The word “hypnosis” may conjure up images of mysterious figures waving pocket watches in front of their patients’ faces, but hypnotherapy is actually a method of behavioral therapy that can work to treat some people’s phobias and addictions. It is a relatively fast and non-medicinal form of treatment and is available in Shanghai.

Jeff Tan is a registered hypnotherapist who runs REV, a Shanghai-based lifestyle improvement company. He uses his skills to help people quit smoking, cure fears of flying and ease symptoms of claustrophobia. A one-hour session with Tan runs RMB2,000 (RMB1,500 if you bring the current issue of City Weekend) and he recommends three sessions to kick smoking.

How you feel about hypnosis also has an effect on the results. “If you believe hypnotherapy will work, and really want to change your behavior, there’s a greater chance it will succeed,” he says. “One of my patients was addicted to caffeine and was so convinced hypnotherapy would work that it only took 20 minutes to suppress her addiction.”

Laura Lucas, a 26-year-old from Ohio, was recently hypnotized by Tan. Desperate to give up smoking, Lucas entrusted Jeff with her subconscious. “I was pretty optimistic before the session and during it, I was asked to envision my goals and picture myself standing on a hill looking out. Jeff told me to take a deep breath every time I wanted a cigarette,” she says.

So did it work? “For the first two weeks, yes, but then I relapsed–probably because I only had one session.” Lucas was impressed with hypnotherapy, though, and intends to go back.

Another of Jeff Tan’s patients is Tobias Lund, a Swedish supply chain manager. “The process of hypnosis was really relaxing,” he says. “I kept slipping between sleeping and daydreaming as Jeff talked about green meadows and rolling hills. Afterwards, I felt happy, calm, positive and rested.” Lund also relapsed, but blames his initial suspicions and social pressures. “I’d try hypnotherapy again,” he says, “because it certainly seemed to help me resist cigarettes in the week after the session.”

On the flip side of the coin is the American Cancer Society website, which says, “reviews that looked at studies of hypnosis to help people quit smoking have not supported it as a quitting method that works.” If you’re desperate to kick your bad habits, though, it might be worth it to give alternative methods a try. You can ask your doctor for a hypnotherapist recommendation, but note that it’s not covered by most insurance.

Have you tried hypnosis before? If not, would you try it as a way to kick your bad habits?