Comparison of hypnotherapy with systematic relaxation in the treatment of cigarette habituation

Abstract

Because of the methodological deficiencies in this area of research, it is impossible to make any valid conclusions about whether hypnosis itself is effective in the treatment of cigarette habituation. In this study, 87 volunteers who wanted to quit cigarette smoking were assigned randomly to the experimental hypnosis group, the comparison relaxation group, and the waiting list control group. Ss in the treatment groups had four weekly 50-minute, individual sessions. Four months after the completion of treatment, Ss were administered a questionnaire and a hypnotic susceptibility scale. Ss in the hypnosis group who were in the upper two-thirds of the group in terms of hypnotic susceptibility reduced their cigarette consumption substantially more than Ss in the relaxation group who were in the upper two-thirds of the group in terms of hypnotic susceptibility. Therefore, the hypnotic state appears to be therapeutic for individuals who can enter medium or deep states of hypnosis.