I love helping smokers sever their connection to the deadly habit. They come in hopelessly desperate for help and leave with big smiles and new found confidence to easily move forward smoke-free.
I once had a 72-year old truck driver, Joe, who smoked three packs a day for 30 years. He was so desperate and worried for his health, he would do absolutely anything to be free. In a tearful discussion he shared his fear of not seeing his grandchildren grow up.
After the first two hypnosis sessions he was giddy with hope. Joe came back in a week for his third session. He walked in the office grinning like a Cheshire cat. “I have not touched a smoke all week.” We did his third session and I sent him on his way. Six months later I got a heartfelt letter from his eight year old granddaughter thanking me for “saving her Grandfather’s life”.
One reason smokers do consistently well with hypnosis is because they are fearful for their healthy well-being, which translates into high levels of motivation. Motivated individuals with nowhere else to turn are my favorite clients.
It is all about repetition. If a smoker takes 20 puffs per cigarette and smokes a pack per day, he or she is repeating the problem pattern 400 times a day and 146,000 times per year. Think of the possibilities if you applied that level of consistent repetition to a life affirming activity.
Most are unaware that the seeds of the smoking pattern are sowed very early in life. From the first time a four year old child positively viewed a parent smoke a cigarette, the wheels of smoking inner thoughts were set in motion. Every time that child saw someone smoke, the root of this accepted value grew until one day it transitioned from a thought to an action.
The first cigarette is an interesting experience; just because the thought of smoking has been nurtured and cultivated for years does not mean the body necessarily agrees with the plan. I recall my first cigarette and my reaction was typical; I gagged and choked my way through the entire cigarette. If most first-time smokers have such an unpleasant experience, why would they ever go back for more?
Suppose you went into a new restaurant and ordered a meal you never had before and anticipated a great dining experience. The meal arrived and looked delicious but your first taste repulsed you in every way. It tasted so vile it made you physically ill. As a result, it is safe to assume that you would likely never order that dish again and probably never go to that restaurant again.
If the response to both situations is similar why would the diner stay clear of the meal but the smoker continue to smoke? The smoking value was programmed and reinforced ten years before the event. There was no such planning for the culinary catastrophe.
Unfortunately enough first-time smokers continue the habit to support a multi-billion dollar industry responsible for killing 5.4 million people per year worldwide, and predicted to kill 6.5 million people by the year 2015. (World Health Organization)
When smokers attempt to consciously quit, they usually encounter withdrawal in the form of cravings, mood swings, or even weight gain. Withdrawal is conflict between the conscious and subconscious mind. Consciously, you want to stop smoking but your subconscious protests, demanding what the ‘program’ calls for. Hypnosis is a way of communicating with the subconscious, helping it to understand and accept the new healthier pattern.
By routinely reinforcing the solution, it grows a root of its own and quickly becomes the pattern of choice, conflict free.I see smokers for two office visits. During the initial visit, they learn self-hypnosis and receive two stop smoking hypnosis sessions. Then they return within a week and receive a third session.
They go home with an MP3 of the three sessions and are instructed to listen once a day. The formula is simple; repetition created the problem, so we use the same approach for the solution. Because hypnosis formerly opens the vault and pile-drives the preferred message so deeply into the subconscious mind, lasting positive change can comes easily.
In one study patients received individualized hypnosis for smoking cessation over three sessions. 81% reported they had stopped smoking completely and 48% reported abstinence for at least 12 months post-treatment. 95% of patients were satisfied with the treatment they received. (Int. Jnl. of Clin. and Exp. Hyp. 2004)
By: Paul Gustafson RN CH
Hypnosis is a great personal tool of empowerment. It is the gateway to the ever powerful subconscious mind which is the control center for all bodily function and can be used to maximize the physical and emotional response to a speedy recovery.
