Hypnosis can successfully stop cigarette smoking
Evidence on the efficacy of hypnotherapy for smoking cessation is mixed and contested. While some clinical trials and comparative studies show quit rates comparable to other behavioral treatments or potential benefits as an adjunct therapy, systematic reviews and large real-world studies generally find insufficient reliable evidence to establish hypnotherapy as superior to unassisted quitting or standard behavioral support.
The claim is that hypnosis can successfully stop cigarette smoking. Paper [0] (Cochrane review) and Paper [8] (RCT) discuss hypnotherapy: while Paper [8] shows it performs comparably to CBT, the Cochrane review [0] highlights major methodological limitations, high risk of bias, and a lack of reliable evidence demonstrating superior efficacy over other interventions or unassisted quitting. Additionally, Paper [4] finds no clear real-world association between hypnotherapy and successful quitting. Therefore, the evidence reflects genuine debate and methodological limitations, making CONTESTED the appropriate balance verdict.
J. Barnes, H. McRobbie, C. Dong, Natalie Walker, J. Hartmann-Boyce. Hypnotherapy for smoking cessation.. 2019. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD001008.pub3
The Cochrane review notes that while individual studies had high risk of bias, some trials did report statistically significant benefits or positive outcomes when hypnotherapy was used as an adjunct or compared to no intervention.
J. Barnes, H. McRobbie, C. Dong, Natalie Walker, J. Hartmann-Boyce. Hypnotherapy for smoking cessation.. 2019. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD001008.pub3
The Cochrane review concludes that current studies do not provide reliable evidence of a greater benefit from hypnotherapy compared to other interventions or unassisted quitting, with existing data showing little to no significant effect.
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A. Batra, S. Eck, B. Riegel, Sibylle Friedrich, Kristina Fuhr, Iris Torchalla, S. Tönnies. Hypnotherapy compared to cognitive-behavioral therapy for smoking cessation in a randomized controlled trial. 2024. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1330362
A randomized controlled trial found that hypnotherapy achieved continuous abstinence rates comparable to established treatments like cognitive-behavioral therapy.
Jackson SE, Brown J, Buss V, Shahab L. Prevalence of Popular Smoking Cessation Aids in England and Associations With Quit Success.. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.54962
A large cross-sectional study found no clear evidence of a benefit of hypnotherapy for quit success in real-world settings.
A. Batra, S. Eck, B. Riegel, Sibylle Friedrich, Kristina Fuhr, Iris Torchalla, S. Tönnies. Hypnotherapy compared to cognitive-behavioral therapy for smoking cessation in a randomized controlled trial. 2024. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1330362
While hypnotherapy matched cognitive-behavioral therapy in continuous abstinence rates, it performed significantly worse on certain secondary outcomes when controlling for hypnotic suggestibility.
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