Smoking Cessation

I have said several times throughout my website that I very much like reading,  telling and writing stories which is one of the reasons why I became and remain fascinated by hypnotherapy.  Most people of any age enjoy stories and the line ‘ Once upon a time…….’ captures most peoples attention – whether they stay to listen is up to the Story teller.

So I am going to present for you here a partly fictitious ( some facts have been changed  ) case study and if any part of it is of interest to you please give me a call.  It is only a single example of how I work and not all of it may work for you however I hope it gives some insight into my operating style. Should you wish to come and see me we will discuss what we both feel will work for you – every session is different because every individual is unique.

I hope you find it useful or at least an interesting read.

My smoking cessation sessions generally take two differing formats and the one you select depends on the one you feel will work best for you.   I will discuss both options with you first before we make a decision.  

First choice / format : You make a committment to stop smoking on or before the first session that we have together and the session comprises of an initial hour in which we talk about and break down and understand what smoking has meant / means to you,  what is gives you / does not give you,  why you want to give it up and so on and then the second hour ratifies the commitments and changes you have made during the first hour using hypnosis.  In this way the hypnosis is personal to your relationship with smoking as opposed to a general hypnosis script that more than likely will not contain what is important to you.  This personalises the effectness of the treatment.  You are then entitled to two further sessions whenever you choose and you can use them for either maintaining your new non-smoker status or you can use them to work on anything at all that interests you for example goal setting, self esteem and confidence,  phobias,  pain control,  weight,  stress,  updating beliefs and values,  spirituality and personal growth and so on.

Second choice / format : Some people prefer to stop smoking over a period of time as opposed to stopping immediately in one session.  As such we can work together over three sessions to help you stop smoking.  We set a goal in session one and work towards that goal over the three sessions. Each session is 2hours long with the first hour generally focussing on talking / therapy work and the second ratifying the decisions / committments that have been made.  You are free to space the sessions out over a long period of time or they can be over a short period of time – the choice is yours.

The cost for whichever choice of format you make is £150 which must be paid at the first session.

I have provided a snapshot of how I work on the ‘ Stop Smoking in one session ‘ first choice format below.  If you would like to stop smoking and would like to talk to me please call – there is no obligation to make an appointment.

Louise

First contact :

My first contact with Louise was at 8.30am on a Monday morning.  She was parked in her car outside her office and was due into work at 9.30am.  She was direct and said that she wanted to give up smoking and ‘could I fit her in at around 5pm tonight please ? ’ I said that of course I would be happy to give her an appointment but asked if she had about 15-20mins now just to talk through what her expectations were and for me to explain how I worked. If she ( after our conversation ) wanted to proceed then we could certainly book an appointment.  She said she had an hour before she had to be in work so I asked her if she could give me a little background to stopping smoking ( I had a note pad already on my desk and wrote down relevant information – key points,  her primary modality,  her pace and tone, her length of sentences and construction of them – flowing or short etc,  did she use metaphors or specific strategies to ‘get her point across, ’  what was her mood and did it change at all throughout the conversation and so on – anything I felt may be relevant to any therapy I may plan for her ). Louise spoke quickly and I knew she was smoking at the time.  She said that she had smoked since she was about 16 however she wanted to start a family and her mother had told her that she would have to give up smoking.  Louise knew that it would be hard for her to give up smoking – despite knowing it was bad for her and for her baby – however she liked it.  It gave her a break at work,  it relaxed her when she was stressed and also her boyfriend smoked and was not interested in quitting. She then said ‘…..and anyway, no,  I don’t care about him…he will just have to smoke in the garden in future.’  She then started to get quite upset and said that they had had a row the previous evening and she had left the house before he got up this morning and ‘ she just wanted to give up smoking.’  I asked her if she wanted to give up for herself or because her mother had told her to and she said that she knew her mother was right – both her parents had given up on the same day 5 years ago – she wanted a healthier lifestyle for herself.  She had seen the health of her parents improve and more to the point she no longer thought they may get cancer ‘ at any moment ’ and die.

I said I could hear she was upset and offered that sometimes when I am working with clients their presenting condition for example drinking too much or smoking or over eating is more of a symptom and that with them I would initially work on trying to find out what the cause of the symptom is – once that has been established and understood and both the client and I together have done some work around the condition often the symptom disappears as a consequence ‘ all by itself.’  I further added that as a therapist I did not like to remove symptoms without first finding the cause – once the cause has been discovered and agreed then by working with the cause by updating and renewing old belief systems and looking at the cause from different points of view the client has a much better chance of permanently changing the symptom whether it be drinking too much,  smoking or over eating etc I added that I was always conscious to make sure that when giving up anything it was important that a client was giving it up at the best time to give it up.

Louise interrupted and said that actually she was fine and yes she had a few issues at home and probably talking about those as well may help.  I asked if she felt she would like to talk through those issues first  – since the smoking may be a coping mechanism that,  whilst not being at all healthy,  may be necessary just to get her over the ‘first hurdle ’ so to speak – we could then stop you smoking when you are ready. Louise said that she understood ‘ the point you are putting across’ ( I later found out she was a lawyer so this language was relevant and I utilized it in the Courtroom metaphor in her session ) and was happy with ‘ that line of attack ’but most of all she wanted to stop smoking today.

