Quitting smoking is one of the best things you can do for your health. Aside from reducing your risk of several health conditions like cancer and heart disease, it can also save you money, improve your mental health, and protect your loved ones from second-hand smoke – the benefits are endless.
However, despite statistics revealing that two-thirds of smokers say they’d like to quit, many of us know that this can be easier said than done.
With that said, experts from Alternix, the leading provider of alternative nicotine products in the UK, have revealed a little-known hypnotherapy technique which could help you quit smoking for good.
Note: The ‘scrambling technique’ isn’t yet formally recognised by formal research into quitting smoking.
What is the scrambling technique and how might it help me quit smoking?
For many people, smoking is a ritual or coping mechanism triggered by stress or other heightened emotions. As a result, experts say that interrupting this automatic response is the key to helping you quit.
The scrambling technique is a method used in hypnotherapy to break disruptive behaviours and replace them with healthier ones. It involves breaking down a habit into a series of smaller, simpler steps and scrambling them into a different order in your mind, until the pattern loses power.
Speaking to Alternix, Registered Psychologist, Dr Carolyne Keenan, explains: “When it comes to changing deeply embedded habits like smoking, the challenge isn’t just about willpower – it’s about interrupting the emotional and neurological patterns that have become automatic over time.
“Smoking often becomes a ‘default’ emotional coping strategy. Stress, boredom, or even social settings can trigger a near-instant reaction where lighting a cigarette feels almost inevitable. Over time, the brain wires together the emotional trigger and the act of smoking so tightly that it no longer feels like a choice – it feels like a reflex.
“This is where the scrambling technique can be a surprisingly powerful tool. Scrambling, used in hypnotherapy and cognitive behavioural work, is about disrupting the brain’s automatic ‘script’ for unhealthy behaviour. When you mentally jumble the sequence of your usual smoking routine, it stops the brain from running that behaviour on autopilot. What once felt smooth and inevitable becomes chaotic and confusing – that’s exactly what helps weaken the link.
“In psychological terms, you’re creating a pattern interrupt: breaking down the neural pathway that connects emotional triggers to habitual responses, so you can lay down a new, healthier route instead. When done consistently, scrambling not only helps a smoker break the emotional connection to lighting up, it also creates space to consciously choose a different, healthier action in the moment.”
4 steps to apply the scrambling technique
So, what does applying the scrambling technique involve? According to experts at Alternix, there are four simple steps to follow…
1. Acknowledge your triggers
Before you start scrambling, it’s important to recognise your triggers. Smoking can be triggered by a range of things, including emotional, social, or habitual factors – for example, stress or being in social situations.
Once you’ve identified your triggers, make a note of them, along with the steps you usually follow before lighting up.
2. Make a new plan
Next, it’s time to work on replacing your triggers with alternative, healthier actions that provide an outlet for any difficult emotions that may tempt you to smoke. This could be anything from taking three deep breaths or reaching for a glass of water to going for a walk.
If you’re still early into your quitting smoking journey, products like nicotine gum can be a useful way to help curb cravings and gradually reduce your intake.
3. Mix it up
After replacing your smoking triggers with new, healthier habits, the next step is to close your eyes and visualise your routine from start to finish (from the moment you feel tempted to smoke to actually lighting a cigarette), in the order you would usually follow.
Then, mix up the order, ‘scrambling’ the steps in your head. Imagining each step of the process in a different order can help break the habitual cycle in your mind. Consistency is key here, and experts advise continually picturing each step, faster and faster, while opening and closing your eyes between each one. Closing your eyes can help with clearer visualisation.
4. Take time to picture the new you
Beyond consistency, experts at Alternix are keen to emphasise the importance of picturing the ‘new you’ that you want to achieve. This involves focusing on your new plan and healthy habits and imagining yourself reacting to your new, healthy coping methods in a calm, controlled way. For example, allow yourself to feel the relief and pride in visualising your new, healthier response.
Offering advice for success with the scrambling technique, Dr Keenan says, “If you’re trying this method, consistency is key. Scrambling isn’t about doing it once – it’s about repeatedly making the automatic, unhealthy habit feel unfamiliar and unrewarding. Combine it with a clear, positive alternative plan (like reaching for water, taking deep breaths, or using nicotine replacement aids early on) to give your brain a clear new path to follow.
“It’s also important to approach yourself with self-compassion. Quitting smoking isn’t simply about ‘bad habits’, it’s about meeting emotional needs in healthier ways. Using techniques like scrambling empowers you to make change not by fighting yourself, but by gently retraining your mind to support the future you’re trying to build.
“When we rewire our habits from a place of understanding, not shame, the change lasts longer, feels easier, and strengthens not just our health, but our confidence too.”
Have you tried the scrambling technique before or are you keen to give it a go? Do you have any more tips for quitting smoking that you’d like to share? We’d be interested to hear about your experiences in the comments below.
