With a couple of weeks of Lent still to go, how's the no smoking going? In this weeks Examiner, Eamonn offers tips on stopping smoking may give your will-power the boost it needs to see you through to Easter and beyond. You're doing great!! Keep going!!
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How Hypnosis can help give up smoking
I previously discussed giving up smoking in the Westmeath Topic. I discussed the likes of nicotine patches, E-cigarettes as well as prescription medication like Zyban to help give up. Our pharmacist can advise on these many options. As Lent is a traditional time people to give up smoking, this week I discuss the non-medical intervention Hypnosis which can help you successfully give up. Whelehans welcome Hypnotherapist Elizabeth Clarke to our team at Whelehans Pharmacy Pearse St, Mullingar. To find how hypnotherapy can help you quit or to book an appointment call Elizabeth on 083 4018552. Elizabeth has years of experience of helping people give up smoking through hypnosis
Three steps to giving up
The three steps to giving up smoking are 1. Preparing to stop 2. Stopping 3. Staying stopped. It can take up to three months to become a non-smoker, but it usually takes less time. The physical craving for a cigarette often disappears in less than a week, but the psychological craving can last longer.
Step 1 - Preparing to stop
It is important that you stop smoking because you want to. Think of the many benefits that you will gain by stopping smoking. Do not expect giving up smoking to be easy, remember that the first 3-4 days will be the most difficult. If you can, give up with a friend, or family member, who also wants to quit.
Some tips include: Set a specific date to give up and cut down on the number of cigarettes that you smoke before that date. Get the support of your family and friends to help you give up. Set yourself a reward for the end of your first day, first week, first month. Get rid of everything smoking related, such as cigarettes, ashtrays, and lighters, on the day before you give up.
Step 2 - Stopping
Your initial goal is to get through the first day without smoking. If you need to put something in your mouth, chew sugar-free gum, or something else that is healthy and non-fattening, such as fruit. If you need to do something with your hands, find something to fiddle with, such as a pencil, a coin, or a stress relief ball.
Step 3 - Staying stopped
Take it one day at a time. Think positively, remain determined, and reward yourself. At the beginning, it may help to change your normal routine, to avoid situations that you would normally associate with smoking. Avoiding alcohol for a while may also help. Most importantly, do not give up trying to quit, even if you fail the first time. Most people need several attempts at quitting long-term before they stop smoking completely.
How Hypnosis can help give up smoking?
Most smokers want to quit. So why don’t they? The main reason given is that they are addicted to nicotine”. This is the rationale behind Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) like nicotine patches or gum. However, if it was as simple as this, everyone who uses nicotine replacement therapy would stop smoking, but this is not the case. NRT is thought to double your chance of giving up but does not work for everyone.
Why nicotine replacement alone is not always enough to stop craving for cigarettes?
The emotions and feelings that people have regarding smoking are far stronger than just the physical addiction to nicotine. Cravings, nervousness other negative emotion are caused by the subconscious mind. Hypnosis has direct access to the subconscious mind and can change these feelings. Once these feelings are changed, quitting smoking can become easier.
What about willpower or logic?
Logically we all know that smoking is bad for us and will shorten our lives. However, knowing something logically does not necessarily change how we feel. When logic conflicts with feelings or emotions, logic will lose out in the long-term. Anyone trying to stop smoking will use willpower to a greater or lesser extent. They try to suppress or push down the emotions and feelings in the subconscious mind. While suppressing these emotions, it helps stay off cigarettes. However as soon as they stop suppressing these emotions the urge to smoke win leaving to relapse. Willpower is not designed for long-term change. It is important but not the tool needed by our mind. Hypnosis works by giving you subliminal messages to stop the habit meaning you receive “suggestions” only audible to your sub-conscious mind. Hypnosis uses the power of both parts of your mind, the conscious and the subconscious parts.
People Stop all the Time
Famous Hollywood actors and actresses such as Matt Damon, Charlize Theron and Ellen De Generes have all quit. Ellen De Generes quit live on TV after being hypnotised by Paul McKenna. Think for a moment, if it was as hard to quit as is made out then there would be a lot more smokers around. There are far less smokers around now than there were 10 years ago.
Hypnotherapy service at Whelehans Pharmacy
Hypnotherapist Elizabeth Clarke M.I.C.H.P is an experienced hypnotherapist (and an ex-smoker) operating from a private room at Whelehans Pharmacy Pearse St, Mullingar on Wednesdays and Saturdays starting April 3rd, 2019. To speak to Elizabeth or book an appointment call her on 083 4018552
Disclaimer: Hypnosis is not a medical treatment and Not meant as a substitute to medical assessment with your doctor or other health professional
Thanks to Elizabeth Clarke for help with this article. For comprehensive and free health advice and information call in to Whelehans, log on to www.whelehans.ie or dial 04493 34591 (Pearse St) or 04493 10266 (Clonmore). Find us on Facebook.