With extensive experience in acute care facilities as a Registered Nurse and through many years in private practice as a Clinical Hypnotherapist I can clearly see the many positive applications of hypnosis in the hospital setting:
Intensive Care: Clients can block out distractions and increase their level of comfort which improves their ability to get quality rest and speed up recovery time. Hypnosis reduces stress; safely balances blood pressure and heart rate which helps minimize complications. It can also be used to reduce secretions, bleeding, optimize immune response and also make procedures more tolerable.
Oncology: Hypnosis lessens anxiety, pain, nausea, vomiting and reduces respiratory distress. It increases confidence and self-image and also eases the acceptance of physical restrictions and managing end of life transition. A study of women with metastatic breast cancer showed that those receiving hypnosis over a one year period were able to reduce their pain experience by 50% and in a 10 year follow-up the treatment group had a survival rate of 36.6 months compared to 18.9 months for those who did not receive hypnosis. (Speigel and Bloom 1983)
Pediatrics: What better gift to give a frightened child than control during a time of crisis. Children have active imaginations and respond very quickly and positively to hypnosis. It melts away fear; increases relaxation and focus making it easier for them to understand instructions, procedures and treatments.
Mental Health: Hypnosis relieves symptoms of sadness, fear, phobias and addictions. It puts the client in control. They get to play an active role in their own recovery, which adds to an increased sense of involvement and ability to establish positive change. Everyone feels better about themselves after hypnosis.
Surgical: Pre-surgical hypnosis reduces anxiety, pain, stress and bleeding. It promotes rapid healing and improved immune response. These clients can better manage post-op pain and nausea, use less medication and avoid the side effects that go with it. Those who are positive and relaxed going into anesthesia are positive and relaxed coming out of it. (more)
By: Paul Gustafson RN CH
The fear of relinquishing free will while hypnotized is a very common misconception that couldn’t be further from the truth. Hypnosis actually helps individuals tap into powerful inner resources they never knew they had. If sessions are not in line with ones values and beliefs, clients will reject the experience out right. Not only does the hypnotist have to offer sessions of value but the phraseology and technique need to be just right for a positive connection to occur.
If someone is worried about giving up their free will a more relevant concern is the insidious manipulation of advertising. As previously mentioned, we all go into a light state of hypnotic trance everytime we stare at a television. With the conscious mind taking a break it is more likely that what we see can be subconsciously filed away, and considering the nature of advertising and the content of television programming in general, the actions we take as a result may not be in our best interest.
A.C. Nielsen says the average American watches more than 4 hours of television per day. In 65 years that adds up to 9 years of tube time. To that end, Time magazine study revealed that today’s children believe that fast food is healthier than a home cooked meal. (Time 2004)
By: Paul Gustafson RN CH
The one word best describing hypnosis is mindfulness. By routinely descending into blissful hypnotic thought for the purpose of positive change, ones cognitive abilities become greatly enhanced. Individuals become much more aware of priorities and begin to clearly visualize a new path to personal success.
Most of my clients also experience unexpected freedom, clarity, and relief in areas unrelated to primary objectives. Many describe feeling more consistently centered, and focused. They communicate, listen, and are more in tune with their world, which opens doors to opportunities which may have previously gone unnoticed.
By: Paul Gustafson RN CH
Diets address the symptom not the problem. It’s not the weight but how we think that needs to be fixed. Diets are an intellectual, conscious level approach to problems which are rooted in the subconscious. It would be like just trimming back the weeds in your garden rather than pulling them out by the root. It would look good for a while but soon they grow back again.
The goal in dieting is the target weight. The hop on the scale daily obsessed with the numbers they see. They deny themselves what they want, to achieve temporary relief from the symptom of the problem. Once the artificial goal is achieved they believe the problem is fixed. It is like repairing a flat tire by just adding more air.
Hypnosis is the language of the mind. It directs the subconscious to release unhealthy patterns and initiate preferred changes. For the same reason smokers quit without withdrawal, hypnosis helps individuals comfortably choose the path to lasting fitness. [more]
