Can Hypnosis Help Me Quit Vaping?
Updated: Aug 22
Vaping can be surprisingly difficult to quit. For many people, it starts casually. Maybe vaping replaced cigarettes. Maybe it began socially. Maybe it became something to reach for during stress, while driving, after eating, while working, or simply because the vape was sitting nearby.
Then at some point, vaping stops feeling like something you choose to do and starts feeling like something you do automatically.
If you have reached the point where you are thinking, I really want to stop doing this, you may be wondering whether hypnosis can help.
The short answer is that hypnosis may be a useful option for people who want to change the behavioural and mental patterns connected with vaping. It is not the only option available, and no single quitting method is right for everyone.
For people who are interested in a non-drug approach to changing their relationship with vaping, however, hypnosis is an option worth understanding.
Can You Quit Vaping With Hypnosis?
People searching for ways to quit vaping with hypnosis are often dealing with more than nicotine alone.
Vaping can involve several different components at the same time:
Nicotine dependence
Habit
Repetition
Stress relief
Boredom
Hand-to-mouth behaviour
Social routines
Emotional associations
Automatic triggers
Fear of cravings
Fear of not having the vape available
The belief that vaping helps with concentration or relaxation
This is one of the reasons quitting can feel more complicated than simply deciding not to buy another vape.
Health Canada explains that most vaping products contain nicotine and that nicotine can create physical dependence and addiction. As nicotine levels fall, cravings and uncomfortable feelings can occur, which can reinforce the urge to vape again.
But nicotine is only part of the picture.
The behavioural pattern surrounding vaping can become extremely well established too.
That is where hypnosis may be particularly interesting.
Why Vaping Can Become So Automatic
Traditional cigarette smoking usually has fairly obvious beginning and ending points.
Someone goes outside, lights a cigarette, smokes it and finishes it.
Vaping can be different.
A vape can sit beside someone at a desk, in a pocket, beside the bed or in a vehicle. A person may take a few puffs without consciously deciding that it is "time to vape."
That can mean the behaviour is repeated many times throughout the day.
Eventually, picking up the vape may become associated with dozens of different situations:
Working.
Driving.
Scrolling on a phone.
Having coffee.
Finishing dinner.
Feeling stressed.
Waiting for someone.
Talking on the phone.
Watching television.
Taking a break.
Getting into the car.
Getting out of the car.
Before bed.
First thing in the morning.
The brain is very good at learning through repetition. When two experiences repeatedly happen together, one can eventually begin triggering the expectation of the other.
Coffee can trigger vaping.
Driving can trigger vaping.
Stress can trigger vaping.
A work break can trigger vaping.
This is why some people find themselves reaching for a vape before they have consciously thought about using it.
Quitting therefore involves more than removing the device.
It can also involve changing the associations that have developed around it.
How Hypnosis May Help With Vaping Habits
Hypnosis is a focused state of attention in which a person can work with thoughts, expectations, habits and behavioural associations in a deliberate way.
You remain aware of what is happening.
You are not unconscious.
You do not lose control.
And a Hypnotist cannot force someone to do something against their will.
For vaping cessation, hypnosis may be used to help weaken the automatic connection between a trigger and the behaviour that normally follows it.
Instead of:
Stress → Vape
the goal might become:
Stress → Pause → Breathe → Continue with the day
Instead of:
Driving → Vape
the goal becomes:
Driving → Hands comfortably occupied → No expectation of vaping
Instead of:
Coffee → Vape
coffee simply becomes coffee again.
The objective is not to pretend that vaping never existed.
It is to help the person begin experiencing familiar situations differently.
Why Hypnosis May Be Especially Relevant for Vaping
One of the interesting things about vaping is how deeply it can become woven into everyday behaviour.
A person may not even know exactly how many times they vape during a normal day.
That creates a different behavioural challenge.
Someone trying to quit cigarettes may be able to identify that they smoke 10, 15 or 20 cigarettes each day.
Someone who vapes may take a few puffs here and there throughout the entire day.
That constant accessibility can create an enormous number of repetitions.
Hypnosis can focus on those automatic moments.
The work may include changing expectations around cravings, mentally rehearsing situations that previously involved vaping, strengthening reasons for quitting and helping the person begin thinking of themselves as someone who simply does not need to vape anymore.
That last part can be important.
There is a significant difference between thinking:
"I'm trying not to vape."
and:
"I don't vape."
The first keeps vaping at the centre of the person's attention.
The second begins establishing a new normal.
What About Nicotine Withdrawal?
Hypnosis does not remove nicotine from the body.
If someone is physically dependent on nicotine, their body still has to adjust when nicotine is discontinued.
This is why quitting should not be presented as purely psychological.
At the same time, the experience of quitting also involves thoughts, expectations, emotional responses and habitual behaviour.
Someone who expects quitting to be unbearable may respond very differently from someone who feels prepared, confident and understands what they will do when a trigger occurs.
Hypnosis can focus on that behavioural and psychological side of the quitting process.
Health Canada recommends creating a quit plan that considers triggers, coping strategies, reasons for quitting, available supports and the chosen quitting approach.
Those same areas can be very relevant when hypnosis is used as part of a structured vaping cessation program.
What If I Vape and Smoke Cigarettes?
This is quite common.
Some people begin vaping because they are attempting to reduce or stop smoking cigarettes but eventually find themselves doing both.
Health Canada refers to this as dual use.
For someone in this situation, it is important to be clear about the actual goal.
