If you have a bad habit - such as comfort eating, smoking or an addiction to gambling or alcohol, for example, then you can probably answer the question for yourself. A lot of us simply can't kick a bad habit on our own - we tend to say that it's because we don't have the willpower to actually carry it through.

The fact is that any kind of bad habit takes hold of you both psychologically and physically. So, when you try to kick the habit yourself you have to deal with a lot of mental stress and physical side effects that can really throw you. So, for many people, it's simply easier to pick up the bad habit again to make the nasty symptoms go away. This doesn't make us weak or mean that we lack willpower - it simply means that our bad habit has taken such a hold we need external help to deal with it once and for all.

How can hypnosis help?

There are all kinds of methods you can try to help you kick a bad habit. Most of these will try and appeal to your brain on a conscious level. So, for example, you might go along to a 'Quit Smoking' group where you socialize with other smokers and counsel each other on the effects of smoking and so on. On a purely rational level you will walk out of a meeting knowing that smoking is bad for you and knowing that you want to quit.

But, it isn't that easy. The rational side of your brain might be telling you all this but your subconscious may still be hanging on to the fact that you are a smoker and could be telling you to go into the nearest store and buy a pack right away! So, to put it simply, hypnosis deals with the subconscious thus making it far easier for you to quit effectively.

Going for hypnosis sessions to cure a bad habit will simply help ALL of your mind focus on the goal of giving up. The methods used by hypnotherapists vary. Some, for example, use a form of aversion therapy that makes you feel slightly nauseous at the thought of smoking. Others simply tell your subconscious that you are not a smoker so - after your session; you'll act like a non-smoker because your brain is telling you to.

Can it help me quit smoking?

Hypnosis is a great way of quitting smoking. So many of the issues involved with nicotine addiction are psychological so this form of therapy works perfectly here. The fact is that many good hypnotherapists can help you quit smoking in just one session.