1/15/16

I’ve been practicing hypnotherapy for a few years now, and by far, the most common issue that brings clients to my office is smoking.  Hypnosis is a common treatment for people who are interested in smoking cessation, because such a profound habit change may merit a profound shift in perspective.  Hypnosis is a wonderful way to enable that shift in perspective.  Often times, clients leave my office feeling so relieve and euphoric about their new lease on life that they don’t even suffer withdrawals.

            Over the years, I’ve come up with a few pointers for being successful at quitting.  Sure, you may have a successful experience with hypnosis even without these variables in place.  However, I want you to have as many weapons in your arsenal as possible before battling this addiction. 

You must be ready and invested.

            I’m starting with the most important variable.  The first thing I do before working with a smoker is establish whether or not they are ready.  Conquering an addiction is usually a smoother process when that conquest is a want instead of a should.  I don’t know that there is a smoker in America who doesn’t know they shouldn’t smoke, but that obviously isn’t enough to stop everyone.  People smoke because they want to smoke or because they have fooled themselves into believing that it helps in some way.  People will only quit once it is an earnest desire. 

For that reason, if I get the feeling that my client is there because someone is making them be there or because they just feel obligated, I find I’m better off giving them their money back and suggesting they return when they’re ready rather than sending someone out into the world who believes that hypnosis is a sham.  Best case scenario, I get a client who is so determined to quit that they have already smoked their last cigarette regardless of whether or not the session “works.”  If your mind is already made up, all I have to do is show you the way.

            Investment is important because there needs to be stakes.  That’s part of the reason why I charge $250 for a smoking cessation seminar, and rarely sell smoking sessions as gifts.  You need to have a little bit of skin in the game, and people will rarely spend $250 on something just to give it a shot.  Most smokers spend $250 on nicotine products in about a month and a half.  I’d love to help people for less than that (and have, on occasion), but if $250 is too much for you to spend on quitting, than you are more invested in your own destruction than your health.

Come ready to replace a bad habit with a good one.

            As I said before, if you smoke, you either want to or you have fooled yourself into thinking that it serves a purpose.  Maybe your smoking habit has become a coping strategy or a means to pass time.  It stands to reason that your life may require a new coping strategy to replace the old one.

            It’s best to have that new practice in mind before you go through hypnosis.  Maybe you would like to go for a short walk or to do a few pushups instead of smoking a cigarette.  However, that new activity doesn’t even have to be health focused.  You might like to go outside and enjoy fresh air with an adult coloring book instead of a cigarette.

 

Create milestones and rewards for yourself.

            Milestones are important for tracking your progress.  It’s good to stop and congratulate yourself along the way.  After your first month cigarette free, you could make a Facebook post celebrating so that you can be encouraged by the praise your friends give you.  I also recommend getting a mason jar, putting it in a safe place where you’ll have to look at it all the time, and every day that goes by, put the cash that you would have been spending on smokes in that jar.  When you get to your 6-month or 1-year milestone, take that money out, and do something special with it like a weekend getaway.

            After I quit smoking, my first milestone was Bonnaroo.  It seems like everyone at Bonnaroo smokes, and I knew that if I could make it through the music festival without smoking, I’d be in the clear.  Sure enough, once that Saturday rolled around, and everyone was cranky because they had run out of smokes and were having to pay a random hippie $20 for a pack, I never wanted a cigarette less.  It was a liberating feeling.

COME TO MY SEMINAR!!!

            Saturday and Sunday, January 30 and 31, from 2-4 pm, I am hosting a 2-DAY SMOKING CESSATION SEMINAR.  This seminar will be limited to a smaller group, but there are still a few seats available.  The first day will be focused on teaching your mind that you don’t ever want to smoke again.  The second day will focus on learning to over-come stressors and cravings by being in the present.  This intensive experience will include hypnotic a mp3 that will function well as a cigarette replacement.  Finally, anyone who attends a seminar will receive $50 off the first one-on-one hypnotherapy session that they attend.

            If you aren’t ready to quit, I have no desire to shame you into a different decision, because I don’t think you’re likely to make a lasting decision from shame.  However, if you are ready to make a lasting commitment, I want to be a resource for you.  There is a bit of a screening process, because I want to be sure that everyone who signs up is ready and invested.  So if you would like to attend this seminar, respond in the comment section or email DLaVelleCHt@gmail.com.  Again, spots are limited and filling up quickly, so contact me soon so that I can help add years to your life.

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