People attempting to quit smoking can make use of the all new positive psychotherapy that helps to increase "positive effects," according to a group of researchers.
A month into the New Year, people with New Year resolutions know where they stand in fulfilling these resolutions. According to statistics, giving up smoking is the second most common New Year resolution, losing weight being number one. In order to successfully quit smoking, a team of U.S. researchers recommend trying the new positive psychotherapy (PPT).
According to a press statement, this therapy increases positive effects (PA) and makes a person more motivated. Having greater PA can also predict how successful someone's attempt to quit smoking might be.
For the study, researchers recruited 19 smokers who were trying to quit. All these participants were given eight weeks of nicotine patch therapy as well as six counseling sessions. During these sessions, both standard smoking cessation strategies and positive psychotherapy exercises were used. The participants were given two weeks to practice these exercises, which were meant to "enhance positive feelings, behaviors or cognitions"
In their third counseling session where participants had to leave their smoking habits behind, researchers observed that 31.6 percent of the participants were able to keep away from smoking for at least six months. While this number may seem small it is significant because the average success rate of standard smoking cessation strategies is only 23 percent.
Participants also reported very high levels of satisfaction with the treatment, especially with its positive focus. The findings of this study suggest "that PPT may serve as a useful enhancement to traditional behavioral smoking cessation counseling."
The study was published in the current issue of The Journal of Positive Psychology.
