International Handbook of Clinical Hypnosis - E-Lib FK UWKS

290 INTERNATIONAL HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL HYPNOSIS
doctor: So you had your last cigarette at three o'clock, on 6, May 1997. Do you
really want to start smoking again?
patient: Pause). I get it. Each time I burn the tobacco and inhale the smoke, I
start smoking. It was not pleasant when I started at 18. Knowing what I know
now, I have no desire to start today.
doctor: The choice to start is totally your own. Should you have a craving,
consider taking a deep breath, hold it and gently release the tension. Drinking
eight cups of water a day is a good habit to acquire. To keep your mouth feeling
healthy and clean, gently brush the teeth and clean the tongue several times
throughout the day.
Rarely do people feel comfortable in labeling themselves as quitters. The focus
is changed from quitting to starting. This strategy eliminates the fear of failure at
`quitting', and does not strain the doctor±patient relationship. If more intense
interaction is indicated, an appropriate referral is made to a mental health practitioner
or smoking cessation program.
According to the National Cancer Institute, the realization that a dentist cares
enough about a patient's health to encourage smoking cessation or continued
abstinence from smoking can be a major factor in a patient continuing as a nonsmoker.
About 95% of non-practicing smokers decided not to start again without
the help of formal cessation programs. In addition to having high motivation and
good self-management skills, successful former smokers usually receive help and
encouragement from family, friends, physicians and dentists. In fact, clinical
studies show that patients whose doctors deliver a brief stop-smoking message are
2±10 times more likely to create a positive change than are patients who receive no
such advice.
CAN'T HEAR OVER THE SOUND OF THE DRILL
When patients visit a physician or mental health professional, they expect verbal
interactions. That is not the case with dentistry. Patients coming to the dentist
expect their mouth to be treated, not talked about or analyzed. With the advent of
stereophonic headphones the dentist can offer positive hypnotic suggestions while
taking care of the mouth. With the use of the waterproof cassette player which can
be sanitized between patients), the dental patient can be distracted and dissociated
by the soothing suggestions of the doctor's voice and also enjoy an audio shield
from the piercing noise of the dental drill. The dental practitioner can prepare
`generic' audiotapes that are consistent with the practice's philosophy or offer prerecorded
music, humor or educational/instructional audiotapes. For the doctor who
is willing to invest a little time in preparing patient tapes, it is recommended that
the form of speech be primarily in the passive voice and the text be devoid of