A weekly newspaper reporter has undergone hypnotherapy in a bid to quit smoking as part of the Stoptober campaign.

Redditch Standard journalist Connie Osborne decided to try to break the habit this month as part of a nationwide drive to encourage people to stop smoking for 28 days, in the hope they will then quit permanently.

In a bid to help her stop smoking after four years, Connie is attending sessions with hypnotherapist Brenda Bentley, both pictured left, who has helped more than 700 people kick the habit.

Connie has written about her first hynotherapy session in a piece for the paper, describing how she had already seen success and was no longer having cravings.

She wrote: “Having smoked for four years on and off, I was the first person to be sceptical of hypnotherapy breaking my relationship with that little white stick.

“Quitting a habit I had relied on for far too long seemed near impossible, especially without the aid of nicotine patches, gum or some other aid.

“But one week after my first session with hypnotherapist Brenda Bentley, I am making fast progress, feeling better, looking better and most noticeably of all, smelling better.”

Connie described how as part of her first session she was taken back to when she first started smoking, reliving the scene and focusing on what advice she would have given to her past self.

She wrote: “Aversion therapy, breathing techniques and hypnosis CDs were also given to me to help with the cravings if they hit. I left the session feeling relaxed but no different to when I arrived.

“Yet, as the hours passed by, I found myself not thinking about smoking, let alone wanting a cigarette. A day later, I tried my first one and it tasted foul. I didn’t enjoy it, I didn’t even really want it and the after taste and smell made me feel quite sick.

“And now, nearly a week on, it’s becoming easier and easier. The urge to smoke has almost completely vanished, I’m not having any crazy cravings, I’m sleeping well and I rarely think about smoking.

“And my purse is also feeling the benefits.With a follow-up session due in the next week or so, I feel in pretty good stead for what looks to be a healthier, wealthier and smoke-free future.”