The potential benefit of hypnosis for smoking cessation (2026)
Joseph P. Green
Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Lima, Ohio, USA
Correspondence: green.301@osu.edu
Keywords: hypnosis, smoking cessation, complementary therapies
Hypnosis holds promise as a cost-effective treatment for smoking. Case reports, group studies, meta-analyses, and narrative reviews suggest that hypnosis may complement existing interventions for smoking (Ekanayake & Elkins, 2025; Green & Lynn, 2000, 2019, 2023; Tahiri et al., 2012). Still, research is limited by multiple factors including relatively few randomized controlled trials, non-standardized treatment protocols, reliance on self-reported abstinence, inadequate follow-up periods, and inconsistent or indeterminable classification of dropouts as failures. Moreover, it is challenging to identify the unique contribution of hypnosis given that it is typically embedded within a broader approach that may include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness or acceptance-based strategies, education, and support. Citing these and other limitations and considering only studies meeting strict standards, a recent Cochrane review concluded that there was “insufficient evidence to determine whether hypnotherapy is more effective for smoking cessation than other forms of behavioural support or unassisted quitting” (Barnes et al., 2019, p. 2). The authors acknowledged that some studies reported favorable outcomes, found no evidence of harm associated with hypnosis, and recommended more rigorous investigations.
Whereas hypnosis may not reliably confer statistical advantage over other treatments, many patients clearly benefit. For example, Carmody et al. (2008) found greater success for hypnosis than standard behavioral counseling at 6 (26% vs. 18%) and 12 months (20% vs. 14% abstinent) follow-up, with CBT and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) included across conditions. Likewise, Hasan and colleagues (2014) contrasted hypnosis and NRT (either alone or in combination) against a self-help approach among 164 hospitalized patients. Hypnosis proved twice as effective as NRT (36 v. 18%) at 6 months. Interestingly, the authors found that combining NRT with hypnosis did not improve the success rate of hypnosis alone. Notably, the aforementioned results from these two studies fell short of statistical significance. In a study that did achieve significance, Elkins and colleagues (2006) randomized participants to 8 weeks of standard counseling plus hypnosis or a wait-list control that included self-help materials and telephone support. Six-months post-treatment, 40% of those treated (vs. 0% controls) achieved biochemically confirmed abstinence over the past week. Between the quit date and end of active treatment, 30% of those receiving hypnosis reported continuous abstinence.
Taking a wider-lens approach than the Cochrane Review, Ekanayake and Elkins (2025) systematically reviewed 63 studies published between 1968 and 2022 and reported positive support for the use of hypnosis for smoking cessation. More successful interventions usually involved multiple sessions, use of targeted suggestions to stop smoking, positive reinforcement, and self-identification as a non-smoker. Importantly, treatment completion rates were high (90%+) across the studies, suggesting that hypnosis-based interventions are positively experienced.
In sum, there is reason to believe that hypnosis-based strategies may benefit smokers trying to quit, especially those interested in the technique and highly motivated to achieve abstinence (Green & Lynn, 2017). Still, more research is needed (e.g., rigorous designs meeting Cochrane criteria; exploring individual difference variables) to establish hypnosis as an empirically effective intervention for smoking and to better inform clinical treatment.
References
Barnes, J., McRobbie, H., Dong, C.Y., Walker, N., & Hartmann-Boyce, J. (2019). Hypnotherapy for smoking cessation. Cochrane Systematic Reviews, Issue 6. Art. No.: CD001008. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.cd001008.pub3
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Ekanayake, V., & Elkins, G. (2025). Systematic review of hypnotherapy and smoking cessation. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 73(1), 4-78. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207144.2024.2434082
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