Becoming Smoke Free

You might think that saying ‘becoming Smoke Free’ is a strange way of saying quitting smoking, but in my world, words are important.

I’m a hypnotist and this is a popular time of year for people to come and see me about getting out of addictive behaviours and bad patterns – the will power is starting to wear thin, the new years resolutions are looking impossible and they are looking for a boost to help them to the ‘New Them’ they promised themselves on the First of January.

So why ‘Smoke Free’ instead of ‘Quitting Smoking’ or ‘Stopping Smoking’.

Well, the answer lies in the way we communicate with our subconscious mind.

Firstly let me explain a little about your subconscious.

Some people are sceptical about it’s existence. If you are one of them, ask yourself when you last thought about your hormone levels, about how fast your heart should be beating, about your oxygen saturation in your blood. Your subconscious (literally part of consciousness that is not currently in focal awareness) is always going about these and many other tasks that you never give a seconds conscious thought to.

Next I want you to think about a time when you’ve tried to change a habit or a thought process – for example trying to eat healthily. Your conscious mind knows that it a good decision to eat better, avoid junk food, drink more water. Your subconscious may not be on the same page and it wants sugar, fat, salt and lots of it, so whilst you ‘know’ that you shouldn’t eat the cake, part of your mind is arguing with you that it would be ‘Oh so nice to just have a little treat’. That internal argument is where the hypnotist comes in. Our job is to get your subconscious on the same page, to think the same way as your rational conscious mind.

Now there are some tricks to communicating with your subconscious.

To start with it really helps if you are hypnotised.

Then it’s about using the right language. Your subconscious works best when it communicates with images, sounds, smells, tastes, sensations and emotions.

Try to make your mouth water – go on give it a go.

If you just think about your mouth watering, there is very little chance anything will happen.

However, imagine with all the clarity you can that you have in front of you a big juicy lemon, and you cut that lemon into wedges. Smell the zesty citrus aroma. Imagine picking up one of those wedges, feeling the waxy yellow skin on you finger tips, seeing a drop of juice form on the edge. Think about what it would taste like if you put that into your mouth and bit into it.

Is you mouth watering now?

So comes to mind when you think about the word FREE?

Hopefully lots of positive images.

How about when you think of the word STOP or QUIT?

Maybe they’re not so good.

Another thing about our subconscious mind is that it’s not very good at following negative instructions, ones like stop, quit or don’t. For example what do you think of when I tell you ‘Don’t think about Pink Elephants’?

Hmmm

So that’s why when people come to me I don’t get them to Quit Smoking – I help them become Smoke Free Forever!

Talk Therapies is based in Coventry, England.

If you would like to become Smoke Free and would like a one to one appointment feel free to call me on 07429 749936 or check out the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/TalkTherapies