My Diploma Weekend 4: Insomnia and Smoking Cessation

The two main interesting topic that I enjoyed in my Diploma Weekend 4 was Insomnia and Smoking Cessation.

According to SLEEPMED, in the course of any year, 20-40% of adults suffer from insomnia which is the most common sleep disorder, while 1 out of 3 people will have insomnia over their lifespan. We are taught thoroughly on how to take down a patient’s history. 

There are scripts provided to us which can be easily modified in order to suit our patient’s individual needs. We are also taught about the different strategies which will help our patient to form healthy habits which will reduce the number of sleepless nights and also improve sleep quality.

 Smoking is one of the leading threats to our physical well-being. 

According to WHO, tobacco has caused an estimated 6 million deaths per year, of which 90% of this is due to direct tobacco use while an estimated 10% is due to inhaling second-hand smoke. Smokers have tried other methods to be rid of this habit. However, the relapse rate is quite high and smokers have been looking for alternative methods to quit this habit and this provides a huge potential for the use of hypnotherapy. 

We are taught about this topic in detail. There is a step-by-step guide provided to us on how to take a patient’s history. We will go through all the reasons as to why they picked up the smoking habit and also question the patient’s motivation to quit the habit.

There is also discussion about the ethics when accepting patients. There are clear guidelines for us to follow on whether or not to take on the patient. Personally, I feel it is very important for therapists to have ethical practices as clear guidelines to guide them during their therapy practice.  

                                                                                                                            ~by Alex Chin