The uncertain relationship between hypnotizability and smoking treatment outcome.

Literature on the relationship between hypnotizability and smoking treatment outcome was reviewed. 91 private patients treated for smoking with hypnotherapy participated in an investigation designed to correct problems in some of the earlier research. 43% quit smoking by the end of treatment but only 16% abstained at least 6 months. Neither immediate quitting nor continued abstinence correlated with hypnotizability. Other variables hypothesized to predict smoking cessation also were not correlated with outcome: number of treatment sessions, need to smoke, motivation to quit, and gender. The low abstention rate may have impeded verification of a relationship between hypnotizability and treatment outcome.