Some people assume they are addicted to cigarettes. They may fear weight gain, and consider smoking a more preferable alternative. It is not! When you smoke, you are taking in over 4,600 chemicals into your lungs, and some of them are cancerous. Others can cause other effects in the body. You may be interested to know that hypnotherapy ranks very highly as one of the most successful approaches to becoming a non-smoker. Patches and gum often do rather poorly, despite the marketing hype. The truth is that no matter what you may have been told about hypnosis, you cannot be made to do something you don’t really want to do. Some people ask me if I can make them stop: my answer is always the same; no. When people ask if I can help them stop, the answer is always the same; yes. People often believe themselves to be too weak to stop but they often surprise themselves when they find that becoming a non-smoker by using hypnosis is actually quite easy. All it takes is two things; You take responsibility for your own behavior and its consequences. You really wants to be a non-smoker - not just think that you should quit. It’s that simple. I do the rest, with your co-operation of course! Many smokers believe that smoking relaxes them; however cigarettes work in the same way as any other drug. When you first light up and inhale, the nicotine causes that rush you feel, caused by adrenaline in your body. Then you come down. Not having nicotine causes anxiety or cravings, so when the drug is taken (i.e. nicotine), that feeling is relieved. People are fooled because the nicotine has created the anxiety in the first place. It comes as a real surprise the learn that the actual physical withdrawal from nicotine can be handled relatively easily. But if this were the whole story then everybody would be using patches successfully. The biggest problems are psychological. For example associations may have been created and re-enforced by having a cigarette: after a meal (habit + alteration of digestive process) with alcohol (habit) with tea and coffee (habit) first thing in the morning etc. (habit + low nicotine blood levels) With a friend who also smokes (habit + bonding) There may also be associations with feelings such as when you are: bored stressed lonely upset angry People often associate being a smoker with: glamour (not so common now) sociability (not so common now) rebellion (much more common than you might think) having a reliable friend There can be underlying issues driving the habit such as: I want/deserve to die Smoking is my friend I can’t live without a cigarette I don’t have any other pleasures in life. I'm immune/It won't getme. and many many more... As a hypnotherapist these are just some of the issues which I help to resolve. In a smoking cessation session, you learn information about tobacco that you really don't know. Good information helps you to make the right choice - to become a non-smoker. You learn self-hypnosis for control, and experience several hypnotherapy techniques to make the change to being a non-smoker. The smoking cessation session is 2-1/2 hours. There is an entirely optional session of one hour a week latershould you need it. Most people do not. You learn controls and alternative behaviors to smoking. Hours are by appointment. For further information, call 301-947-5800. ...read more
By Marcia Proctor Hypnotherapy January 02, 2009
Growing interest in natural health, holistic health or alternative medicine, has resulted in healthcare education expanding to include training in natural health and nutrition. There are hundreds of accredited natural healing programs offered by colleges and universities around the world. Although pro... ...read more
Holistic health practitioners take a different approach to healing the body and mind than traditional western medical professionals do. In many cases you can benefit from seeing a holistic practitioner in addition to your regular doctor. Finding alternative therapists and practitioners isn't difficult. ...read more