To free themselves from tobacco, more and more smokers are turning to hypnosis. Can everyone be receptive? How does this method work? How many sessions should I do? What are the prices ? All you need to know with doctor Jean-Marc Benhaiem, hypnotherapist.
SUMMARY
- Definition
- Indication
- Course of a session
- How many sessions?
- Efficiency
- Risks
- Contraindication
- Price, reimbursement
Definition: what does hypnosis consist of?
The hypnosis medical interests increasingly sick today, but also practitioners. Thanks to the mechanism of suggestion, it is possible to improve your daily life thanks to hypnosis: it allows you to free yourself from an addiction, but also stress, a phobia or sleep problems. “Hypnosis is not intended to cure diseases , but the relationship we have to our body. Thus, we can free ourselves from tobacco, alcohol, or a drug, by modifying the perception that we we have these substances “, explains doctor Jean-Marc Benhaiem, director of the French Association for the Study of Medical Hypnosis and author of” Hypnose-toi-toi-toi “. For tobacco, ” modify the smoker’s relationship to cigarettes by relying on his beliefs or his rituals “, he explains. The hypnotherapist will therefore rely on the patient’s beliefs and habits to modify them, to deconstruct them :” For the addictions specifically, the patient is in a limited perception. He says to himself: ‘”Tobacco is convivial, it’s my anti-stress, it’s my break. He only visualizes the good sides, not the’ addicted ‘side or the dangers. He is aware of it. , but does not manage to take them into account “, explains the doctor. “We will therefore allow him to open his perception. The patient will then click, he will say to himself: ”. He will once again be able to see all the elements, and therefore to change, ”he explains.
Indications: for whom?
For Dr. Benhaiem, everyone can heal with the help of hypnosis : “Basically, what is important is really to want to change. A person who has already taken the step of going to see a hypnotherapist has already started his self-hypnosis, “he says. “On the contrary, for someone who has been pushed by a loved one, but doesn’t really want to quit, it can’t work well.” When the person has had the click, the role of the practitioner is therefore to support the person in this change, not only not hypnosis, but also through the therapy side. Of course, the patient can use other techniques:“There are people for whom having something in their hand is very important, so they can associate hypnosis with electronic cigarettes. But it depends on the character of the person” , explains the hypnotherapist.
How is a session going?
- To begin with, during a first appointment, the practitioner and the patient discuss their expectations. The hypnotherapist has to see if the person’s decision is sound or not. He also seeks to understand his relationship to tobacco, his habits, but also what bothers him the most about his addiction. “In a patient who is fed up with the taste of tobacco, we will use this sense so that the patient feels nausea”, he For some people the motivation is going to be the higher and higher cost of the package, for still others the risk of dying.
- After working on this point, if the person is really motivated, the hypnosis session comes. “We ask the person to make themselves comfortable, and we rely on what they have told us” explains the hypnotherapist. For the person who is fed up with the taste of tobacco, he will ask him to remember this sensation of “pasty mouth”, for those in whom tobacco allows to release the pressure, we will ask them to remember this feeling of relief …“The patient is always well seated in the chair and closes his eyes. He is entering a state of mind, he feels things. Then, in a second stage, if the tobacco suffocates him, we will make him feel the breath. If that worries him, we will make him feel relief now that the threat is gone, if he feels trapped, we will make him visualize what it is to be free from tobacco , etc. ” It is about de-idealizing the relationship with tobacco. The patient will say to himself “I don’t have so much fun anymore” and as soon as the click is made, the person has the ability to stop again.“Then, the lack will be gradually calmed by the body. It is a great discovery of the 70s: we know that we manufacture these famous endorphins, this dopamine and this serotonin. As proof, smokers manage to sleep well eight hours a night. without smoking, they manage to not smoke for 10 hours in a plane as soon as they are motivated, ” explains the doctor, recalling that 18% of patients manage to quit on their own.
How many sessions?
One or two sessions are often sufficient, according to the words of our interlocutor. “If the patient is not yet really free from his addiction, or if he needs another step, he comes back again, and, in general, it is enough”, explains the doctor.
Efficiency
When the patient is really motivated, a hypnosis session (after a discussion session with the practitioner) can be very effective. Some may need to combine this method with an electronic cigarette for example, or may need other sessions. It all depends on the patient’s personality and habits: “Above all, he must feel free to be able to come back to us whenever he wants”, adds the practitioner.
The cost of cigarettes exceeds 3000 euros per year.
Possible risks?
If one addresses a practitioner who has the necessary skills, but also the human qualities required for this type of therapy, there is no risk in practicing hypnotherapy. “But before contacting a hypnotherapist, it is necessary to make sure of the diplomas and the experience of this one” advises our interlocutor. So, be sure to contact a real healthcare professional, be it a doctor or even a midwife who has subsequently trained in therapeutic hypnosis. “It is health care that should not be improvised”, insists our interlocutor.
Contraindications
There is no real contraindication to the practice of medical hypnosis : “Simply, you have to be careful with patients who have psychotic delusions – and that is the doctor’s job. one in 500 patients, but you still have to check your psychiatric history, and take it easy, ”he says.
Price of a session and reimbursement
The fees of a hypnotherapist are free – this means that the practitioner sets his own prices, they are not supervised and in general not reimbursed. A session often costs one, or even several hundred euros. But if we compare with the cost of smoking in a lifetime, the patient is easily found. As a reminder, at the rate of one pack per day, the cost of cigarettes exceeds 3000 euros per year.
