Kicking butt

Hypnotist's new book tackles smoking

By Veronica Hoskins

What if there were hypnotic suggestions throughout this story that would help you quit smoking? Would they work? There’s no way to know unless you read on.

In a new book called Breathe, Freedom: Kicking the Crap Out of Cigarettes, Kevin Alderson, a clinical hypnotist and associate professor in applied psychology at the U of C, uses hypnotic suggestions and a host of other methods to help readers kick the smoking habit for good.

“If you want to quit, read this book and follow the program,” says Alderson. “It’s different from everything else out there. Since the ’80s, there hasn’t been anything new in psychology treatments for quitting smoking. I’ve got something new and this book offers the best and most current research available on quitting smoking, combining hypnotherapy, behaviour therapy and pharmacotherapy treatments.”

Dedicated to Alderson’s father and a close friend who both died from lung cancer, the book begins with a fictional story about Freedom, an adolescent boy who is bullied by a gang. Determined to fight them, he learns Aikido (Japanese martial arts). His victory results in an invitation to join the gang and smoking a cigarette is one of the rites of passage.

Freedom becomes addicted to cigarettes and the rest of the story chronicles the ups and downs of his life and how, with the help of his Sensei (marital arts teacher) and psychologist, he learns to quit.
Throughout Freedom’s story, Alderson makes hypnotic suggestions about quitting smoking. “I hope people are intrigued by this alone and read the book,” he says. “The story itself is engaging and meaningful. I hope even non-smokers will read it.”

Alderson is the author of four previous books including Grade Power: The Complete Guide to Improving your Grades Through Self-Hypnosis.

The Breathe Freedom program is based on Alderson’s review of 4,000 journal article abstracts from 1967 to the present. He picked the best 100 articles in the psychological literature about quitting smoking. It also includes practices from Alderson’s 20 years of experience as a psychologist and hypnotherapist.

Alderson is also hosting Breathe Freedom: The Ultimate Stop Smoking Program. One session runs from Feb. 2 to March 1; a second program runs March 8 to April 5. The cost is $140 for the general public and $80 for post-secondary employees and full-time students in Calgary. To register, contact Hedy Boyle at hmboyle@ucalgary.ca or 220-2851.

Alderson’s book is available at the U of C Bookstore, Pages on Kenzington, McNally Robinson and Self Connection.