreas

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Permalink Reply by Bruce Taylor C.Ht on June 30, 2009 at 9:12am

Arlene,
I do two sessions for smoking and charge $250. My session are around an hour each. I use Cal Banyan's 5 path system.

Bruce Taylor

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Permalink Reply by Neil on June 30, 2009 at 12:11pm

Fable said:

"I work with this expectation, telling my potential clients over the phone, that the most important thing is that they make thier own, clear, commited decicion to be a non smoker. Once they have made that decision, then hypnosis will help to make it a whole lot easier, and that the way I work, usuualy just the one sesion is all that is neccesary for that."

Neil says:

Once any person has made their "own, clear, committed decision" to do any thing, THEY DO IT.
This is not hypnosis, it is SELECTION.

The role of hypnosis is to get the client's permission to 'MAKE' the client 'DECIDE'.

It seems your north-eastern friends have it right.
This aint culture, it's good sense to expect the hypnotist to do something.
After passing over £100s of pounds sterling, I'd make sure it worked too.

Using hypnosis to stop a client from smoking is not about selecting those who are 'DECIDED'.
It is about circumventing the processes in the mind that prevent him/her from taking action.
Remember: once you've decided to 'jump the creek', you just do it.

Any body who filters their clients through a system that expects this type of qualification for a lead, is going to get high success rates.
It has nothing to do with hypnosis however.
It is simple mathematics.

Not even a half-wit is going to tell his mates that he went to a hypnotist and the hypnotist said, " I'll use hypnosis only if you're a person who's decided to stop any way".
Sure, they might give it a go because you're good with the banter on the phone, but what is the real benefit of seeing a hypnotist that comes out with such a cop-out as that?

What exactly is it that you think you do for these poor sods?

Your's with complete amazement,
Neil

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Permalink Reply by Katherine Zimmerman on June 30, 2009 at 12:38pm

Hello Arlene,

I do a 3-session smoking program. In the first session (90 min) we work on stress reduction and lay the groundwork for becoming a non-smoker. They take a relaxation CD with them with instructions to listen daily at bedtime (so that they can't say they were too busy). Second session (the day they quit) is parts therapy, future pacing and whatever else they need from our pre-talk. (Sessions 2 & 3 are 60 min each) Session 3 is a reinforcement. I give them a pre-recorded CD for session 2 and 3-- if necessary. The package (CDs and sessions) is $425 and paid up front. Most clients are fine even without the 3rd session. A few come for a 4th. I changed my approach when clients reported that they were fine but something stressful happened and they made a conscious choice to smoke again. That's when I added the stress reduction session so that they could make better choices in the future.

I use Melissa Roth's smoking program with some additions of my own. And I treat each client as an individual. All smokers are similar but not identical.

Katherine Zimmerman
www.trancetime.com

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