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We all know that if you quit smoking, you will experience the following benefits:
- Feel better physically
- Breathe easier
- Save money
- Smell better on clothes, face, hands and breath
- Improved circulation
- Be less breatless when exercising
However, despite these known benefits, people have difficulty quitting their smoking habit. What stands in their way? |
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CIGARETTES AS TRANQUILLIZERS Clients and friends who come to me wishing to quit smoking admit that they use cigarettes to avoid, numb or suppress a variety of feelings that are uncomfortable. Some people use cigarettes to relax and calm down, some use them to give them an energy boost, while still others use them to feel safe or protected. When using EFT for smoking cessation, you need to investigate and address any underlying emotions that cause the person to reach for cigarettes. EFT can be aimed at feelings of loneliness, emptiness, rejection, anger, fear, etc. Once these underlying emotions are detected and treated with EFT, a person’s cravings to smoke and numb these feelings is reduced or eliminated. |
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WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS One of the biggest fears clients tell me about before we begin the quit smoking treatment is their fear of painful or uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms. I interpret withdrawal symptoms as the body’s way of expressing anxiety, physically or emotionally, about giving up the drugs and chemicals in cigarettes. The body literally craves the drugs and nicotine, and war stories from friends who have gone "cold turkey" abound. EFT can be used for each specific symptom as well as the fear of the future and what withdrawal may feel like. |
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FAVOURITE TIMES OF DAY TO SMOKE When people quit on their own, they fail to honor the intensity of physical and mental associations they have with cigarettes. These associations are so powerful that they can lead a person to sabotage and failure as early as the first few days of quitting. Classic associations that must be addressed and treated are (1) smoking while on the telephone, (2) smoking while in the car, (3) smoking after a meal, (4) smoking during stressful times, and (5) smoking before going to bed. All of these emotional links can be eliminated with EFT while stress in general is being neutralized. Ex-smokers feel quite confident that they can handle formerly difficult scenarios or times of day after learning the EFT procedure. |
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THE UPSIDE/DOWNSIDE QUESTION I always ask my clients two essential questions: What is the downside to quitting smoking? What is the upside of remaining a smoker? The answers to these two questions must be uncovered and treated in order for smokers to successfully quit. Examples of answers to question #1, What is the downside to quitting smoking, are as follows: "I won’t know what to do with my hands" "I need the cigarettes for my identity" "If I quit, I won’t know how to relax" "If I quit, I will have to achieve more" "If I quit, "they" will expect too much from me" "If I quit, I’ll probably gain weight" Examples to question #2, What is the upside of remaining a smoker are as follows: "If I remain a smoker, I can hide from others" "If I keep smoking, I will remain thin" "If I stay a smoker, I can get away from people when I smoke" "If I keep smoking, I can clear my mind on a regular basis" "If I keep smoking, I will be like my father/mother" "If I keep smoking, I’ll feel better" While there are some common issues all smokers and tobacco users need to confront, each smoker who comes to me has a unique set of concerns about quitting. Some fear loneliness, some fear weight gain, others fear isolation from smoking peers. |
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EFT can address all of the following problems smokers worry about: Immediate cravings, Withdrawal symptoms, Physical associations (smoking on the telephone), Relapse triggers, Fear of slowing metabolism, Fear of the future, Identification with other smokers, Identity issues in general.
I use hypnosis successfully for many smokers, and I have found that combining the treatment with EFT gives the client more control, empowerment, and an active tool they can pull out and use whenever they want.
It also gives them a more thorough understanding of why they smoke and why it had been such a struggle to quit. The additional benefit of the stress relief advantage of using EFT helps my clients feel better as they are in the process of quitting smoking. Weight gain is averted and withdrawal symptoms are minimal.
I offer two methods of becoming a non - smoker:
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