Can hypnotherapy help you to stop smoking weed?
For years I’ve been helping tobacco smokers to kick the habit and a proportion of these have asked me about cannabis use. For some this has been because they want to keep using weed socially, but for most it’s because they want help to stop smoking weed.
How does hypnotherapy work to help me stop smoking weed?
Hypnotherapy is the art of using psychological techniques in the state of hypnosis to help create the changes a person wants in their lives. With cannabis use this means;
- Deconditioning habits – Reducing the effect of trigger such as certain places, people or times of the day.
- Cognitive change – Replacing old thoughts and changing the relationship to thoughts.
- Enhancing motivation – Enhancing your reasons for making the change.
Change is usually created in one session, with follow up support as necessary.
Will it help me stop smoking weed?
Interestingly people who smoke cannabis have been proven to be excellent at achieving hypnotic change, this is thought to be primarily due to the openness to experience which is helpful in hypnosis being common amongst weed smokers (Franzini & McDonald 1973, Kelly et al 1978).
What do I need to know to stop smoking weed?
If you are considering using hypnotherapy to stop smoking weed, then you should consider
- What are my reasons for becoming a non- weed smoker?
- What ‘pattern’ of weed smoking do I have, when, where, with who?
- How serious about becoming a non-weed smoker am I?
- When am I going to make the appointment?
The author – Matt Krouwel is a hypnotherapist in Birmingham with over 16 years experience of helping people with habits, addictions and dependencies.
Reference
Franzini, L. R., & McDonald, R. D. (1973). Marijuana usage and hypnotic susceptibility. Journal of consulting and clinical psychology, 40(2), 176.
Kelly, S. F., Fisher, S., & Kelly, R. J. (1978). Effects of cannabis intoxication on primary suggestibility. Psychopharmacology, 56(2), 217-219.