How Do Subliminal Techniques Help You Quit Smoking?

Many believe that subliminal techniques are used in advertising and for propaganda. The idea was that people can be emotionally and psychologically influenced by hidden visual or vocal stimuli.

Whether it is preconscious processing or unconscious perception, few psychologists dispute or would even be surprised by the idea that people can be affected by stimuli they claim not to have seen. What people say they saw and did see are not the same.

By flashing up images and words very quickly scientists have been able to demonstrate reliably the process called subliminal perception.

Subliminal perception or cognition is a subset of unconscious cognition where the forms of unconscious cognition also include attending to one signal in a noisy environment while unconsciously keeping track of other signals (e.g one voice out of many in a crowded room) and tasks done automatically (e.g. driving a car).

A lot of research has been done to discover how much of the unattended signal is perceived unconsciously. Is the whole message sensed and fully digested or perhaps only its main and simpler features were perceived? At least two schools of thought about this question exist.

1. One of them argues that only the simpler features of unconscious signals are perceived; however please note that the majority of the research done has tended to test only for simpler features of cognition (rather than testing for complete comprehension).

2. The second school of thought argues that the unconscious cognition is comprehensive and that much more is perceived than can be verbalized.

Allegedly, there are three types of subliminal messages:

1. Subvisual messages pertain to visual cues that are flashed so quickly (generally a few milliseconds) that people don't perceive them.

2. Subaudible messages are low volume audio cues inserted into a louder audio source, such as music.

3. Backmasking refers to an audio message that is recorded backwards, with the intention of playing it forward to disguise the reversed message.

But, can subliminal tehcniques be used in changing people's behavior, such as telling them to stop smoking cigarettes or drinking liquor, permanently?

How Subliminal Messages Can Be Used to Help You Quit Smoking

Subliminal techniques to help people stop using tobacco are worth exploring.

These messages target your subconscious mind and get deeply embedded there. So even if your conscious mind is still vulnerable to the temptation of smoking, your subconscious mind will tell you a different thing, and the deeply embedded messages will eventually exert more influence to your actions and behaviors.

The messages are delivered through text and images flashing quickly on the screen or via audio recordings of someone providing instructions and expressing encouraging words in a calm and soothing voice.

Reasearch on the Use of Subliminal Messages in Smoking Cessation

Dr. Lloyd H. Silverman, a psychologist at New York University, has been at the forefront of research on subliminal techniques for over 20 years.

He has studied more than 40 groups of smokers. Half of each group were exposed to subliminal audio messages, and the other half not. Within a month, 66% of people exposed to subliminal messages stopped smoking, compared with 13% of others. This led Silverman to conclude that subliminal messages make it four times more likely someone to be able quit someone smoking.

Another research study of note was Palmatier and Bornstein's "Effects of Subliminal Stimulation of Symbiotic Merging Fantasies on Behavioral Treatment of Smokers" that was published in The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease in 1981.

The study focused on the possibility of using subliminal perception to enhance the efficacy of a smoking cessation therapy. Thirty-four subjects received a 3-week, group-oriented behavior therapy package aimed at smoking cessation.

The results revealed that the subliminal messages were able to affect post-treatment smoking behavior of the experimental group.

The results were interpreted as evidence when subliminal messages, when repeated over a period of time, and combined with a treatment containing active components, were successful in influencing behavior and attitudes of subjects.

A follow up study by Palmatier and Bornstein found that "subliminal messaging noticeably improved the progress of subjects attempting to quit smoking", when compared to the group not exposed to subliminal messages.

Subliminal Mind Training Software, Videos and Apps

Here's an example of a YouTube video that uses subliminal techniques to help people stop smoking: Stop Smoking Now - Subliminal Message Session - By Thomas Hall

You may also use a desktop software for either PC or Mac devices to create subliminal messages for your personal purposes.

Another idea is to use an app for Android and Apple devices. For iPhones, you can try using the Subliminator, which you can download via iTunes.

Perhaps, the best example of these tools is Professor McMurphy, which is an app that can be used to send subliminal visuals and audio to help you quit smoking and increase positivity in your life, among others.