I said in that case what I’d like to do is tell her how I operate and if she then wanted to book then that would be fine.  We discussed fees and that they included a telephone call the evening before the session,  a session the following morning from 9-11am and two follow up sessions should she feel she needs them however the follow up sessions were not ideally to be used to stop smoking ‘again’.  They could be used for related issues like carvings / associations / confidence building / anchoring and so on. For the evening telephone call I required that she do as much or as little research as she felt relevant to enable her to tell me why she wanted to give up smoking / what may make it difficult or easier / how she thought she would give it up and when she wanted to give it up,  what date specifically / any health issues relating to smoking that she could find out – anything at all that she felt was relevant.  I said she could speak for as long as she liked or simply just say ‘ I want to give up tomorrow morning as both my parents gave up instantly and still remember the date.’ Louise could say as little or as much as she liked the point being that when she arrived at my office the following morning at 9am she was already a non-smoker,  albeit with ‘L’ plates on ( I use this analogy in the therapy session ).

I said that the morning session would consist of intense ‘Speed’ therapy – some hard work,  some stories and some tasks plus relaxation exercises and concluding with relaxation and hypnosis.  Whilst the session would address being a new non-smoker it would also focus on other related aspects of a healthier lifestyle like healthy eating, self confidence and self esteem and understanding how we think.

The exercises would help Louise to continue to be a non-smoker outside of my office.  I would also provide a free cd / mp3 player compatible of my own recordings to support the session for Louise to take away.  I said again that the two follow up sessions were not to be used to ‘stop smoking again ’ since she would not smoke again after the session,  but rather could be used to address for example healthy eating /  re-charging anchors / self esteem / any cravings that Louise may perceive she is having although I did not expect Louise to get cravings ( since they are more accurately ‘associations’ ) following the session and so on.  I was more than happy to record the session for Louise or she could record it herself as it was an intense session so that she could then refer to it whenever she chose to.  I asked that Louise have a normal meal the evening before the session and not to over drink – a glass of wine etc is fine – since she will need to have a clear head in the morning.  The session must be a morning session as this is the time that your brain is fresh and ready to take in all the necessary information and most alert for the purposes of the work and tasks involved. However if Louise could only do a later appointment then that would be fine – the earlier one simply being preferable.  If she really cannot do a morning session then she must only book a session at a time when she is confident she will be alert and ready to work hard. Louise is paying lot of money which deserves the necessary respect from both her and myself as the therapist. 

I insisted Louise be on time and arrive in a positive frame of mind ready to work and in return I would guarantee an individually planned unique session for her using NLP / CBT / relaxation / guided imagery / hypnosis and anything else I considered appropriate which would provide every opportunity for success – any communications / information would be treated with complete confidentiality.

I asked if Louise felt that this method would work for her and if she had any questions – she said that she felt it would work for her as her friend had already seen me.  She said she had no experience of hypnosis but knew it would work because it had worked for her friend and she was ‘ fine with it. ’ I said that I was really proud of her and she should congratulate herself on deciding to be a new non-smoker.  I said I could not see her until Thursday morning at 9am.  She agreed it was fine for me to email her my information pack which included terms of business,  payment processing information,  a brochure on myself and my practise,  my client intake form and my consent form plus a smoking questionnaire and she agreed to get all the information back to me prior to our meeting on Thursday morning ( so that I could use her unique information to prepare fully for the session ) . 

We agreed that I would call her at 6.30pm on the Wednesday evening.   I suggested that we ‘name the day’ of her formally becoming a new-non smoker as that Thursday ( however should she stop before that date,  then that would obviously be fine ).  I suggested that she tell whoever she thinks appropriate – friends,  relatives,  work colleagues,  her boyfriend – that she is becoming a new non-smoker,  a free breather,  whatever term she wishes to use and that she would very much appreciate their support during her learner phase. I asked that she avoid the phrase ‘ I have given up smoking’ since it stated that she had ‘given up’ something and may conspire against her ( make her feel she had ‘ lost ’ something etc ) and that it was more helpful to say to herself and others that she was now a non-smoker / living a healthier lifestyle and so on.

Louise had no other questions and the conversation had lasted approx 20mins. so I concluded by saying that I looked forward very much to working with her and again and ‘ Well Done’ on committing to living a healthier lifestyle.

I emailed Louise my information pack and confirmation of the appointment together with payment details.

Preparation for the 6.30pm phone call – Wednesday evening.

Initially I wanted to go through the client intake form that Louise had completed and returned to me – I did not want to use up valuable time in the single focussed therapy session tomorrow.

Following that,  my intention was to listen to what Louise had decided were her reasons to quit,  any obstacles she could foresee,  any information she had gathered etc infact anything she felt relevant to her own personal commitment to stopping smoking. Whilst listening to her I would take notes on specific information,  her own personal thoughts and experiences,  her primary modality,  her tone,  mood,  the pace at which she talked and if it varied at all ( and if so why / when ),  whether she used metaphors and/or specific strategies and language patterns to ‘ get her point across ’ all of which I intended to utilise where appropriate in our therapy session. I hoped that Louise would tell me about all the negatives about smoking ( to her ) so that when she walked into my office tomorrow we could simply focus on positive aspects of giving up smoking and the ‘bigger picture’ of leading a healthier lifestyle.  I wanted to make the smoking issue just one part of a commitment to a healthier lifestyle,  not the only part therefore hopefully diminishing it in size with regards to Louise’s perception / awareness of it.  I also wanted to ask her a few questions about her boyfriend and the responses she had provided in the questionnaire I had sent her to fill in.

I wanted to make sure that she realised this was a team effort – that she had to do things in order for the treatment to succeed – that hypnotherapy is not about the therapist doing something ‘magical’ to the client.  The therapy requires attention and focus,  belief and most of all her own individual desire to achieve her desired outcome : to stop smoking. It could not just be ‘for her unborn / un-conceived child.’

