Hypnotherapy is widely promoted as a method for aiding smoking cessation. It is intended to act on underlying impulses to weaken the desire to smoke, or strengthen the will to stop.
Fifty percent of patients who were treated in the hypnotherapy group were still quit at 26 weeks compared to just 15.78% in the nicotine replacement group. Patients who underwent NRT and hypnotherapy also experienced a 50-percent success rate at 26 weeks.
The number of sessions needed can vary from person to person. For some people, a single session is enough, while others may need a series of 7 or 9 sessions.