IN THE DEPTHS of winter and with the festive buzz of Christmas fading, many of us start thinking about kicking the smoking habit, or shedding a few pounds, and we sample some of the many methods available to help.

Hypnotherapy is one such treatment, and Wicklow native James Jameson has been working in that field for more than 14 years.

In a previous life James was a successful engineer working in big business, however, he didn't find that the work satisfied him, and decided to change his career completely. He wanted to help people, and help them he did.

For quite a while he specialised specifically in smoking cessation and has even kicked a 20 to 30 a day habit himself.

He explained that a doctor helped him to stop smoking 20 years ago by means of hypnosis. That experience contributed to the decision to get in to that field himself. 'In all that time I have never once had a craving for a cigarette,' he said.

He charges €195 for the session, but says that it only takes one session to walk away from cigarettes forever. If a client does happen to start again soon afterwards, they can go back for another appointment free of charge.

'I have had very few people come back,' he said, adding that a vital ingredient in the process is that the person must want to be helped. So if a teenager has been brought in by their parents, he will have a chat about whether they themselves want to be a smoker. 'Generally after that we can go on to treatment that works quite well.'

On the whole, James loves working with smokers, he said, as the treatment is straightforward and effective. 'Down in Wicklow where I live I see people out socially whom I have helped,' he said. 'I've been doing this for a long time and my method is finely tuned.'

When a client arrives at the office, in either Bray or Wicklow, James will consult with them about various things such as what triggers particular smokes at particular times.

Things like stress might feature, or a cup of coffee, a drink or even getting in the car. Once he knows what to tackle, he can begin the actual hypnotherapy session.

He is keen to dispel some myths about hypnotherapy, often propagated by the portrayal of stage hypnotists on film or television. ' There is no loss of control,' he said. 'I often use the example of the stage hypnotist making someone behave like a chicken.' That is simply not going to happy. 'If something does not sit right with you, you will reject it,' he said. When the smoker is in a trance state, James will suggest that the cigarettes are distasteful, and suggest replacements such as a glass of water or a breath of fresh air.

' The vast majority of people I work with stay off them and they are delighted. They feel good and life is easier.'

Similarly with weight management, James will start off with a chat. The 90-minute session costs €90. However, the treatment requires more than one session. 'People who want to lose weight represent the biggest single group of people I work with,' he said. The range would be from those wishing to lose one stone, to as much as seven or eight stone.

'Working with someone on their eating habits can be complex,' said James. 'However generally, it's a matter of treating the habits as opposed to emotions.'

He is not a nutritionist, so doesn't advise people on what exact foods they should be eating. ' They generally have that information themselves anyway, but have trouble staying away from high fat or high sugar foods,' he said.

So he will initially establish if it is crisps, cakes, chips or something else that poses a problem. In the session he will try to turn the client off these foods, and instil good practices such as having a healthy balanced breakfast, lunch and dinner and staying away from snacks.

Again, he may suggest drinking water as a replacement for snacking - a very healthy habit to replace a dangerous one. A second visit after a couple of weeks will reinforce the initial work, and layer some more positive suggestions on top of that.

For more information go to www. jamesonhypnotherapy.com