The Telephone conversation –

Louise answered the telephone almost immediately and confirmed that it was convenient for us to talk – she said that since our conversation she had discussed her intention at length with her boyfriend who was now committed to helping her stop smoking.  Infact he had said that ‘I may try and stop with you – or just smoke in the garden .’

She said he wanted to listen to our conversation and was sat with her now.  I asked if she was happy with that arrangement and she said she was. I said I would like to run through the forms she had filled in then listen to the research she had done and then ask a few final questions.  She was fine with that. 

Louise had confirmed she was in full time employment as a lawyer and living with her partner.  Under ‘issues she wanted to resolve’ she had written ‘ I want to stop smoking’ and regarding what outcome she was looking for ‘ to stop smoking ready to start a family.’  I asked if there were any other reasons why she wanted to stop smoking apart from to start a family ( firstly, because I wanted to make sure she wanted to stop for herself first and foremost and secondly because I did not want having a baby to become the total focus of her life since she may not get pregnant immediately or ever – I wanted to make sure that Louise’s focus was on Louise ).  She said she knew it was not good for her and her parents had given up years ago but ‘ I like it and it gives me a break from work,  and my boyfriend smokes.’ ( She had written these facts under ‘ what stops you from achieving this on your own ?’ on my client intake form ). I asked if she could explain to me what she meant by ‘ not good for her.’  Louise then said she had read a quote that

‘if you were to extract the nicotine from one cigarette and,  with a hypodermic needle,  inject it directly into a vein, you would be dead in seconds ! There is enough in that one cigarette to kill a horse ’

which really shocked her.  She had then logged onto the NHS smoking information website and read that there is

‘ nicotine,  tar,  ammonia,  benzo-pyrene,  carbon monoxide,  arsenic,  cyanide and many more dangerous substances contained in a single cigarette plus all the insecticides that are sprayed on the growing tobacco crops.’ 

She had looked at fertility websites and realised that not only did smoking affect the woman before pregnancy,  their chances of pregnancy and the affects of smoking on an unborn child ( and the born child ) but also that smoking affected the fertility of fathers.  Louise had learned about the physical affects of smoking including the effect on the heart,  lungs,  kidney,  skin etc and diseases related to smoking – emphysema,  cancer,  lowered immune system,  life expectancy and so on.  Louise had done extensive research ( not surprising since she was an intelligent lady / lawyer ).

I made notes of the individual diseases/ conditions / affects she had specified for use tomorrow and identified that her primary modality was auditory.  This is all very important individual information which I take note of with all clients and which I will then use in the therapy session.  This process will increase the effectiveness of the treatment since I will have planned it specifically for Louise in a language that she will understand – language that mirrors what she uses herself verbally ( and when talking to herself in her mind ).  It would not be as powerful to talk to Louise in kinaesthetic terms ( feeling words ) if predominantly she used auditory and visual language.  This is one of the reasons why I like to record sessions ( obviously with a clients permission ) to make sure that I capture terms they uniquely use / their primary modality and so on.  It makes the therapy unique to them.

I noted that Louise used terms like ‘ it was clear as a bell to me that I should stop smoking immediately / I could hear my mothers words telling me to stop / the website made giving up smoking sound like common sense etc’ although she did use a lot of visual language as well ‘ it made me picture someone who was ill in hospital with a breathing mask on / it focussed my mind / I caught a glimpse of what I could be like if I didn’t stop smoking ’ from which I supposed her primary modality ( sense through which she processed information ) was auditory ( hearing ) and she was also quite visual ( seeing ). I also took notes of the imagery she used – the hospital etc – for use and repetition in Louise’s therapy session.

I commented to Louise that she had written ‘ she liked it [ smoking ] because it gave her a break from work ’ and I asked her to ‘ talk ’ ( auditory ) me through that / could she ‘ never ?’ go for a break if she didn’t smoke.  She said that the only time she could get away from her desk except at lunchtime was to have a cigarette outside with her friends. I asked what the people did in the office that did not smoke since,  whilst smoking was not healthy at all,  the fact that it gave someone an opportunity to have a break from work was indeed healthy.  She said that she presumed they went to the canteen however her friend who had given up recently still joined her outside when she went for a cigarette so that they could have a chat.  So actually she concluded, 

‘ I could go outside just for a chat without a cigarette.’   

I asked Louise if she could foresee any affect of her boyfriend – David – continuing to smoke.  She said initially he had been completely uninterested in her stopping smoking however she repeated what she had said earlier in the conversation that having listened to Louise he had agreed to maybe try and stop with her or at least smoke outside.  She said that she wanted him to give it up but had realised from our initial conversation that he had to do it when he was ready for himself.  She hoped he would at least try.  Louise had ticked ‘yes’ to confirming her readiness for change on my client intake form,  she was not taking any medication and did not have any medical conditions.  She had ticked yes to stress ( in the long box ticking list of symptoms ) as well as ‘unable to relax’ and she had ticked then scribbled out then ticked again ‘ marital problems.’  I asked her to tell me about ‘stress’ and not being able to ‘ relax ’ and she said that she was a lawyer with a big firm and always had a lot of work to do that had to be done correctly since she spent some of her time in court representing clients.  She often worked late or took work home and the firm had just made several people redundant and not replaced them so whilst the firm had increased her salary she was having to do a lot more work.  She admitted that she often worked through her lunch break to ‘get the job done’ and often became ‘so tuned in ( auditory ) to her work to the exclusion of everything else .’

She said the cigarette helped her relax and switch off for a while and it also gave her confidence a boost when she needed it. 

