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Keys to Quitting Smoking…
Replacement Activities, Repetition
and Solid Support System
By
Linda Clements-Urick, C.Ht.
How many times,
and in how many ways have you tried to quit smoking? Are you one
of those people who can quit for a while, but if anything happens
to upset the emotional balance of your life, you start again with
the excuse that you were “stressed out”? Do you smoke when
you’re bored…when you are seeking pleasure or relaxation?
People smoke for
different reasons and the urge to smoke is triggered by different
stimuli. And just as one person smokes only at parties with a
glass of wine, another will be tempted when they are alone or
after meals.
Habitual
Smokers are characterized by an enjoyment of handling
cigarettes, lighting up, and watching the smoke as they exhale.
They often find a cigarette in their mouths without remembering
how it got there. This type of smoker usually has many connections
associated with cigarettes like alcohol, eating, reading or
working at the computer. Places, activities and situations will
trigger the desire for a cigarette. The best way for these smokers
to quit is to place barriers between themselves and cigarettes and
become desensitized to the connections. A skilled hypnotherapist
can help in both of these areas using imagery and cognitive
techniques.
Stimulation
Smokers reach for a cigarette when they are bored, to
give themselves a lift or to get themselves going. When they are
not smoking, they are acutely aware of the fact. They need
powerful substitute activities to help them overcome the desire to
smoke. Suggestions delivered in a clinical setting by an
experienced smoking cessation specialist, lessens the intensity of
desire and reinforces the determination to quit.
The Coping
Smoker is triggered by anger, sadness or stress.
Cigarettes have replaced healthy coping habits and the smoker
feels helpless without them. This type of smoker is helped
tremendously by a loving support system and by learning cognitive
coping skills and stress reduction techniques, easily learned in
as few as three hypnotherapy sessions.
Pleasure
Seekers smoke after meals, when drinking with friends or
when they want to relax. What they don’t realize is that the
body responds to smoking exactly the same way it responds to a
poisonous snake bite! The heart rate accelerates and breathing
becomes more rapid as the body shifts gears in order to rid itself
of the poison. Relaxation is impossible when smoking. Introducing
healthy activities or treats and learning relaxation techniques
makes quitting easier for those who seek pleasure with cigarettes.
For the pack a
day plus smokers who have smoked for a long time, one of the
best methods for quitting consists of three hypnotherapy
sessions, one each week for three weeks.
During the
first week, the smoker is asked to make some significant
changes. For instance, if they smoke in the house, they choose
one place in and around the house that is the least comfortable
place to smoke. This then becomes the only place in the home
they smoke during this final week of smoking. The idea is that
they are no longer smoking for pleasure, stimulation or
relaxation. They are smoking in order to quit.
They move all
smoking “stuff” to this place and the only activity that
takes place here is smoking. No books, magazines, TV, music,
phone calls. They focus only on smoking while here and the more
inconvenient and uncomfortable the place, the better.
Clients are
asked to throw away all brands of cigarettes that they currently
smoke and purchase a brand they either dislike or are unfamiliar
with. During this week they only buy a pack when the current
pack is empty. No stockpiling allowed. Each time they buy a new
pack, they must change brands. All cigarettes are then cut in
half and only the filtered half is smoked. Changing the hand
they smoke with is also encouraged. If they are right handed,
then the left hand is used when smoking.
The client is
asked to find one or more replacement activities for smoking
that they enjoy and begin replacing smoking with the new
activity during this week. All of these changes serve to break
the subconscious behavioral patterns associated with smoking and
make the smoker more conscious of his/her actions.
During the
second session, the smoker is hypnotized and receives a CD of
this portion of the session. It is imperative that the CD is
listened to at least once a day for a minimum of 2 weeks
following this session. This is key to the success of the
program as repetition is the principle behind breaking or
creating any habit. The best time to listen is just before
bedtime or after awakening in the morning. (Never listen to a
hypnosis tape or CD while driving)
The third
session is used to reinforce the new changes and commitment to
remaining a non-smoker.
Another highly
effective smoking cessation program requires only one
hypnotherapy session and combines hypnosis with Neuro-Linguistic
programming. This is recommended for clients who smoke less than
one pack a day and are highly motivated to quit for their own
benefit. The session is approximately 2 hours long and also
includes a CD for reinforcement.
Both smoking
cessation programs can be conducted over the phone or
face-to-face. Phone sessions have similar success rates as
face-to-face sessions as long as trust has been established and
certain guidelines are followed. A headset or speaker-phone and
a comfortable, interruption-free environment makes a phone
session preferable to many clients. A phone session eliminates
commute time and ensures complete confidentiality.
There are many
ways to stop smoking and there is no perfect way for any one
person. As a former smoker and hypnotherapist, I encourage
smokers who want to quit to use more than one method.
Hypnotherapy, neuro-linguistic programming, energy work and
relaxation techniques all provide a great support for people who
are committed to quitting. The “patch” works for some people
because it makes it easier for them to get through that two week
period after quitting when withdrawal symptoms can be
bothersome. As I mentioned earlier, I believe that listening to
a CD with personalized suggestions is key to success. This
reinforces all of the clients reasons for wanting to quit and
paints a vivid picture of what life will be like as a
non-smoker. This personalization of suggestions is the advantage
of working one-on-one with a well trained professional,
especially one who uses a time-tested, stop smoking program.
Linda
Clements-Urick is a certified clinical hypnotherapist, NLP
practitioner and smoking cessation specialist. Contact her at 818
415-3092 or email at lindact@earthlink.net.
(818)
415-3092 or toll free (877) 752-5700
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