Clinical hypnosis helps Veteran nip smoking in the butt

Despite steadily declining rates over the years, hundreds of thousands of America’s Veterans still smoke cigarettes, according to VA’s most recent Survey of Veteran Enrollees’ Health and Use of Health Care Report.

Army Veteran Walter Hauser used to be one of them. He smoked for more than 60 years—including throughout his combat service in Vietnam. But then an unlikely solution helped him kick the nasty habit: clinical hypnosis.

The wake-up call

Nearly a decade ago, a CT scan revealed abnormalities on Hauser’s lungs—“three small spots,” to be exact. Naturally, Hauser was advised to quit before the condition became worse. It was a recommendation he would struggle to follow for several years.

“If I stop smoking, I’ll make the spots mad and they’ll start growing,” Hauser joked, remembering his initial response to the diagnosis. But that didn’t discourage him from trying. Unfortunately, whether it was smoking cessation classes or nicotine patches, nothing seemed to work. “[I tried] everything… everything over the years,” he said. That was before he was referred to VA Whole Health and Dr. Meghan Cody, a psychologist with VA training in clinical hypnosis at Salisbury VA Health Care System

A conscious decision

While clinical hypnosis is a collaborative process that involves eliciting a trancelike state, it is also a deliberate act that requires intention and mindfulness. “[Clinical hypnosis is] always really self-hypnosis,” Cody said, reflecting on her work with Hauser. “It’s not something that’s done to you; it’s something that you learn, and you’re able to… bring on those feelings, kind of harness that motivation for yourself.”

With 15 years of sobriety from drug and alcohol addiction under his belt, Hauser understands the sacrifice it takes to achieve better health and wellness. Still, he was skeptical when he met Cody for a consultation in September 2024. Little did he know, he would be trying clinical hypnosis then and there in her office.

Having already discussed his history and goals, Cody instructed him to find a peaceful place. For Hauser, that happened to be a riverbank from his teenage years. “I used to do a lot of fishing,” he said. “I would throw my reels out, and this cove that was tree-lined on both sides, but it was the clearest out in front of me… I just felt so comfortable there.”

Cody guided him into an ever-deepening trance state. Once there, she gave Hauser an “anchor,” which he described as making a circle with his ring finger and thumb that he could look through. Hauser doesn’t remember every detail from that session, but he does know this: When he finally emerged, he was overcome with emotion. Later that day, wanting to test himself, he took a few puffs of a cigarette. Then he threw it out.

“[It] just didn’t taste right,” he said. “I knew then that [clinical hypnosis] was for real.”

Angling for better health

Hauser no longer lights up, but it’s safe to say that clinical hypnosis has sparked something else inside him. He returned to Cody to help him cut back on purchasing lottery tickets. He has also directed other Veterans, including his daughter, to Cody for assistance with smoking cessation.

One year in, Hauser is an example of a Veteran who addressed a health and well-being goal through clinical hypnosis, a complementary and integrative health (CIH) service offered as a part of the VA Whole Health System of care. Clinicians are trained to support Veterans in using clinical hypnosis to help manage concerns such as anxiety, insomnia, pain, obesity and more. To learn more, visit the Whole Health CIH webpage.