How hypnosis helps you take control of the urge

Hypnosis is a state of focused, relaxed attention. In the 90-minute session we use it on your own smoking cues, one at a time. Nicotine is only part of the pull. Over the years, the habit gets tied to cues like a cuppa or a tense phone call. Many people also lean on a cigarette for stress or anxiety.

You stay awake and aware, and you can talk or stop whenever you like. Some call it a trance; it feels more like deep relaxation with your mind still on.

In that calm state I use suggestion and imagery. You picture each trigger and rehearse it as a non-smoker. Some talk about reaching the subconscious. I put it plainly: we practise new responses while you’re calm enough to take them in.

We link your own reasons, like health, family or money, to those moments. That’s where the motivation comes from. You also learn a short technique for cravings: notice the urge, breathe slowly, let it pass.

3 Steps to a Smoke Free Life: online or in Adelaide

The program has three steps, and the whole thing costs $590.

1. Step 1: a free phone chat

   Fifteen minutes. Tell me how much you smoke, when, and what you’ve tried before. I’ll say honestly whether I think I can help. No pressure to book an appointment.

2. Step 2: your 90-minute session

   This first session is the main one. We talk through your patterns and your goal, then move into hypnosis tailored to your triggers. You leave with an audio recording and a simple self-hypnosis skill.

3. Step 3: a year of back-up

   For 12 months you can call or text me, and top-up sessions are included. Cravings can turn up months later, at a party or after bad news. I want you to have help then.

Online sessions run on Google Meet, much like a Zoom call. You need a quiet room, a steady connection and headphones. If the video drops, I ring you back. Working from home also means we work in the environment where the habit lives. Prefer face to face in Adelaide? We can arrange that.

What the research says about hypnosis for quitting

The largest review, from Cochrane in 2019, pooled 14 studies with 1,926 smokers and rated the evidence low certainty. The reviewers could not tell whether hypnotherapy beats other ways of quitting. If it does, they said, the benefit is “small at most”.

In a 2024 German trial (Batra and colleagues), 360 smokers had six weekly group sessions of hypnotherapy or cognitive behavioural therapy. After a year, the difference in who stayed smoke-free was not significant.

So you won’t see a quit figure here. The Cochrane team warned that numbers quoted by practitioners are likely to be inflated. Counselling plus medicines has much stronger evidence (see the questions below). That’s why I work alongside Quitline and your GP, not instead of them.

Is quit smoking hypnotherapy safe?

For most adults, yes. No medicine is involved, and you stay aware the whole time. Afterwards you might feel a little drowsy or emotional for a short while.

Stopping nicotine can bring withdrawal symptoms (see the questions below). Some medicines act differently once you stop smoking, so tell your GP or pharmacist your quit date. If you live with psychosis or a serious mental illness, see your GP first. If you already have psychological care, keep it going while we work.

What quit smoking hypnotherapy costs in Adelaide: $590

The 3 Steps to a Smoke Free Life program is $590 in total, paid once, with nothing added later.

Who you’ll be working with

G’day, I’m Ernest McLeod, a clinical hypnotherapist with fourteen years in practice. I’ve been Adelaide’s Hypno Coach since 2012, and stopping smoking has been part of my work from the start.

Many people join me by video, Australia-wide, and locals can meet me in person by arrangement. Before this I wrote software for twenty years, so I like things that work in real life.

• Fellow, ASCH
• Certified NLP Practitioner
• Time Line Therapy® Practitioner
• Trainer: AHA-approved CPD courses

A plain word on what I’m not. Hypnotherapy is not a registered health profession here, so I’m not AHPRA-registered, and I’m not a psychologist. Every membership above is voluntary. I also teach this approach to other hypnotherapists. The Australian Hypnotherapists’ Association has approved my smoking, vaping and gambling cessation courses for professional development (CPD). Read my story

What clients have said

Questions about quit smoking hypnotherapy in Adelaide

These are the ten questions smokers ask me most on the free 15-minute call.

• Want to read up first?My plain guide to quit smoking hypnosis, plus the free help to try, is at hypnotherapyaustralia.store.

Related

• Habits and addictions in AdelaideEverything I help with in this area.
• Quit vaping hypnotherapySwapped smokes for a vape, and now you can’t put it down.
• Alcohol hypnotherapyWhen a smoke and a drink always go together.
• The Hypno Coach homeHypnotherapy in Adelaide and by video with Ernest McLeod.

Hypnotherapy is a complementary therapy. It is not medical care, a diagnosis or a stand-in for your doctor. Choices about nicotine replacement or quit medicines belong with your GP or pharmacist. Last updated 7 October 2026.