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For many, many years, hypnotherapy has been undoubtedly one of the leading methods to help people who want to stop smoking. It is one of the stock-in-trade treatments that all well-trained hypnotherapists learn very early in their career. I am kept really quite busy throughout the year with people who come to see me to stop smoking.
Primarily I see people first of all for a two-hour session, which includes the consultation and treatment and I always see people for a one-hour follow up session (there is no good medicine without follow-up). For most people, this is all they need. Occasionally someone may need an extra session, but that is quite unusual. Lots of clients ask me on the telephone how long it will take, and I tell them that I work in a cognitive behavioural way and that the treatment is ended when we achieve the behavioural change. Therefore we are aiming towards 100 per cent effectiveness.
I often see clients who fly into London from abroad and only manage to get to see me for the first session. In such cases I will make exceptions and see a person for one session and then may do a follow-up session over the telephone. Every client is given a cassette tape made in the session, to take home with them, which extends the treatment programme.
People are often surprised and thrilled at how effective this treatment is, and the funny thing is, I often get people telephoning me two or three years later who knew someone who knew someone who came to see me.
This is an edited version of an open letter from the regional director for Europe of the World Health Organisation. It is addressed to the heads of government of the 51 European member states of the WHO. The letter first appeared in full in the British Medical Journal 314:1688 (7 June 1997).
Dear Prime Minister
All the really difficult problems in your country's development land on your desk. From morning to night your schedule overflows with burning issues that claim your attention. Setting priorities is a constant challenge. There are times, however, when a small effort on your part can make a large contribution to the quality of life of the people of your country. This is one of those times, because you alone can orchestrate the concerted action of many ministries. I am addressing you today on such a matter, to ask for your support. Help your people by reducing the awful threats to their life and health that smoking inflicts on them.
Tobacco is one of the greatest public health challenges facing the 51 member states of the WHO European region. Every year over 1.2 million deaths in the region are caused by tobacco. By 2020, unless we really change things, that number will rise to two million deaths. This will represent a fifth of all deaths, the single greatest killer in the European region. Many of these deaths occur among the economically active segment of the population.
The facts are simple. Manufactured tobacco products deliver regulated doses of the addictive drug nicotine. Tobacco products cause one third of all cancers and a large proportion of heart disease, as well as many other health problems, and half of all regular smokers die of a condition caused by smoking. Over one third of adults in the region are regular daily smokers, and smoking is increasing in two fifths of the countries in the region, particularly among young people and women. Although there are some notable exceptions, why are we failing so miserably to deal with this problem when we so clearly know what to do?
Jo E Asvall, Regional director
WHO Regional Office for Europe, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark