Habits and Addictions · Online across Australia
Hypnotherapy to Quit Smoking, by Video Anywhere in Australia
You’ve stopped before. A few days, maybe a few months. Then a rough afternoon or a drink with friends, and there was a cigarette in your hand again. Hypnotherapy to quit smoking works on that part: the habit, the cravings and the moments that pull you back, not only the nicotine.
At a glance: one 90-minute quit smoking session by video, plus 12 months of support. $590 in total.
Or call 0427 218 092
15-minute phone call, no obligation. I’ll call you within 24 hours. See what it costs
- 14 yearsin clinical practice
- FellowAustralian Society of Clinical Hypnotherapists
- AHA approvedCPD courses I teach other hypnotherapists
- 1 to 1with Ernest, by video from home
Ernest McLeod, clinical hypnotherapistAn Adelaide practice, seeing clients across Australia by video. Fourteen years in practice.
Does any of this sound familiar?
- The first cigarette of the day is lit before you’re properly awake.
- You smoke with coffee, after meals and in the car, and you couldn’t say which of them you actually enjoy.
- Patches took the edge off the craving. They didn’t touch the wanting.
- A hard phone call, and you’re outside before you’ve decided anything.
- You round the number down when your doctor asks.
- You’ve set so many quit dates that you’ve stopped telling anyone.
If a few of those landed, you’re who this page is for. If you’ve never tried Quitline or talked to your GP about medication, read to the end. Both are worth doing alongside this.
Why quitting smoking is so hard
Nicotine withdrawal is real, and it’s only part of the story. The rest is years of pairing. Cigarette and coffee. Cigarette and the drive home. Cigarette as the full stop at the end of a stressful moment. Those links run on autopilot, which is why going cold turkey on willpower alone so often gives out on day four. It’s how many people try to stop smoking, and it’s why so many of them try again and again.
Many smokers who start again don’t do it because the craving was unbearable. They do it in a moment they didn’t see coming: a stressful day, a celebration, a drink. That’s the part of smoking cessation that nicotine replacement doesn’t reach, and it’s the part hypnotherapy is aimed at.
How hypnosis helps you quit smoking
Hypnosis is focused, relaxed attention. In the session you’re relaxed, fully aware and in charge the whole time. It isn’t sleep, and you can’t be made to do anything you don’t want to do.
We go through your own smoking triggers one at a time and rehearse each of them as a non-smoker. You also learn what to do when a craving arrives: notice it, let it peak and pass, and carry on. You leave with self-hypnosis you can use at home, so the work keeps going after the session ends.
How quit smoking hypnotherapy works online
- A free 15-minute call
You tell me about your smoking and what you’ve already tried. I tell you honestly whether I think this suits you. No obligation, and no hard sell. Ask me anything you like about hypnosis too, such as how it feels or whether you stay in charge.
- The 90-minute hypnotherapy session
One long session by video, built around your own triggers and reasons. It’s designed to help you walk out smoke-free, with simple tools for the weeks that follow.
- Support for 12 months and an audio to take home
Follow-up calls, SMS and top-up sessions as you need them, for a full year. The tricky moments don’t all arrive in week one. After your session you receive an audio recording to use at home in the weeks that follow, plus simple self-hypnosis. You don’t have to wait for a call to reset.
If you’ve searched for quit smoking hypnosis near you, video removes the “near”. Hypnosis needs your attention, not my physical presence, and you’re already in the place where most of your smoking happens.
Not sure yet whether this is for you?That’s what the free call is for. Fifteen minutes, by phone, at a time that suits you.
What the research actually says
The best summary is a 2019 Cochrane review by Barnes and colleagues, which pooled 14 studies and 1,926 people. It found there isn’t enough evidence to say whether hypnotherapy is more effective than other kinds of quit support, and that if it has an advantage, the advantage is “small at most”. Most of the trials weren’t built well enough to settle it.
Since then, a German trial randomly assigned 360 smokers to six weekly group sessions of either hypnotherapy or cognitive behavioural therapy, an established quit program. A year later, the two groups hadn’t differed significantly in how many stayed smoke-free (Batra and colleagues, 2024).
So I won’t quote you a success rate. The Cochrane authors say the success rates practitioners advertise are likely to be exaggerated, and I agree with them. What I will say is this: in one well-run trial, hypnotherapy and an established CBT program had similar quit rates after a year, and it sits well beside the free help with the strongest evidence, Quitline and your GP.
Is hypnosis to quit smoking safe?
For most adults, yes. Hypnosis doesn’t involve medicine, and the most common side effects are mild: feeling a little drowsy or emotional afterwards. Hypnotherapy isn’t the right place to start if you live with psychosis or a severe mental health condition that isn’t being treated. If that’s you, talk to your GP or treating clinician first, and I’ll tell you honestly in the free call if I think someone else should help you.
What quit smoking hypnotherapy costs: $590
Quit smoking program: $590
$590 program: a 90-minute session designed to help you walk out smoke-free, plus 12 months of support as you need it: follow-up calls, SMS and top-up sessions.
- One 90-minute session by video. Built around your triggers, your reasons and your history of attempts to quit.
- 12 months of support. Follow-up calls, SMS and top-up sessions whenever you need them.
- An audio recording to take home, and simple self-hypnosis you can use anywhere.
- If you stop and later start again, that needs a new program.
- Pay by card or bank transfer. Prices in AUD. No GST applies.
