Needless to say, we are in an extremely stressful time during this global health crisis.
The stress feels overwhelming at times. The stress is overwhelming at times.
In this blog post I want to concentrate on using the habit of smoking cigarettes for stress relief.
I received an email inquiry from a local man who wanted to stop smoking and believed that I might be able to help him with that.
In our phone consultation, he had told me that he smokes over a pack a day. He said, “It’s an addictive behavior.”
In our phone consultation, he also told me that, “The cost is a killer.”
At the beginning of his session, he was explaining to me that he was born and raised in the house he lives in. His parents both smoked in the house from the time they first bought it over 60 years ago. He further explained that he and his wife have smoked in the house since they first moved into it 20 years ago.
I asked why he would even consider quitting now. The coronavirus was making its way into CT, nonessential businesses were not shut down yet (they were the following week), the stress was beginning to mount.
He told me he needed to have a surgery. Not a life-threatening surgery but it certainly would make his life more comfortable. His doctor wouldn’t do the surgery until he was smoke-free for one full month prior to the surgery.
On this day he was thinking, the potential surgery would be postponed with the approaching crisis but much to my surprise he said, “Joann, I’m tired of smoking. I’m sick and tired of the shortness of breath. I’m afraid – if there was an emergency I wouldn’t even be able to run for my life.”
This is how things often unfold in a session. He was beginning to shed the layers of excuses he had given himself to remain in the habit which was literally overtaking his life.
He went from, having to quit for surgery to even if surgery wasn’t in the picture he wanted to stop the habit of cigarette smoking. He admitted he needed help in overcoming this habitual life pattern.
We both were fully confident that it was possible to stop the cigarette smoking habit with hypnosis.
He presented me with another surprise piece of information when he said, “My wife smokes in the bathroom. When I get out of bed in the morning, the first thing I have to do is use the bathroom and I am triggered when I smell the smoke, so I light a cigarette.”
And he continued to tell me that he believed he needed the habit of smoking because he was addicted to nicotine and he needed the habit of smoking because it enabled him to “take a break” and he couldn’t just stop.
We did a few rounds of tapping/EFT and I could see he was in a feel much better state so I suggested he close his eyes and allow the recliner to fully support him.
While in that nice brain wave pattern of focused relaxation – focused on my voice, relaxed in the recliner – we did a numbing sensation to all types of nicotine withdrawal. All types physically, mentally and emotionally.
In his mind’s eye, he saw himself cigarette free. Not only did he see himself cigarette free but we brought in all of the emotions of what being cigarette-free meant to him.
He found the whole experience to be “interesting” and he was surprised at how focused on my voice he really was.
One week later he sent me a text, “Hi Joann, I just wanted to update you on my progress following our session 1 week ago. I am still cigarette Free! Amazing considering the stress recently with the coronavirus and its effect on everyday stress.”
The truth is this man was amazing in that he realized all the cigarettes in the world would not give him the stress relief he really needed.
You don’t have to go it alone…
Call me (Joann Dunsing) @ 203-907-7710 for your complimentary phone consultation. Or click the button below and I’ll get back in touch with you as soon as possible.
