Smoking ~ Do you think you choose to smoke or what?

Today is National No Smoking Day! 

I'm sure for many smokers, they think . . . here we go again!
Everyone telling us about the harm smoking causes & why we should stop smoking.
Probably for some it's a day they forget to remember, as they are happy to continue enjoying those cigarettes and perhaps even think that it's their choice . . .
they choose to smoke . . .
or do they actually choose at all?

You see the thing about choice means YOU are in control, which also means you can take it or leave it. And if you can do that with your cigarettes, then yes you are in control of the choices you make ~ but for nearly all smokers, they are far from being IN control, in fact the habit, addiction and cigarettes control them. So what might start as a choice thing, something which you choose to do, then gradually as the addictive and habitual aspects of the cigarette and nicotine kick in, what actually happens is that you no longer choose to smoke . . . the cigarettes and nicotine are now controlling you . . . and your freedom of choice as to whether you can take it or leave it . . . has gone!
Because if you were totally in control, then if you wanted to stop, or choose to go without smoking for as long as YOU wanted to, then you would have that sense of indifference about your cigarette, something you could take or leave. . . maybe forget even, if you chose to.
But what most smokers find is the minute they think they can't have a cigarette or may have a time without them, those mind games start . . . they may have extra cigarettes (to top up) beforehand, so they don't miss out . . . or they may smoke like a chimney afterwards to make up for it . . . but what all will find is that they keep thinking about them . . . craving them . . . planning when or where the next one will be . . . etc etc and that cigarette has got control of you.

As a Cognitive Hypnotherapist, I'm fully aware of the struggles that smokers go through to stop smoking, the ups and downs, the highs and lows, the previous failures, the mental torture . . . and this is why actually having hypnosis can really support a smoker through the process of getting back into control, being more able to forget about cigarettes more and more, to overcome cravings, and learn others ways to relax and de-stress. Which helps to make the process of stopping smoking much more accessible and dare I say more comfortable (especially by helping to reduce the mood swings).

So to read more about it then see my link here on the benefits of hypnosis to stop smoking today ~

http://www.mindbodywellbeing.co.uk/Cognitive+Hypnotherapy-Kettering-Stopping+Smoking-22.php

Because ultimately we all want to feel like WE are in CONTROL of our lives and the choices we choose to make. . . don't we?

Quit Smoking For Good!

It's only the middle of January and already more than 20 people have told me they want to quit smoking. That it was their New Year resolution but already they are struggling. If they are not back on the tobacco already, they are eating more junk food or sweet stuff than ever before - literally replacing one undesirable habit with another!



I can totally understand why they'd want to give up. After all smoking is said to account for 90% of lung cancer deaths. What's more, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) states that tobacco smoking can also cause cancers of the following sites: upper aero-digestive tract (oral cavity, nasal cavity, nasal sinuses, pharynx, larynx and oesophagus), pancreas, stomach, liver, bladder, kidney, cervix, bowel, ovary (mucinous) and myeloid leukaemia.

It's also pretty anti-social these days, now it's banned in public places. And it's a jolly expensive habit to boot. So quitting (or rather stopping) would seem to make good sense, whether you're a seasoned smoker or a part-time puffer.

You wouldn't be alone in your quest to stop either. In a survey carried out last year for the Office of National Statistics, 66% of smokers said that they wanted to give up. Health concerns were the most commonly mentioned reasons for quitting, with 86% of people who wanted to give up mentioning at least one health reason. After health, the next most common reasons were costs (27%), family pressure (20%) and the effect on their children (15%). A similar picture to this year, I imagine.

So just how do you stop smoking, and not get addicted to something else?
Well, it's easier than you may think. At Sahasrara we deliver a highly effective programme around stopping smoking for our clients to achieve success. We help them explore the emotional reasons why they smoke and resolve these at cause. The programme teaches them how to overcome cravings and change habits for better more supportive ones for them. We use the power of suggestion to undo the desire to smoke and replace it with a desire to do something far healthier for them. And it's a really pleasant experience. In a trance state you get to relax in a way that you probably haven't done for a very long time. Plus you are more likely to enjoy a good night's sleep that evening too.

We also follow up on our clients, to make sure they have really kicked the habit once and for all. To our delight, over 90% of people tell us that they have and because the programme includes a follow-up session the rest conquer it then. The feedback we get is that they've not even had any craving to do so - quite the opposite in fact. And it doesn't matter whether they're immersed in a room with other smokers or not.

Now considering the cost of a stopping smoking programme of Hypnotherapy (often less than heavy smokers spend on cigarettes in one month), that is a good reason alone to try it?

So, if you'd like to quit smoking for good, just give us a call.
Or if you've a question you'd like to ask about the programme, just post a comment below.

Best Wishes
Edd