I asked if we could find her a way to take a break that would help her switch off and relax and also to find a way to give her confidence a boost when required would that be useful to her to which she obviously said yes. I carefully said ( given that her boyfriend was in the background listening to the conversation ) that she had ticked yes and then no to ‘marital problems’ and did she want to talk about that now or tomorrow – she said that it was fine,  she had only seemed indecisive because they had had a row the previous evening.  They had been together for 6 years and had the odd ‘ squabble ’ but everything was actually fine. 

She did not wear glasses or contact lenses – something I would need to consider if she was to have her eyes closed for any long period of time ( hypnosis ).

Louise had completed the smoking questionnaire including that she was 16 when she started and that it was ‘ to appear more adult’ she said ‘everyone smoked.’ She had never tried to give up smoking before but had known people who had ( her parents and friend ) and people who had tried and failed.  I asked if she could ‘jump inside one of the people she had just mentioned and see how it feels inside them who would it be ’and she said immediately her mum.  I asked her to ‘close her eyes if she liked and go there now ’ what did it feel like – to which she paused and then I heard her take a deep breath in and then out and she said ‘healthy and clean – safe.’  

Louise had ticked that she smoked at breakfast,  with tea and coffee,  after meals,  at work and on the phone.  I clarified that she did not smoke whilst driving,  in bed or when she woke up and she said she didn’t smoke then because it was too dangerous ( which amused me somewhat ). I asked if she ever needed to get up at night for a cigarette and she said no to which I asked how long she slept from and to.  She said she usually went to sleep about 10.30pm and woke with her alarm at 6.30am to which I said ‘ you can go without a cigarette for 8 hours then ( rhetorical question ).’  I asked if Louise considered herself addicted to smoking and she said she supposed she was.  I asked why she supposed she was and she said because everyone says its addictive,  however she had ‘given up pot ( cannabis ) when she left University to start her first job overnight and had not had any problem at all giving that up and cannabis is supposed to be addictive.  She actually didn’t think she had an addictive personality,  more that smoking had become a habit. ( I wanted to understand if Louise saw a third party to ‘ blame ’ for her smoking ie it’s an addiction – therefore I can’t help myself – or whether infact she accepted responsibility for it.  This was important for the therapy session tomorrow . Louise had confirmed that she accepted her own responsibility for the habit ). 

Louise ticked that she had known someone who had died from a smoking related illness and had written ‘ my Grandmother – my mothers mum – lung cancer .’ Louise said her mother had been obviously terribly upset as had the entire family as ‘it was a long, drawn out thing and her mum and dad gave up smoking together during her mother’s last few months.’

Louise had written under ‘ what is important to you ’ that she did not want to smoke when pregnant.  I asked her to talk me through the answer ( I was conscious that an association between giving up smoking and getting pregnant may not be the best one since she may not get pregnant at all or it may take some time so I wanted to understand if she simply wanted to give up whilst pregnant or if there was a ‘bigger picture’ evolving ).  Louise paused and said that actually she just wanted to stop smoking completely – for the baby ofcourse but also afterwards so she could be there for the baby….and for her mum ( she clearly had a strong relationship with her mother – it turned out she was an only child ).  I asked if I was to ask her now what was important to her what would she write and she said ‘ to be more healthy,  to spend a bit more time with my family,  my boyfriend and having a bit more time for myself …to relax.’

On the questionnaire she had said that she wanted to live until she was 100 ( and she had marked it with an exclamation mark ) and have a big family.  Next to ‘ who is responsible for your health ’ she had written ‘me.’ She had written that she would be able to ‘ plan for a baby and be fitter’ as a non-smoker.  In response to the question ‘ what will you do with the money that you save ’ she wrote as both her and her boyfriend had good jobs she intended to donate the money she would save by giving up smoking to the local children’s ward to buy them toys – she told me she had already made enquiries and she had taken the day off work tomorrow to see me in the morning and then go to the hospital in the afternoon and give them a cheque.  She felt that psychologically that would reinforce her commitment to herself. I said I thought that was an excellent idea,  especially donating the money immediately. Clever psychology.

We had been on the telephone for about 30mins and I felt that I had achieved my goal – I had a lot of personal information that I could utilize for the therapy session tomorrow and Louise was certainly in a positive frame of mind. I asked her finally how long she had studied for at University and then for her Articles of Association to which she replied 4 years at Manchester University followed by two years to complete her qualification ( at the law firm that she is with now – they kept her on ).  I wanted to use this information in the therapy session – utilising a ‘ learner / new ’ period of time before qualification ( the critical 2-3 days after quitting smoking ).

 I knew Louise drove since she had called me from her car at initial contact – I would also use this fact in the session. 

I asked if she had any questions and said that on that very positive note – donating the money to the local children’s ward – I was happy to end the conversation. I asked that we agree now that we Name the Day – tomorrow will be the day when you become a ‘new’ non-smoker.  Just like after you passed your driving test you put green P plates on your car for a short period of time to show everyone you had passed but were a ‘new’ driver and that helped them be patient with you and support you when you found it a bit strange and new,  and just in the same way when you got your University Degree you studied for a short while doing your Articles of Association and that indicated to people again that you were ‘newly’ passed.   So tomorrow come with your ‘ green plates on and with your Articles in mind.’  Tomorrow as you walk into my office you will be a newly passed new non-smoker and as you walk out of the office you can take with you the green plates and tell people that you are a new non-smoker and ask them for their support.  We’ll make sure you leave tomorrow with imaginary ‘ bundles ( legal term for files of papers ) full of facts which you can access and understand perfectly any time you need to.’ Then on Sunday evening (three days after session ) I’ll call you again just for five minutes and you can throw away your imaginary L plates as you will not need them anymore,  you will be a passed / become a qualified non-smoker.