Is the goal to stop cigarettes?
Stop vaping?
Stop both?
Become completely nicotine-free?
That distinction matters when developing a quitting plan.
Someone who switched completely from cigarettes to vaping should also be cautious about creating a situation where quitting vaping leads them back to cigarettes. Health Canada specifically advises people who have switched from smoking to vaping to consider quitting vaping once they are confident they will not return to smoking.
A quitting strategy should therefore consider the person's complete nicotine history rather than looking at one product in isolation.
Cigarettes, Cigars, Cannabis and Other Forms of Smoking
Although vaping is the primary focus here, many people use more than one inhaled product.
A smoking cessation consultation should look at the entire pattern.
That can include:
Cigarettes
Cigars
Nicotine vaping
Cannabis smoking
Cannabis vaping
Nicotine gum
Nicotine patches
Other nicotine products
Cannabis deserves particular attention because it may involve a different habit and different reasons for use.
Someone who vapes nicotine because they feel restless at work may have a very different pattern from someone who uses cannabis in the evening.
Those behaviours should not automatically be treated as though they are identical.
At Wellness Canada, the objective is to understand what the person is actually doing, what they want to stop and what role the behaviour currently plays in their life.
The quitting strategy can then be built around the individual rather than forcing everyone into exactly the same program.
Quit Vaping With Hypnosis at Wellness Canada
Wellness Canada has become a leading local resource for people looking for help with smoking and vaping cessation in Georgina and the surrounding York Region area.
Located in Sutton West, Ontario, Wellness Canada works with clients from communities including Sutton, Keswick, Jackson's Point, Pefferlaw, East Gwillimbury, Newmarket and surrounding areas.
Smoking cessation is a major focus of practice.
Jennifer Wood is a Consulting Hypnotist and Smoking Cessation Specialist who works with clients who want to change long-standing smoking, vaping and nicotine habits.
The approach is structured and individualized.
Before the hypnosis portion of the program, time is spent understanding the person's smoking or vaping history.
That may include questions such as:
When did you start vaping?
How frequently do you use it?
What nicotine strength are you using?
When do you reach for it automatically?
What situations make you want it most?
Have you tried quitting before?
What happened?
Are you also smoking cigarettes, cigars or cannabis?
Are you using nicotine gum, patches or other nicotine products?
And perhaps most importantly:
Why do you want to stop now?
Those answers matter.
A person who vapes primarily during stress may need a different strategy from someone who vapes continuously because the device is always within reach.
Personalized smoking cessation hypnosis allows the session to be built around the individual's actual habits rather than relying on a generic recording designed for everyone.
Do I Have to Believe in Hypnosis?
No.
You do not have to believe anything unusual.
You do not need to be particularly relaxed.
You do not need to "clear your mind."
You do not have to be easily influenced.
And you certainly do not have to surrender control.
It is completely reasonable to arrive curious, skeptical or analytical.
The more useful starting point is simply being willing to participate and having a genuine reason for wanting the change.
Hypnosis is not magic.
It is a method of working with attention, expectation, learned associations and suggestion.
For someone who has spent months or years repeating the same vaping behaviour hundreds or thousands of times, intentionally rehearsing a different response can make a lot of sense.
How Do I Know Whether I Am Ready to Quit?
You do not necessarily have to feel 100 percent confident.
Many people do not.
You might feel ready and nervous at exactly the same time.
A better question may be:
If quitting could be more manageable than I currently imagine, would I want to do it?
If the answer is yes, it may be worth learning about your options.
You may also want to ask yourself:
What would change if I no longer needed my vape?
How much money would I save?
How often do I currently think about vaping?
Do I plan my day around having access to it?
Do I worry when the battery is low or the vape is almost empty?
Do I automatically check whether I have it before leaving home?
Have I started hiding how much I vape?
Have I tried quitting before and returned to it?
Would I feel relieved if vaping simply stopped being important to me?
Those questions can tell you a great deal about your relationship with vaping.
You Do Not Have to Decide Today
Being curious about quitting does not mean someone has to immediately commit to a program.
Sometimes the first step is simply understanding what help is available.
That is why Wellness Canada offers a free consultation before beginning smoking or vaping cessation work.
It gives prospective clients an opportunity to ask questions, explain what they currently smoke or vape, discuss previous attempts to quit and understand how the program works before deciding whether it feels right for them.
There is no need to arrive knowing exactly what you need.
You may simply know that you are tired of carrying a vape everywhere.
Tired of making sure it is charged.
Tired of buying replacements.
Tired of thinking about nicotine.
Tired of saying that you will quit eventually.
Eventually can become now.
Ready to Find Out More?
If you have been searching for a way to quit vaping with hypnosis, you do not have to wait until you feel completely confident before asking questions.
Start with information.
Find out what the process involves.
Ask whether your vaping pattern is something that can be addressed.
Talk about cigarettes, cannabis, cigars, nicotine gum, patches or anything else you are currently using.
Then decide what makes sense for you.
Wellness Canada provides personalized Smoking Cessation Hypnosis for vaping, cigarettes and other smoking and nicotine habits, with Jennifer Wood, Smoking Cessation Specialist, in Sutton West, Ontario.
If you are in Georgina, Keswick, Sutton, Newmarket, York Region or a surrounding Ontario community and you are thinking about quitting, the next step can simply be a conversation.
Book your free consultation with Wellness Canada and find out whether hypnosis could be part of your plan to finally leave vaping behind.
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