5 ms·

If hypnosis is so effective for quitting smoking, how do you explain that studies fail to find much effect? E.g., this 2019 meta-analysis: https://www.ncbi.nlm.

If hypnosis is so effective for quitting smoking, how do you explain that studies fail to find much effect? E.g., this 2019 meta-analysis: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31198991 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31198991 From the conclusion: "If a benefit is present, current evidence suggests the benefit is small at most." The effect size and certainty with mushrooms seem much greater.

carapace 7y ago
Yeah, I have no idea what those folks were doing. I know I can get the result because I did, back in the day. I'm not a licensed hypnotherapist but I went through an exploratory phase in my 20's which included experimentation with hypnosis. It was easy to develop "profound" hypnotic phenomenon like arm catalepsy (your arm is basically asleep, if you feel it with your other hand it feels like someone else's arm, etc.) I don't know what to tell you. I actually only ever tried smoking cessation once, at a party, to demonstrate hypnosis. A friend of a friend went from two packs a day to two cigarettes a day, and a month later she was still barely smoking. YMMV. Oh man! I just remembered what happened: I went into an online quit-smoking chatroom and offered to help people quit and they tore me a new one. People were howling for my blood! That's why I never went into business as a therapist. (That and I'm kind of an anti-social curmudgeon.)
- tudelo 7y ago
  You seem to have a supreme self confidence that most people do not. So you think that you 'hypnotized' the person to gradually stop smoking over a month from a sort session? You have some 'magical' powers. Sorry for the skepticism...
  - carapace 7y ago
    > You seem to have a supreme self confidence that most people do not. Only in certain areas. > So you think that you 'hypnotized' the person to gradually stop smoking over a month from a sort session? No. The change in rate of smoking (2 packs a day to 2 cigs a day) was immediate and durable (at least up to a month, I didn't talk to her again beyond that.) Interestingly, at the very end of the session there was a momentary unconscious movement of the hand in a holding-cigarette gesture. I think the reason that she didn't stop smoking entirely was somehow connected to that gesture, FWIW. > You have some 'magical' powers. Maybe..? Certainly, to myself I seem nondescript. > Sorry for the skepticism... It's fine. You're nicer than most. I sometimes think I should write an autobiography, but then I think, who would believe it?

carapace 7y ago

Yeah, I have no idea what those folks were doing. I know I can get the result because I did, back in the day. I'm not a licensed hypnotherapist but I went through an exploratory phase in my 20's which included experimentation with hypnosis. It was easy to develop "profound" hypnotic phenomenon like arm catalepsy (your arm is basically asleep, if you feel it with your other hand it feels like someone else's arm, etc.) I don't know what to tell you. I actually only ever tried smoking cessation once, at a party, to demonstrate hypnosis. A friend of a friend went from two packs a day to two cigarettes a day, and a month later she was still barely smoking. YMMV. Oh man! I just remembered what happened: I went into an online quit-smoking chatroom and offered to help people quit and they tore me a new one. People were howling for my blood! That's why I never went into business as a therapist. (That and I'm kind of an anti-social curmudgeon.)

tudelo 7y ago
You seem to have a supreme self confidence that most people do not. So you think that you 'hypnotized' the person to gradually stop smoking over a month from a sort session? You have some 'magical' powers. Sorry for the skepticism...
- carapace 7y ago
  > You seem to have a supreme self confidence that most people do not. Only in certain areas. > So you think that you 'hypnotized' the person to gradually stop smoking over a month from a sort session? No. The change in rate of smoking (2 packs a day to 2 cigs a day) was immediate and durable (at least up to a month, I didn't talk to her again beyond that.) Interestingly, at the very end of the session there was a momentary unconscious movement of the hand in a holding-cigarette gesture. I think the reason that she didn't stop smoking entirely was somehow connected to that gesture, FWIW. > You have some 'magical' powers. Maybe..? Certainly, to myself I seem nondescript. > Sorry for the skepticism... It's fine. You're nicer than most. I sometimes think I should write an autobiography, but then I think, who would believe it?