Or call 0427 218 092
Please talk to your GP as wellNicotine replacement therapy (patches, gum, lozenges) and prescription quit medicines can be used alongside hypnotherapy, and some are subsidised on the PBS. Your GP can tell you what suits you, and it’s worth mentioning any regular medication you take when you plan your quit. Quitline on 13 7848 is free counselling that fits well with what we do. New chest pain or trouble breathing is a 000 call, straight away.
Who you’ll be working with
I’m Ernest McLeod. I’ve practised as a clinical hypnotherapist for fourteen years, with an Adelaide practice and clients right across Australia by video. Helping people quit smoking is the work I know best, and the work I train other hypnotherapists in. Before hypnotherapy I spent twenty years as a software engineer and designer, so I care more about what works than what sounds impressive.
- Time Line Therapy® Practitioner
- Fellow, ASCH
- Trainer: AHA-approved CPD courses
- Certified NLP Practitioner
What I’m not: hypnotherapy isn’t a registered profession in Australia, so I’m not AHPRA-registered and I’m not a psychologist. My ASCH Fellowship is voluntary. I also train other hypnotherapists: my courses on quitting smoking, vaping and gambling count as professional development (CPD), approved by the Australian Hypnotherapists’ Association. More about me
Questions people ask about hypnotherapy to quit smoking
Does hypnotherapy work to quit smoking?
It helps some people, and the honest answer is that the research is mixed. The best review found the evidence is low-certainty and any extra benefit is likely small. One good trial found hypnotherapy did about as well as an established CBT quit program. It works best when you’ve already decided you want to stop, and alongside Quitline and your GP.
What is the success rate of hypnosis for quitting smoking?
I don’t quote one. Figures like “90%” usually come from small or old studies, and the Cochrane authors say advertised rates are likely to be exaggerated. I’d rather you choose this knowing the real picture.
What is the most successful stop smoking program?
The approach with the strongest evidence combines quit medication with regular support. A 2016 Cochrane review of 53 studies found that pairing the two raised the chance of quitting by about 70 to 100 per cent, compared with brief advice alone. In Australia that means your GP or pharmacist for medication, and Quitline on 13 7848 for free support. Hypnotherapy has less research behind it, so I offer it alongside that help, not instead of it.
Will I lose control?
No. You hear everything, you remember it, and you can open your eyes and stop at any point. Hypnosis can’t make you do something you don’t want to do.
Does hypnotherapy work over video?
Yes. The session depends on your attention and on what we do together, and both travel well over a video call. You’ll need a quiet room, a reliable connection and a pair of headphones.
How many hypnotherapy sessions does it take to quit smoking?
The program is built around one 90-minute session. After that you have 12 months of support, including top-up sessions if you need them, at no extra cost.
Can I use patches or quit medication as well?
Yes, and many people do. Talk to your GP or pharmacist about what suits you. Hypnotherapy doesn’t interfere with nicotine replacement, and I’d never ask you to avoid something your doctor recommends.
Can I use self-hypnosis to quit smoking on my own?
Some people try apps and recordings first, and that’s fine. What a live session adds is that it’s built around your own triggers, and you have someone to call when a craving catches you off guard. You also learn self-hypnosis in the session, so you keep the skill.
I’ve smoked for over 20 years. Can this still help?
Many of the people I see have smoked for decades. A long smoking history usually means more triggers to work through, not that it’s too late.
Will I gain weight after I quit?
Some people do, because food fills the gap a cigarette left. We plan for that in the session, so a snack doesn’t simply replace the habit.
What happens if I slip up?
Tell me, early. A wobble in the first weeks is exactly what the follow-up calls, SMS and top-up sessions are there for. If you stop and later start again, that needs a new program.
Can hypnotherapy help me stop vaping too?
Yes. Vaping runs on the same nicotine and the same habits. See hypnotherapy to quit vaping.
Is it covered by Medicare or my health fund?
Hypnotherapy isn’t covered by Medicare, and you don’t need a GP referral. Health fund extras cover varies, so check with your fund before you start.
Ready when you are
Tell me the best time to reach you and I’ll call within 24 hours. Fifteen minutes, no obligation.
Request a free consultationOr call 0427 218 092
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Where these numbers come from
Barnes J, McRobbie H, Dong CY, Walker N, Hartmann-Boyce J (2019). Hypnotherapy for smoking cessation. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews Issue 6: CD001008. doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD001008.pub3. Source of the 14 studies, 1,926 participants, the “small at most” conclusion and the note that practitioners’ quoted success rates are likely to be exaggerated.
Stead LF, Koilpillai P, Fanshawe TR, Lancaster T (2016). Combined pharmacotherapy and behavioural interventions for smoking cessation. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews Issue 3: CD008286. doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD008286.pub3. Source of the 53 studies and the 70 to 100 per cent increase from combining quit medication with support.
Batra A, Eck S, Riegel B, Friedrich S, Fuhr K, Torchalla I, Tönnies S (2024). Hypnotherapy compared to cognitive-behavioral therapy for smoking cessation in a randomized controlled trial. Frontiers in Psychology 15: 1330362. doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1330362. Source of the 360 smokers and six weekly sessions. I’ll always show you where a number came from.
Hypnotherapy is a complementary therapy, not medical treatment, a diagnosis, or a substitute for care from your doctor. Decisions about nicotine replacement or quit medication belong with your GP or pharmacist. Last updated 9 October 2026.