Making People Sick When They Think of Smoking (aversion hypnosis)

Should you use hypnosis to trigger vomiting when thinking of smoking?

Here are my thoughts on the subject.

First of all, aversion therapy or aversion hypnosis is the process of creating discomfort, revulsion, or disgust at a habit or behavior that someone wants to eliminate. This is something that is often done in hypnosis to help people become non-smokers. Under the right conditions and With just a few exceptions I have no objection to the use of aversion.

Here are my rules you’re using a version to help someone quit smoking.

First of all I only use a version as a last resort. I have a very good track record of getting people to quit smoking by linking positive feelings to their lives as a non-smoking. Typically, a stop smoking client will see me for three sessions and if, by the third session, they are still having challenges becoming free from smoking it will be on the last session which I will ask them “With your permission, I can make it very unpleasant and uncomfortable to think of smoking. Are you okay with that?” If they agree, then I usually Begin by talking about what it feels like to be nauseous, to be on the verge vomiting and how that feeling tends to get stronger and stronger. I use this conversation to foreshadow what they will be going through in the hypnosis session.

The Hypnotic Instructions

In the hypnosis session we have already created the strong feeling of relief and empowerment just saying or thinking the words “I’m a non-smoker”. what I will add to this session are these instructions: “Starting now, anytime you think of smoking you feel a growing discomfort… a Dissatisfying feeling…. A growing feeling of nausea in your stomach… and this nausea…. this feeling of disgust grow stronger and stronger as you continue to think of smoking….. and the only way to rid yourself of this disgusting feeling is to say the words ‘ I’m a non-smoker’ … and every time you say the words ‘ I’m a non-smoker’ you feel a growing sense of strength and freedom and relief within you for being a nonsmoker ‘

You will know, that the instructions are focused on a physical feeling of discomfort. I have known a few hypnotist who create feelings of Shame an intense guilt and Link that to smoking. I do not consider that ecological or an ethical use of hypnosis.

The times that I will use a version I’m a very first hypnosis session is when the client tells me that they want to hate the idea of smoking.