It is how you cope
Stress at work, a difficult conversation, a bad day. The cigarette or vape is the thing that gets you through it.
Hypnotherapy to stop smoking or vaping in Stockport · Online across the UK
You already know why you want to stop.
What you may not know is why you keep going back. Willpower, patches, gum and apps deal with the nicotine. They rarely deal with what the cigarette or the vape has come to mean to you. That is where hypnotherapy may help.
You do not need to have tried everything else first. You only need to be ready to look at it honestly.
Talk it through
Free 20–30 minute telephone conversationNo pressure · No obligation to book
“Celebrate each smoke-free day as a victory.”
Does any of this sound familiar?
The habit is rarely only about nicotine.
Most people who contact me have stopped before, sometimes several times. What brought them back was not usually a craving. It was a feeling.
It is your break
Five minutes outside, on your own, with nobody asking anything of you. It can feel like the only pause you get.
It is tied to people
Friends, family, a partner, colleagues. Stopping can feel like leaving something social behind.
Vaping crept in
You swapped cigarettes for a vape and now you use it more than you ever smoked, and it goes everywhere with you.
You have stopped before
Weeks, months, even years. Then something happened, and you were back where you started, feeling worse for it.
You are fed up with yourself
You know the cost, the health risks, the smell. Knowing has never been the problem. Something else is.
Hypnotherapy is not a substitute for medical advice. If you are using nicotine replacement or a prescribed stop-smoking medication, keep going with it. I will not ask you to change anything your GP or pharmacist has advised.
A question I often ask
“What does the first one of the day actually do for you?”
Understanding the habit is the first step to leaving it.
Nicotine is part of it. But the reason people go back after weeks or months without it is rarely chemical. It is the belief, often held for years, that smoking or vaping calms you, rewards you, keeps you company or helps you cope.
Those beliefs usually started somewhere. A first cigarette at fifteen to fit in. A vape to get through a stressful job. A habit picked up in a hard period of life and never put down. They sit underneath the surface and they pull.
During your session we look at what the habit has been doing for you, and at the life events and feelings connected to it. When that becomes clear, the habit often has far less hold than it seemed to.
This is not about being told off. It is about understanding yourself.How hypnotherapy may help
I will not lecture you about your lungs.
In person in Stockport and online across the UK, I use Clinical Hypnotherapy and Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT) to look at the emotional and psychological roots of smoking or vaping, not only the physical habit. RTT brings together elements of hypnotherapy, NLP, psychotherapy and cognitive behavioural therapy in one personal session.
We find the root
Under hypnosis we look at where the habit began and what it has been giving you. Understanding that changes how you see it.
We shift the belief
The idea that you need it, that it helps, that you cannot cope without it. Those beliefs can be examined and replaced with something true.
We deal with the stress too
If smoking or vaping is how you handle pressure at work or home, we work on that as well. Otherwise the gap gets filled with something else.
I stay honest
Everybody responds differently. Some people stop after one session. Some need more. I will not promise a particular result, and I will not pretend your commitment does not matter. It does.
A clear, unhurried process
What happens if you contact me?
You cannot book yourself straight into a therapy session. We speak first.
- 01
We speak first
A free 20–30 minute telephone conversation gives you space to tell me about your smoking or vaping, what you have tried and why now.
- 02
I understand your habit
If we agree to continue, you complete an intake form. I read it before we meet so I understand your history, your triggers and what stopping would mean for you.
- 03
Your session is personal
We explore where the habit began, what it has been doing for you and the beliefs keeping it in place. You stay aware and in control throughout.
- 04
You take support home
Your personalised recording reinforces what we found. You listen for at least 21 days, and I check in after three days, at the end of the first week and again around week three.
Most people find one to three sessions is enough. There is no package to commit to.
See how hypnotherapy and RTT work35 years of understanding what people reach for when it gets hard.Why work with me?
I understand work stress, and I understand why people smoke through it.
After 35 years in the Civil Service, I know what it is like to stand outside the office at ten past three because you cannot face going back in yet. I have watched colleagues try to stop, manage it for a while, then reach for one the day the pressure came back.
I talk naturally and I do not judge. Whether you have smoked for thirty years or started vaping last year, you will be treated as somebody who wants something to change, not as somebody who has failed.
I want you to feel understood, not told.
More about StephenClient feedback
“For the first time in a long time I’m being kind to myself.”
I had my session with Stephen about four weeks ago. It has been a game changer. I thoroughly recommend and thank him for giving me my confidence and self-belief back.
— Shaun G., ManchesterIndividual experiences and results vary. A testimonial is not a guarantee of a particular result.Sessions & Fees
Clear from the start.
First hypnotherapy or RTT session
Usually 2–2½ hours, including your personalised recording and follow-up support.
Further session on the same issue
Usually 90–120 minutes, with a new recording when appropriate.
A £50 appointment deposit forms part of the session price.
See full Sessions & Fees Talk it throughRelated reading
Some articles that may sound familiar.
Stopping smoking
Stop Smoking with Hypnotherapy
How hypnotherapy and RTT approach the habit differently from patches, gum and willpower alone.
Read the article StoptoberYour Journey to a Healthier You
Why a fixed start date helps some people, and what to do when the motivation dips.
Read the article Work stressCivil Service Stress at Work
When pressure from work is what sends you outside for a cigarette or a vape.
Read the article How the mind worksRules of the Mind
Why the mind clings to what it thinks is protecting you, even when it is not.
Read the articleIs stress the thing that keeps sending you back to it?
Explore Anxiety & Stress supportCommon questions
Before you decide whether to get in touch…
What makes RTT different from other ways of stopping?
Most methods focus on nicotine. RTT looks at the emotional and psychological reasons the habit is there, so the change is about understanding yourself rather than only resisting a craving. It brings together elements of hypnotherapy, NLP, psychotherapy and cognitive behavioural therapy in one personal session.
Does it work for long-term smokers or heavy vapers?
It can. The length of time you have smoked or vaped does not stop us finding out why the habit is there. Many long-term smokers believe it is too ingrained to change. Understanding where it started often makes that feel very different.
Can hypnotherapy help with vaping?
Yes. Vaping has its own patterns, and many people find they use a vape far more often than they ever smoked because it is always to hand. We work with the habit you actually have, not a general script.
How many sessions will I need?
Everybody is different. Some people stop after one session, some need two or three. After the first session you listen to your recording for at least 21 days and we decide together whether another would help. There is no package and no pressure.
Will I be asleep or out of control?
No. Hypnosis is not sleep or unconsciousness. You remain aware, we talk throughout and you can stop, speak or open your eyes whenever you choose. You will remember the session.
Should I stop using patches or gum first?
No. If you are using nicotine replacement or a prescribed medication, continue with it. Hypnotherapy works alongside those, and any change should be made with your GP or pharmacist.
Are sessions face-to-face or online?
I offer in-person sessions in Stockport and online sessions across the UK. Most of my RTT sessions take place face-to-face, but we can discuss what feels right for you.
Begin with a conversation
You have probably told yourself you will stop a hundred times. Tell somebody else this time.
Tell me what the habit has been doing for you and what you would like instead. We can talk about whether I may be the right person to help.
Talk it throughFree 20–30 minute telephone conversation · No pressure to book