‘…..you may feel restless and frustrated,  but persevere because you will experience emotions for only two or three days,  then you will quickly begin to feel the benefits of becoming a  non-smoker and rejoice in your sheer determination to succeed .’

– Stop Smoking in One Hour Susan Hepburn 2000.

I reminded Louise how good it had felt to be her Mum earlier in the conversation.

We confirmed the appointment and I congratulated her again and said I looked forward to some fun and hard work and relaxation tomorrow.

Preparation –

As the session was a single 90minute session and given the amount of work I proposed to do to help Louise stop smoking completely I had prepared extensively for the session.  I had loaded Google Body Browser onto my computer and had it ready to be turned on so that when Louise arrived the main image could be seen clearly on my screen. 

It is an amazing FREE programme that starts by showing a computer generated image of a woman in a simple blue dress and then with every click the ‘layers come off ’ ( tastefully and clinically ) to reveal firstly her naked body then her muscles,  then nerves,  blood circulatory system,  organs and respiratory systems etc and finally bones.  I challenge anyone to look at it and not feel a little pang of guilt that we don’t look after such an amazing thing perhaps as well as we should and to be in awe at the complexity and miracle of the human body. 

I had established that Louise’s primary modality was auditory however she was quite visual as well.  She was a bright lady and I was confident she would manage and respond well to the amount of work I planned for us to do together.  I was ready to record the session ( if she so wished and to send her a copy of the cd ) so that she could refer to it at any time and in order that she did not feel in the session under pressure to remember what we were doing or take notes.  She could simply ‘ enjoy the ride.’

I did not want to focus too much on Louise wanting to give up smoking ‘ to start a family ’ since there was no guarantee she would get pregnant straight away or at all,  I wanted to focus on living a healthier lifestyle and more helpful ways of thinking which was something she had identified as important to her in our conversation the previous evening.  I wanted to break up the ‘ work ’ aspect of the session with relaxation exercises and demonstrations to keep it fresh.  I had several scripts ready to use which I had personalised for Louise and in some instances wanted to read directly from to make sure that I said exactly what I had planned to say.  The office was bright and cool as I wanted Louise to feel that it was a working environment – we could close the blinds later for any relaxation and hypnosis if required.

I wanted to focus Louise’s language from the start of the session to ‘when I used to smoke / now I’m a non-smoker ’ rather than ‘ smoking makes me feel ……smoking gives me a break ’ to reinforce the decision she had made.

I had collected about 30 stones of various shapes and sizes and placed them in a nice flat box – so that they could almost all be seen at once.

I reminded myself to make sure that Louise realised the session was a team effort – she had to do some of the work to achieve her desired outcome – hypnosis ( ie me / the therapist ) alone would not magically do it for her.

The Session –

Louise arrived on time and was keen to tell me that she had not smoked as many cigarettes since we spoke and that she had not had one this morning.  I congratulated her from now – today – on being a ‘ new’ non-smoker and was keen to move the focus of her attention from all about giving up smoking to instead living a healthier lifestyle which happened to include as one of its components no longer choosing to smoke thus diminishing the issue.

I asked if she would like a glass of water ( healthy option as opposed to coffee/  tea ) which she happily accepted.  I gave it to her in a clean clear glass which I hoped would subliminally suggest health and ‘flushing out of toxins ’ and had a glass myself.  Given that we had already discussed the information provided on Louise’s client intake form and smoking questionnaire and given that there were no contra indications I merely repeated what I had said on the telephone the previous evening that we would start the work immediately.  I ran through the format of the session – some tasks,  some breathing exercises,  some breaking down of ideas ( I said that she was going to have one of her ‘ Best Days In Court – she’s a lawyer – today ’  which amused her ) and then some relaxation and hypnosis.  I asked her if she had any questions however she was fine and keen to get started – she did notice the Body Browser on my computer screen and asked what it was.  I asked ‘ did she want to have a look ? ’ to which she said yes and leant forward.  I clicked all the various layers intentionally slowly down and did not talk to Louise at all until it got to the parasympathetic and the sympathetic nervous systems and then I smiled and said that’s where all the trouble starts – that’s where our work focuses ’ ( instincts / flight or fight response ) then continued down to the skeleton.   I noticed that she was really connecting with it as she was leaning towards the screen so that she could see the images more closely – there were a lot of ‘ wow – that’s amazing ’comments. I was confident that the programme had had the desired effect and said I too liked the programme – the human body is an incredible thing. 

 I wanted to focus Louise’s attention into my office and onto work so asked Louise to sit back and make herself comfortable.  I said that I would like to show her ( if she was happy to go ahead ) how powerful her mind was ‘ and we hardly use any of it at all ’ by doing a short relaxation exercise which she completed easily. 

Louise re-orientated well and was relaxed and commented immediately on the exercise. I did not want to overload her since she was doing very well all by herself and agreed with her that it is important to realise the mind is a wonderful resource that we/she can use to great effect whenever we desire.

I then lifted my box of stones from the floor and placed them on my desk infront of both of us and proceeded to work through one of my favourite tasks with Louise which is absorbing and different with everyone.  It provokes thought and language and looks at the bigger picture of life around the client’s presenting symptom – in this case Louise’s smoking habit.  The exercise encourages the client to look in all areas of their lives past,  present and future and connect anything they find with the therapy session. There are no right and wrong answers and anything that ‘pops up’ in the client’s mind is relevant – it is always fascinating. 

