I also agree that you should always avoid aversion such as Paula stated. For instance, if you tell someone smoking is like inhaling rat posion. That is not good as suggestions do affect our bodies. So now this poor person is going to have a suggestion riding that has him or her believing they have smoked rat posion for their whole life. Not good, Not good.

Great info Paula and make sure you guys check out Paula at http://www.wichitahypnosisclinic.com/index.php

And along these lines is my frustration with hypnotists who 1) have only one pre-written script that they use for every client, and 2) use predominately ‘negative’ suggestions – cigarette smoke will make you puke, when you pick up a cancer stick you will instantly feel nasty – etc. Because, depending on the client’s reason for smoking in the first place, they may decide down the road that a little nausea or an unplesant odor is worth the benefits of smoking!

Let’s say they smoke to control anxiety (perhaps this doesn’t make clinical sense, but in the client’s mind it sooths them, offers them something to do with their hands, or provides wanted isolation…) If they later find themselves in an anxious situation, if the hypnotist has not provided some positive suggestions for alternative ways to handle this anxiety, the client may decide that smoking (despite the negative suggestions given) is worth the risk to manage the anxiety at the moment.

THOROUGH ASSESSMENT IS THE KEY TO LONG-TERM LASTING SUCCESS!!

Everyone smokes for different reasons at different times, and it is the job of the hypnotist to take the time to find these reasons out up front, in order to develop individualized targeted suggestions that will address the client’s needs – not just for long term health benefits, but for short-term situational life management.

Just my two cents
Keep up the great work, Josh!
~ Paula