SINGAPORE: More people are giving hypnosis a shot in their
efforts to quit smoking. While this form of treatment has been
available here for at least ten years now, more hospital
professionals are being trained in it.
Some 30 health care professionals will complete a clinical
hypnosis course conducted by London College of Clinical Hypnosis in
collaboration with Tan Tock Seng Hospital in October.
The whole session will take about 1.5 hours and according to
therapist Mdm Karen Ong from the London College of Clinical
Hypnosis, the therapy is very safe.
Sheila Menon, principal, London College of Clinical Hypnosis,
said: "What happens is when a smoker decides to quit smoking, they
can go into a relaxed state and focus acutely on what it is they
want to achieve and they can break the habit. In addition to that,
they can also imagine themselves as a non—smoker in the
future."
But does this method work for teenagers who do not want to quit
smoking?
Ms Menon said: "When a parent brings a teenager who really
doesn’t want to quit, we quite often say, ’Why not give it a shot?
Try out being a non—smoker and you can choose to remain a
non—smoker, or go back to smoking.’"
The hope is that they will benefit from the attempt.
— CNA/vm/ls