Louise was animated and she began to share that she really wanted promotion to enable her to work in her chosen preferred area of interest. We talked about her job and her friends and her boss and also her hobbies and interests until she had broadened her focus sufficiently. 

I then asked her to keep the stones in her hands one of which she obviously had become quite attached to and I put the box back down on the floor. I then proceeded relax Louise and induce her into hypnosis followed by a script and story that I had written for her specifically which focussed on how wonderful the body is,  like the best chemistry set you have ever had,  and how the body can repair itself and how we can aid in that process with special focus also on what effect smoking has on the body ( using some of Louise’s own words and research that she had shared with me the evening before on the telephone and written using auditory and visual language ) and how beneficial stopping smoking was not just for Louise’s body but also for the people who loved and cared for her around her ( and yet to come ).

I add here some extracts from the hypnotherapy script :

‘…………..if you think you want a cigarette in the future you actually do not want a cigarette at all………you are merely experiencing association……..a subconscious trigger will ensure that you instantly do your breathing exercises and the need to have a cigarette will go away in a matter of seconds…..you are now fully prepared and can use your breathing exercises whenever you need to …………’

‘………….so let me tell you something that I know you will understand……let me tell you something about Repair that I know you will be interested in today…….. The modern technique of using radioisotope allows us to trace the chemicals that enter ….and leave….…… the body and demonstrates that 98% of the atoms of the entire body are replaced every year…..each structure of the body has its own rate of reformation……..the lining of the stomach renews itself in one week……the skin is entirely replaced in one month…….the liver is regenerated within six weeks…………some tissues are relatively slow to turn over for example the supporting tissue of the body called collagen …..the bone on the other hand is specially dynamic…………our body is constantly dissolving and renewing itself………we all know that in the next five years we will have completely renewed our hair and our nails but did you that in five years time not a single atom of your present body will be here and that five years ago you didn’t exist ?…………’

‘………….gaseous exchange takes place between the air in the alveoli and the blood in the capillaries and ideally there should be a match between the amount of blood flowing through the capillaries and oxygen brought to the alveoli by breathing………remember…….breath is life…….however sometimes mismatches occur………….. or let’s call them ‘ inefficiencies ’ ………..serious inefficiencies occur if the alveoli are injured by smoking………most people have about 3million alveoli in their lungs……….slow destruction of the alveoli continues for years and it is only when their numbers are drastically reduced that the person may feel short of breath ………carbon-monoxide which is present in cigarette smoke and exhaust fumes ……….is known to decrease the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood……’

‘……….and you can see your mother and father there………be with them now….they may be looking directly at you and talking directly to you…..can you hear what they are saying………..see what they see……looking directly at you…….so proud that you have made this decision………..’

Louise orientated slowly and her eyes were a bit teary – she took a while just to ‘ find herself ’  so I offered her drink which she took.  She said the imagery had been very powerful indeed and she had seen her mother and father standing on a beach together looking directly at her and smiling – like it was real. 

I suggested we swop chairs for fun ( and to keep the session fresh and her alert as the content of the session was intense ).  I then said I was going to show her something that she could use for most situations she may find herself in and also to review past situations.  An exercise she could use at any time without anyone knowing she was doing anything at all.  I gave her a green marker pen and then asked her to write

‘ Louise’s Courtroom ’ along the top of my notice board.  I asked if she ever thought things through in her mind / heard ( auditory ) herself talking to herself in her head and so on which she freely agreed that she did – often,  she ‘ woke up’ thinking about things in her head.  I suggested we try an exercise that identifies if it is just one voice in her mind or several and if there are several ‘ who are they,  what do they say and what do they want / how do they say what they say and so on .’  I suggested we put an imaginary situation in the middle of the board – I wrote ‘ work mate off work again / Louise having to do their workload, again .’  I asked her what she would think about that and we wrote down her ideas eg.  sceptical because she was often off ‘ ill’ / cross because it was always Louise who had to do the extra work / under pressure as she already had work that had to be completed the same day as this additional work etc etc.  The board became very full very quickly with all sorts of comments and thoughts. We identified four of five characters that operated in her mind for example a Victim and worked with their ‘voices’ for a while.

Louise really grasped the concept and we threw in another situation for fun. I introduced her to The Princess in her head. The little voice that also tells us / makes us feel like we ‘ deserved / we are entitled ’ to something,  like to that car parking space someone has just nipped in front of us to take. 

And also the Saboteur who reminds you have lost three kilos ( knows your weaknesses ) and pretends to be your friend and ‘pats you on the back and encourages you to eat the chocolate as a reward for all your hard work. ’ 

‘ Craftier than a barrel of monkeys and more dangerous than a rattlesnake is the true nature of that friendly enemy ! ‘

I suggested that Louise watch out for him / her over the next few days – (s)he’ll be the one trying to sabotage Louise’s new non-smoker status.  I said if Louise heard his / her voice then ‘ put her in the witness stand / cross examine her / and send her down for life imprisonment ! ’ She liked the idea of the Courtroom in her mind ( she is a lawyer ) and the effect of dissociating herself from the voices in her mind and using the exercise to break down situations. She could do it anywhere on a piece of paper or simply in her own mind.

Once Louise had grasped this concept I referred back to our telephone conversation when she had stated she did not think she was addicted to smoking but more that it was a habit. I was sufficiently convinced that she would not be looking to ‘blame’ a third party ( ie addiction ) for her smoking and had decided to discuss instinct and  belief systems to help her understand why smoking had become a habit and in understanding that how she herself could stop it effectively. 

