Back in the late eighties, I had a small office on Geary Boulevard in San Francisco and practiced hypnotherapy almost exclusively. At the time helping people quit smoking with hypnosis was not my favorite thing to do. Perhaps too many people showed up thinking I could "make them" quit. I let go of the work, and focused mostly on yoga and bodywork.

A few years ago, almost by accident working with smokers appeared for another round. A hairdresser named Jules came to me as a referral. She was a heavy smoker and after our session quit cold turkey. She sent me a slew of clients, who started to refer more clients. All except one quit permanently. I didn't advertise the work at all, not even on my web site. My clients started referring friends, and their success rate stayed steady at about 90%.

The main difference between my earlier approach is that I use breathing practices and bodywork in conjunction with hypnosis. Typically my clients quit smoking in two sessions. During the first we do some bodywork, breathing practices and I get of a sense of what their issues and reasons to let go of cigarettes are. The second session takes place within a week. During this time, they are still smoking but use various awareness exercises. In the second session, we use the hypnotic proc ess and guided imagery. By the end of this session, the client hands me their cigarettes and they are done.

A month later, they receive a complementary bodywork session as a reward provided they are indeed free from cigarettes. This gives us a chance to reconnect and keeps me current on their progress.

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