Self-hypnosis for habits
Most habits run on autopilot. The phone in your hand before you've decided to pick it up, the snack at four, the run you meant to go on. Self-hypnosis works with that autopilot, using repetition and suggestion to help the change you want feel more natural.
Can self-hypnosis help change habits?
It may support you, especially as one part of a plan. Lab studies show that suggestions can loosen automatic responses and that a learned cue can last for days. For quitting smoking, though, the best review found no reliable advantage over other approaches. Use it alongside the change you're making, not instead of it.
How a habit session works
Describe the habit.
What you'd like to start or stop, and when it usually happens. In your own words.
Pick a length.
Quick as a reminder before the tricky moment, Deep or Immersive to work on it more fully.
Listen, and come back to it.
Habits change through repetition. Your sessions stay in your library, so you can return to the same one.
What research says
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Suggestion and an automatic habit
A suggestion weakened the pull of an automatic habit, reading, in a classic attention test.
Keep in mind Small lab study; mainly in people who respond strongly.
- Who took part
- 16 adults in a brain scanner, half of them highly responsive to hypnosis.
- What they found
- After a suggestion to see words as meaningless symbols, the highly responsive participants were less slowed down by the meaning of color words in a classic attention test, and brain areas linked to mental conflict were less active.
- Keep in mind
- A small lab study with a simple task, and the effect appeared mainly in people who respond strongly to hypnosis.
Read the paper: Suggestion and an automatic habit (opens in a new tab)
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A calming cue that lasted a week
One session taught a calming cue that lowered stress in a stressful task, and still worked a week later.
Keep in mind A lab setting with one specific stress task.
- Who took part
- Adults at Jena University Hospital, tested in a standard stress situation.
- What they found
- In a single hypnosis session, participants learned a cue linked to a feeling of safety. Using it during a stressful task lowered their stress compared with a neutral cue. One week later, it still worked. How responsive people were to hypnosis made no difference.
- Keep in mind
- A lab setting with one specific stress task.
Read the paper: A calming cue that lasted a week (opens in a new tab)
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Hypnosis for quitting smoking
No reliable advantage over other support or quitting alone, six months or more later.
Keep in mind Studies varied widely; a benefit can't be ruled out either.
- Who took part
- 14 randomized trials with 1,926 people who smoked.
- What they found
- The studies did not show a reliable advantage of hypnotherapy over other kinds of support, or over trying to quit alone, six months or more later.
- Keep in mind
- The studies differed widely and many were of limited quality, so a benefit can't be ruled out either.
Read the paper: Hypnosis for quitting smoking (opens in a new tab)
More studies, including their limits, are on our science page.
Getting the most out of it
- Pick one habit at a time. One specific change is easier to work on than a long list.
- Describe the moment. Tell us when the habit usually shows up, so the session can speak to that moment.
- Listen before the tricky time. A Quick session before the evening, the break or the urge can help you meet it differently.
- Repeat the same session. Your sessions stay in your library, and repetition is part of how habits change.
When to get more support
Self-hypnosis is a way to support change, not a treatment for addiction. Please talk to a doctor or a specialist service if:
- you want to stop smoking, vaping or drinking and haven't managed on your own before; quit support and medication can make a real difference
- a habit affects your health, money, work or relationships
- you feel you can't control it, or you need more and more of it
If a habit is harming your health, please don't wait to get help.
Questions
Some people find it helpful, but research hasn't shown it works better than other support. If you want to quit, combine it with proven help such as a quitline or medication from your doctor.
There's no fixed number. Habits change through repetition, so most people use a session several times.
Everyday habits like scrolling, putting things off, snacking out of boredom or getting back to exercise. For addiction or eating disorders, please get professional support.
You don't need to be convinced. It helps to give the session your full attention and to try it more than once.
Ready to start with one habit?
Describe the habit you'd like to change and listen to a session made for you.
7-day free trial with 10 credits. No credit card.