Three More Apps to Help You Quit Smoking Now

One of the more popular articles this blog has published featured Quitbit and Smokio - two easy-to-use and effective electronic helpmates to smokers looking to quit and track their progress as they did so. In today's very competitive mobile app market, these two gadgets aren't the only ones available out there. Here are three more apps to help you whittle down the number of cigarettes you finish in a day until you don't need them anymore just to function normally.

Screenshots of Quit Now for Android. source: quitnowapp.com

Quit Now!

The app provides the user with real-time stats of his or her cigarette use. It counts the number of minutes, hours and days since you last smoked a cigarette. It also calculates the money and time you have saved because of not smoking.

In addition to these features, the Quit Now! app also provides important information regarding your health using indicators based on World Health Organization standards. You're also given an achievement list that you will unlock one by one. This is to motivate you to continue reaching for the short-term goals indicated on your app until you finally achieved the greater goal of quitting smoking.

Fewlaps, a Spanish software developer of mobile apps for iOS and Android devices, created this app. It is now available on iTunes and Google Play.

Screenshots of Quit Smoking app for Android devices. source: quit.azati.com

Quit Smoking

This widget application for Android devices is designed to wean you off your dependency on analog cigarettes. It calculates the number of cigarettes you have or haven't smoked since the day you installed the app. It also shows the recommended number of cigarettes you're supposed to limit yourself to each day in the step-down program. The limit changes in number until you're down to zero.

You can download the app from the Google Play store or from the developer's website.

Stop Smoking

This is a mindfulness meditation app to help end your dependency on nicotine. This app works with people who already practice meditation as part of their smoking cessation program. It plays a relaxing audio clip to put your mind and body at ease while you're meditating. You can set the app's music to run in a loop for either 5 or 10 minutes.

The app begins with a narration to guide newbies through the process. For advanced users, there's no narration and only a soft bell sound to mark the passing of time.

Of course, these aren't the only apps out there. There are more you can check out from either iTunes or Google Play. Find the app that works perfectly for you.

Smart Gadgets That Will End Your Nicotine Addiction

Image Credit: smokio.com

Don't wait for your nicotine tolerance to go down as you vape day in and day out. Make use of innovative gadgets to track the number of times you "light up" in a day, and see what triggers your need to smoke and whether or not you have made any progress towards your personal goal of quitting forever.

Smokio and Quitbit are the two most promising gadgets for those who want to quit their nicotine addiction in a systematic way.

A French start-up has created a "connected" e-cigarette called Smokio. It's not wearable tech, but it comes close to being attached to you as the device tracks your vaping habits meticulously through a proprietary mobile app of the same name.

It counts the number of times you used your e-cig, measures the amount of vapor you inhaled, and calculates the equivalent number of analogs you'd have consumed and the amount of nicotine you'd have imbibed if you were still smoking.

Unlike basic vaporizers, Smokio lets you monitor your real time intake by measuring number of puffs and nicotine levels.

It shows how well you are doing thanks to insightful reports and customized notifications. You can then set up your milestones at your own pace.

What's more, it also gives you a bigger picture on how your vaping habit has benefitted you financially and physically. A vital statistics chart shows how well your heart and lungs are doing, and how many years have been added to your life. The gadget also tells you how much money you have saved since you started using Smokio.

Image Credit: quitbitlighter.com

In comparison, a nifty little gadget called Quitbit offers users the capability to control their need to light up or vape on. The objective is to slowly wean the smokers and vapers from their nicotine-laden habit. Here's how the developers describe the digital lighter on their website:

The Quitbit itself, much like a scale, is a tool to measure, manage and empower the user. It works as a standalone device to provide real-time feedback through its display. However, the app is needed to unlock additional features like setting goals, and viewing trends.

Quitbit is a zero-flame fully rechargeable lighter. Unlike traditional lighters, it doesn't need gas or butane to burn the tip of a cigarette. Instead, it makes use of a powerful heating element that's similar to a car lighter.