Hypnosis to quit smoking during pregnancy

Smoking always causes serious damage to health, despite what some smokers say.

Although the majority of smokers want to quit , according to estimates by the American Psychiatric Association, only 5% are able to do so on their own. Doctors’ recommendations seem to be of little use ( according to some estimates, less than 2.5% of smokers stop following their doctor’s instructions).

Abandoning cigarette addiction becomes particularly important in pregnancy : smoking is a risk factor associated with perinatal andcomplications low birth weight. Furthermore, ​welcoming new lives​ in a family environment where people smoke​ will increase the likelihood that children will become addicted to it when they grow up​ and therefore suffer its potential consequences ​, sometimes even ​serious ​, on their health psycho-physical health .

The statistics seem encouraging , suggesting that the majority of women tend to give up smoking during pregnancy and to do so by the time of the first ultrasound, therefore in the first weeks of gestation. However, those who don’t do it in these first few weeks will hardly do it during pregnancy.

On the other hand, the data on relapses at six months are alarming, that is, on the number of women who, despite having stopped waiting, start again within that time window. These estimates indicate that at least half of these will return to smoking during the newcomer’s early childhood.

Hypnosis represents an effective and totally side-effect free way to quit smoking, says Dr. Nicoletta Gava – Coordinator of the Piedmont and Valle d’Aosta Section of the Italian Society of Hypnosis and Founder of the Hypnosis Center that bears her name.

First of all, it provides the tools useful for the management of craving , i.e. the desire to smoke . This desire often goes beyond the cigarette itself. For many people it passes through the act of turning it on , for others it is triggered by the need to relieve stress and promote social relationships.

In the course of the work, attention is also paid to the causes that have produced and consolidated the addiction to cigarettes which is often intertwined with experiences, family histories and life orientations : crucial issues for preventing relapses and also to prepare to welcome a new life.