Exclusion Therapy in Smoking Cessation: A Brief Communication

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of exclusion therapy on the outcome of a 5-session treatment protocol for smoking cessation. A total of 120 Ss were randomly assigned to a group hypnotic and behavioral program which required 48 hours of pretreatment abstinence from use of tobacco products, or to an identical treatment which encouraged, but did not include, this pretreatment stipulation. Results indicated there were no significant differences between groups in dropout rates or number of Ss abstinent from smoking. For all Ss, including dropouts, the abstinence rate was 59.2% upon completion of treatment. It was 45.5% and 36.7% at 1- and 3-month follow-up, respectively.