Product reviews for Hypnosis for Smoking Cessation

It was with a certain amount of scepticism that I received the above book to review. We are in the age of smoking legislation and many books are appearing on bookshop shelves announcing that they can help the reader quit the habit once and for all. Their quality varies from moderate to pulp material. And here, through the post, came another one - a heavy tome at that.

I need not have worried. This book is written by an expert in the field, a passionate exponent of hypnotherapy and associated therapies. It is written with deep understanding and thorough knowledge and is an immensely readable book.

The author, a Harley Street Hypnotherapist, provides the reader with an extensive overview of the whole process of helping someone stop smoking. The most valuable insights that this book offers is in the development of how such therapy is essentially individual. Although we have great detail on how to approach the client during the actual therapeutic session, there is excellent material which shows the therapist how s/he needs to prepare individually for every single client. It is by no means sufficient to just be aware of how to enable the client to quit during the session, but there is much to do to prepare before the session and for follow up too.

I feel that this book honestly deals with basically every possible situation that can arise in stop smoking sessions and highlights how we need to approach a client at each stage of the proceedings from the initial contact right through until after the session.

The question and answer sessions and also therapy scripts are excellent. Indeed I have introduced some of the material into my own work and have been impressed by the results. The whole experience has become a more ” rounded” one where clients have felt a deep sense of involvement and understanding at every step.

For the practitioner there will be many areas which have already been considered by them before BUT I feel that here the importance is that there is reinforcement and even development of ideas and thoughts and feelings. We all need to be open to change and varying our approaches in the view of new material that is described to us. David Botsford embraces not only Hypnotherapy and NLP but also other techniques from cognitive therapy, yoga and also stress management. It widens the variety of tools e have available within the therapeutic toolbox so that we can ensure that the client receives the fullest and most positive help it is possible to give. Indeed the word POSITIVE underpins every step of the process.

A section has also been included which endeavours to provide a practical outline of how to plan and develop your hypnotherapy smoking cessation service economically but effectively. Unusual to find this in a book and, I found, of great use and interest.

David Botsford has written a book here which is of superbly high standard. He challenges us to see the smoking issue against a wider backcloth and to see that our own work extends outside the actual session of hypnotherapy, something that may have been taken for granted by some.

The whole work is insightful and is one of the most valuable reference manuals that I have ever come across. Everything is very clearly explained. I actually enjoyed reading it and celebrated the fact that this was written in clear English and not masses of scientific jargon. It is a most useful book and I see this being essential reading and reference material for every practising therapist. The book is designed to familiarise the therapist with the skills and approaches necessary to work in an effective and efficient way. There is something in it for everyone, the young, starting therapist to the more widely experienced. It stimulates thought and makes one examine ones own work. I feel we all have the potential to learn something from this excellent book.

I would say that I feel this is an essential addition to the bookshelf of every Hypnotherapist. However, on further thought, I feel that it will be so useful a reference source that it will seldom be on the shelf but will merit constant use.I feel that this will soon be regarded as the best book available in this field. It certainly deserves to be given this distinction.

I recommend it to you.