What is it?
We all know the many reasons for stopping smoking, hopefully the main one being the effect that it has on our health. Of course there is the financial cost of the habit, it certainly isn't getting any cheaper to smoke and now with the new legal bill has been passed, it is getting more difficult to smoke in public places (indoors it's impossible) without feeling like a complete social outcast.
From being a smoker myself (at the height of which I was smoking over 60 a day) and coming from a family of smokers (all of whom struggled several times to stop, trying various techniques from patches to will power) I came to the conclusion 11 years ago that using hypnosis was the most successful way to stop smoking for-good and stay stopped.
Smokers come to see me with all sorts of excuses for smoking “I smoke when I’m bored”, “I smoke when I’m busy”, “I smoke when I’m happy”, “I smoke when I’m sad”... and so on. The reality is... THEY JUST SMOKE!
Another very common reason for smoking is to relax. Nicotine does seem to have a sedative affect at first, actually this is due to the carbon monoxide in cigarettes depleting the oxygen in the smoker's system, this causes lethargy, not relaxation.
How does it work?
Smoking is a habit that operates on many levels, the most powerful one being on the identity level. When someone says “I am a smoker” they own it. If you notice, very few people say “I smoke”. Therefore when someone wants to stop, the first issue that needs dealing with is - how are they now going to identify themselves? This may sound strange to a non-smoker, but next time you speak to a smoker listen to how they describe themselves!
The next thing the smoker usually has to deal with is the addiction. Nicotine is a very seductive drug, seductive and deadly. It gives a smoker a fix, this fix lasts for approximately seven seconds and then he/she is waiting for the next fix. The need for these fixes invariably leads to suffering and unhappiness.
Ritual smoking is a habit the smoker has probably repeated 15 - 30 times a day for many years. This process has now become a ritual and they must first be aware of the ritual before they can change it. If you smoke, when you light up your next cigarette notice your own ritual, from the opening of the packet, how you light your cigarette, the first inhale of the smoke etc. This ritual will usually take between 10 - 15 seconds.
Passive smoking has been linked with the development of smoking related diseases in people who have never smoked. Maybe their parents did, or their spent their youth in smoky clubs and bars? A frightening thought.
If you are a parent who smokes, do you want to pass your addiction onto your children?
When you make the decision to stop, I can help you stop for good.
Tel: 020 - 8691 5408