I explained that the human body is a wonderful miracle of engineering – remember the body browser when you came in on my computer screen ?  Each and every part of its function is controlled and regulated by the subconscious without any conscious consideration.  Our heart pumps oxygenated blood round our body.  The liver, kidneys,  the brain,  every cell,  each molecule is monitored and regulated precisely without pause.  The chemical balance of the organism is precise and specific and it is part of the function of the subconscious to ensure that the correct chemical constitution is maintained. 

When the first cigarette smoke is introduced the chemical balance is placed in jeopardy and so those defence mechanisms are activated to protect the integrity of that delicate balance,  but the young person is so determined to be one of the gang ( as Louise had answered in her smoking questionnaire ‘ I started smoking to be more adult ’ ) that she continues the assault on her defences so that the subconscious programming becomes corrupted and begins to accept the new chemicals being introduced as necessary for survival. 

The subconscious has become fooled into a belief that it must ensure that the nicotine supply is maintained and a new ‘part’ of a persons survival programming is created,  its sole purpose is to do everything necessary to ensure that supply….there is a school of thought that considers it far better to give up smoking gradually however I cannot agreed with this at all for this just prolongs the discomfort.  If the subconscious smoker is getting less than it needs then it will increase its demands as the levels of nicotine decrease.

Smoking is a maladaptive coping strategy since whatever caused you to smoke in the past ( I wanted to use language that reinforced that Louise had given up smoking already ) will still be there to be dealt with after the cigarette is finished.

It is the deep breath in that used to give you the buzz when you used to smoke not the cigarette – and the association with having a break from work / a chat with friends / a quiet mind for a while ( the parasympathetic nervous system ) etc.  Your Saboteur who is not your friend at all used to whisper in your ear constantly ( auditory language for Louise ) that you used to need a cigarette to get that buzz / chat / relaxation whereas you now know that it isn’t true – any perceived cravings are actually only associations.

There are no benefits to smoking.

You can still have a break and chat with friends – listen to Louise not the voices – and breathe in clean fresh repairing air instead from now on. 

We visualised together what Louise would do and say and feel in situations where she was now a new non –smoker and may be offered a cigarette and reinforced the images with breathing exercises from the beginning of the session as a reminder of how powerful her mind is.

I suggested to Louise that in the same way the voices in her mind were ‘ not her’ and that she could choose to listen or not listen to them ( thanks but no thanks ),  she could apply the same technique to her belief systems some of which she had been relying on for some time either to keep her safe or because it just took too much energy to change them. 

Sometimes belief systems just needed a little bit of updating rather than the energy of drastic change – and Louise could now put any belief / habit / event etc ‘ in the dock ’ and talk it through with her ‘characters in her imaginary courtroom’ and then make her own decision.  I shared with her an analogy I particularly like : 

In Aikido ( martial art ) the aim of the opponent is not to block and fight back ( as in traditional boxing ) but rather to look for the fist that is coming towards them,  clasp the wrist of their opponent and using the force of their opponents forward motion pull their wrist forwards as if it was continuing its line and overbalance them onto the floor

– overbalance your belief systems and update them by shaking them up as opposed to stopping them dead in their tracks. And thank them for their help so far – they are only trying to keep you safe in their own way.

I suggested to Louise that whilst all these exercises could be a lot of fun and be helpful and thought provoking they were active and required her to do the work – she had to practise becoming aware of what was hooking her attention – and then ‘place it in the dock and work it through until she was happy with her own verdict ’ if nothing else,  just to stop and think rather than instinctively reacting. 

Louise had to realise that she was going to go through a very active process over the next couple of days / weeks and that the areas of her life affected would not just be smoking – she could apply the exercises to anything in her daily life.  We discussed at length the process of moving from -

unconscious incompetence – not being aware of what you need to know

to conscious incompetence  - being aware that you don’t know it

to conscious competence – being aware of what you know

and finally unconscious competence – do things without thinking eg. driving a car / riding a bike etc

– I suggested that she think of the process as ‘piling up the evidence for the defence ’ with the winner not just being Louise herself first and foremost but also for example her Mum and Dad ( who she ‘saw’ during the relaxation exercise earlier ) and this afternoon the children’s ward of the local hospital ( who she had told me she was donating a some of money to from the amount she intended to save from giving up smoking ).

We had worked extremely hard and Louise had responded well however I had foreseen that she ( and I ) would need a break before final relaxation and hypnosis so having confirmed she had no further questions I suggested we take a break.  We took the stones that Louise had selected into the walled garden outside my office and enjoyed a break and did a bit of work with them which was quite profound.

‘ We are who we are today because of who we have been in the past………’

‘ If you choose the path of freedom then know that the only person to trust is yourself.

Know that from now on,  your happiness is always your responsibility,  and your happiness is the result of your own judgement.

Know that once you have left the domain of powerlessness,  returning is no longer a viable option for you,  and choosing it will only hold you back.

Know that your choice of freedom was meant to be,  and that you wouldn’t be able to make that choice if you weren’t ready.

Know that you will be leaving your comfort zone behind,  but will be entering the realm of endless possibility.

Know that perseverance is the short cut,  and trust is the inescapable consequence of unshakeable resolve.’ – courtesy of John Glanville.

