Good Monday Morning!!! Before writing on the topic at hand I thought i would share my own personal growth in the area of self-discipline. Being born under the sign of Sagittarius I am not by nature inclined to having a lot of self discipline. There are many areas in my life where that needs improvement and I now discover that doing this blog will be a wonderful opportunity for me to dig in a little deeper for the discipline of weekly (or more) blog writing. So be it known that this is a growth experience for myself on many levels, one of them being self-discipline.
Ah, quitting smoking...when I began as a Hypnotherapist I didn't really want to deal with people quitting smoking. They might smell, they aren't that motivated...lots of preconceptions etc... It turns out I LOVE helping people quit smoking. What better service can be done than to get one more person un-addicted to that nasty, disease & death causing, corporate profiteering, money wasting, life wasting, painful death, hate ourself for doing it weed. It is rewarding for me and I find that other Hypnotherapists in my area (Mendocino Coast of CA) send me many people trying to quit because they do not want to deal with it. It isn't quite as "romantic" as helping someone release childhood traumas (altho oft times there are those with my smoking cessation clients).
Just for some interesting reasons why people begin smoking...there is the "usual" reason of being rebellious from parents and of fitting in with peers. This is quite common. Some are a little more interesting .. I had one client who's parents told him that only grown-ups could smoke. So his young mind of course wanting to be more grown up...starting smoking because only grown- up's could. Watch what you tell your kids!!
My personal fave I have come a cross about 4 times...Young men in the army, in schoolroom class training. They were told if they were smokers they could go out & have a break to smoke. If you didn't smoke you didn't get a break. I get pretty angry at that one.
There are many different approaches in Hypnotherapy for helping people get off the nasty habit. There are those that do a full day of group sessions and people sometimes quit in just one day. I find that 5 or so sessions is effective in both building confidence for quitting and weaning off cigarettes a bit slower. Different processes work for different people, both Hypnotherapist and client. I used to play a little game with myself and when i had a few clients simultaneously having appointments for quitting, I would guess who'd quit first, or who would actually succeed, who'd have the easier time etc... I was usually wrong. I'd think one person would be easy and it would not happen that way. I don't play that game with myself anymore. Not long ago I had a couple both quitting and one of them told me he thought he would best quit suddenly & not gradually. His girlfriend told me the opposite...you guessed it...they even did the opposite of what they thought they would. She quit all of a sudden & he had a heck of a time even easing off. Each of our inner conscious' knows what to do better than we think we do.
Many people want to quit on their own ( I did) and that is great. I'm going to give some hints here to help with that and hope it helps someone. I do think some type of support system is of help. A smoking cessation group can be of help (check your local hospitals for those). I think there are 800 numbers that are advertised for helping people quit. I do not find these to be that helpful as reported by clients who have tried them. But it IS worth a try & they are usually free. Patches, gum, Rx drugs are all available. I will not see someone while they are on the patch or gum. I find that when they are done smoking and using patch or gum...they are still addicted to the nicotine. So there is still way too much chance for smoking again. I have some serious reservations about the Rx drugs as the side effects sound pretty nasty to me. I am not totally anti drug but I do stand on the side of serious caution in using them. I do not think there is a magic pill out there for quitting smoking...Hypnotherapy included. There is still some work and often a battle or two to win. It is easier for some and easier at sometimes more than others. But those are the issues & areas where hypnosis can really help. Getting to the deeper blocks, finding creative ways to help, boosting confidence & self-esteem, lending a lot of support, are all ways in which a Hypnotherapist can be of help.
So what can you do to either begin quitting or quit? The very first step when you feel you are ready to quit is to begin changing some of the habits that go with the smoking. Smoke in a different place at a different time. Smoke a different brand. Store them in a different place. Begin changing those neural pathways you have created as ritual around the habit. Learn to take a break without smoking !!
Cutting down the number of cigs each day is a start. I sometimes have my clients allot themselves a certain number of cigs for the day. Like 10 for starters. Those have to be stretched out & that's all you get for the day. Then cut it down by 1 or 2 each day until you are only smoking 2 for a couple of days. This is when there can be a bit of a struggle. Quitting those final 2 takes some conviction, commitment, will power and some tools to feel good about oneself and to substitute more positive & healthy things for the cigs...ie...ice tea, fresh water, meditation, stretching, hobbies, walking, gardening instead of poison in the lungs.
Keeping a positive confident attitude is important. Knowing the difference between how you feel about yourself as a smoker or as a non-smoker. Which way do you like yourself more? Which way makes you feel successful & good about your choice? Do you like yourself more when you smoke or when you don't smoke?
And very important is to truly see yourself as a non smoker. This is key. Non smokers do not smoke. This is how I quit with only that strong thought.
Well, that's it for today. Have an awesome week. Get help when you need it!!
Blessings, Sandy
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