 

We then went back inside and I relaxed Louise for her final hypnosis which utilized many things she had personally told me,  research she had done,  words she had used and imagery she had shared with me woven into a smoking cessation script.  I have included some extracts as follows :

‘……..breathing in new life force…..and breathing out relaxation because you know Louise that breath is life ….and every time you take a deep breath in you are taking oxygen into your lungs and into your bloodstream……from the moment you came into my office today you were a free-breather…….your body is repairing itself right now….your heart…..your kidneys…….your skin……your lungs…..do you remember learning about your lungs ?……..those tiny tubes in your lungs called bronchioles each of which ends in a series of tiny sacs with very thin delicate walls called alveoli that require such a fine balance so that the oxygen and gases can flow freely……you are a free breather from today…….with every breath in…..and out……you are repairing …….renewing…..bringing balance where there was imbalance…….bringing efficiency where there was inefficiency……..and you told me that you read if you were to extract the nicotine from one cigarette and inject it directly into a vein you would be dead in seconds…..there is enough in one cigarette to kill a horse….and you told me that shocked you………and you also told me that a single cigarette contains nicotine and tar and ammonia and benzo-pyrene and carbon-monoxide and arsenic and cyanide………..and yet people still smoke…….would you swim in an area where there is a sign clearly warning you there are strong currents…….you told me when you really thought about what you knew was contained in cigarettes and the damage they did it was ‘ clear as a bell ’ ( clients own words ) to you that you are not going to smoke anymore………you told me smoking helped you relax…now I invite you to review and to question that statement in the light of the knowledge that the heart is working so much harder every time you take cigarette smoke into your lungs…..you introduce into your body in excess of four thousand different chemical compounds,  many of them deadly poisons…….your body reacts to these lethal poisons in the same way as when it is subjected to terror…..the automatic response we know as the flight or flight response is activated……your sympathetic nervous system…….adrenaline production is elevated……respiration increases…..blood pressure increases as the body prepares to fight …..or to run away from danger……the toxins are being absorbed into the tissues of your body……’

‘……..Does this sound like relaxation ?’

‘….….tissue which does not receive enough oxygen …..dies….as arteries become constricted and blocked….ask yourself right now Louise is this for you ?’

 

‘………..perhaps you can agree with me that one very good reason for quitting this disgusting habit is that through your excellent example you may influence someone younger against taking up the habit….I know that you are hoping to start a family and that this afternoon you are going to the Children’s Ward of the hospital to donate some of the money you will save to them ….just think how much you could achieve if just one person was prevented from taking up the habit….think of all the misery and the pain that could be prevented…………’

‘ …… to look out at people important to you ….to hear what they were saying …listen to their voices….……and you told me that you could see your mum and dad standing looking at you…….so proud of their only daughter ….their only child……..a lawyer now…..all grown up……..and did you know Louise that when we are a child we believe things and rely on them to keep us safe…..and sometimes we believe things when we are young will make us look all grown up……..you told me you started smoking because it made you feel like an adult……..all grow-ing up……..but you realise now that you no longer need or want to smoke because you are all grown up now……’

‘……..and do you remember your Courtroom Louise …..Louise’s ‘ Best ever day in Court yet ’…….well maybe there is a Doctor giving evidence today……strong conclusive evidence……and he tells everyone here listening …….slowly in his clear educated voice that -

when you stop smoking within twenty minutes your blood pressure and pulse rate drop to normal and the body temperature of your hands and feet increases to normal…….

 within eight hours the carbon-monoxide level in your blood drops to normal and the oxygen level in your blood increases to normal……….

 within twenty four hours your chance of having a heart attack decreases and within forty-eight hours your nerve endings start to grow and your sense of smell and taste improve……..

 and he knows everyone in court is listening intensely and he continues…….

 within five days your bronchial tubes ( those fine tubes in your lungs that we learned about today ) begin to relax and you can breath more easily and your lung capacity increases which means you can do more physical activity more easily………

 within  three months your circulation improves and your lung function increases by up to thirty per cent…..the cilia ( those tiny hairs in your lungs that protect you from infection ) re-grow thus increasing your ability to clean out your lungs and to reduce infection ……..

 At five years the lung cancer death rate drops and at ten years it drops to that of non-smokers……pre-cancerous cells are replaced………’

[ extracts only – this is not the entire script ]

 After we had finished the hypnosis Louise re-orientated well and we discussed the session. I said that she got a ‘going away goody bag’ from me which included a cd of some hypnosis recordings of mine and I said I would post a cd copy of our session to her that day so she had it for reference. And that I would email her a link to the Google Body Browser she had enjoyed.  I said she could keep the stone she had become quite attached to ‘maybe in her pocket at work as a reminder ’ and encouraged her to practise the breathing exercises especially over the next 2-3 days. 

I then gave her a bottle of mineral water and suggested she drink plenty of water during the next few days to flush out the toxins.  I also gave her a green ‘P’ plate ( like new drivers place on their cars sometimes to indicate to people they have recently passed their test ).  I said I would ring her on Sunday evening to see how she had gone on and at that point I knew she would be able to throw away the green ‘P’ plate – she would not be a new non-smoker anymore she would be a qualified non-smoker ! If she didn’t mind I would also like to contact her in one month for some feedback for my own professional purposes.  I added that she was welcome to contact me at any time and that her session included two follow ups of anything of her choice ( not smoking cessation since she had already stopped – although dealing with cravings / associations / healthy living / anchoring / stress / anxiety etc would be fine ).

I congratulated her on a job well done and wished her luck at the hospital that afternoon.

I hope that you have enjoyed reading this story and if anything is of interest to you or if you are truly ready to give up smoking,  please give me a call.  Fiona : 07968 106113

 - Think how much money you could save towards Christmas and how much more energy you would have if you gave up smoking today………

My work is tailor made for you as a unique individual as I believe this potentiates your chances of success – however it’s up to you in the end.