I can officially and truthfully claim that I am 30 whole days 1 year and 28 days, totally smoke free!!! For anyone who is, or has, also celebrated this kind of milestone you’ll know just how exciting this is 😉
What have I noticed?
The main thing has been just how many people out there are still smoking and how easy it is to pick them out of a crowd! Wow, I never realized just how obvious it is that someone smokes until I had a “smeller” that could tell the difference! I don’t say that to belittle anyone though – it’s just something that really stood out to me because I’d never actually considered it before. One of the suggestions I used that would allow me to recognize the smell of cigarettes around me and that I would not like the smell of cigarettes any longer … seems to have worked beautifully for me!
Weight Gain? Nope so far so good!
…Oh all right! So the jeans are getting just a little more filled out but that’s ok. You normally will see about a 4-6 pound weight gain over the first few months simply because the metabolism slows down. No need to panic! Although I have a little craving now and then for something sweet overall I haven’t felt the need to replace cigarettes with food – but then again, I have to refer to the hypnosis and credit it for the fact that I chose to use things like water as my replacement. However, I have to say that I haven’t really had any problems with actually even wanting cigarettes so haven’t found this to be a big issue at all.
Was it really easy to quit using hypnosis?
Honestly, easy is actually not the right word to use – but fall of a log simple is a mouth full and easy…well that’s the easiest way to describe quitting smoking using hypnosis.
Now, that said, I have to really be honest here when I say that a few years ago when I first learned that a friend had gone to a hypnotist to quit smoking I sort of considered that along the same lines as acupuncture – frankly I didn’t believe in either method as a successful way to quit smoking. Actually, I’d known a teacher when I was attending college who had used acupuncture to quit smoking only to return to smoking about a week later and all she had to say about that procedure was it was expensive and didn’t work.
Hypnosis however does indeed work! It is probably one of the most effect methods of quitting smoking that anyone could ever utilize. Of course, that isn’t to say that I wasn’t just a little apprehensive my first few days – after all the training I’ve been undertaking isn’t cheap and I was already into it deeply enough that I knew this was something I really wanted to do but if I couldn’t even help myself with anything – was I really going to be a good candidate to help others? I had figured that stopping smoking would be one of the biggest challenges I could use hypnosis for and I also figured that if I could successfully quit smoking by using hypnosis myself, then I could successfully help others do the same thing. As each day passed after hypnotizing myself had been completed and my ability to literally toss cigarettes out of my life and mind with no effort at all continued and seemed to build daily and grow stronger, I realized that I’d not only found a calling but I’d found something that I could believe in 110% if not more! I was now a walking testament to the fact that hypnosis does work and I proved to myself that I could indeed be an effective hypnotherapist for others. I was and continue to be thrilled!
Cravings? Nope!
It’s very rarely that I’ll even remember I use to smoke – I know that sounds a little odd but most of my days since quitting have been filled with many things but none of them have had to do with cravings. I can be around people who smoke, I can drink coffee, I can sit at my laptop and all of these things do absolutely nothing to trigger any cravings or desires for a cigarette! I think I have had one day about 4 days after I’d completed my hypnosis session when I unintentionally sat down at my laptop and went to grab a cigarette from a pack of cigarettes that I didn’t even have! I realized what I was doing when there was no cigarette pack to pick up and it actually felt great to laugh about that bit of remaining ingrained habit that was still lurking because the action hadn’t triggered any desire to smoke – it had simply been an action that I use to do and it held no connection for me any longer.
**For those who might wonder why you have craved sugar or sweets after quitting smoking – sugar is one of the ingredients in most cigarettes. When you smoked you were getting a small hit of sugar every time. Your body has become use to this “hit” and thus, when you quit, it still looks for it.**
I know my sub-conscious is working…
One night about a week and a half ago I had a dream – I was in a room filled with friends and acquaintances as well as people I didn’t know. My husband who had quit the same time I did, was there with me. Someone walked up to my husband and offered him a cigarette which to my astonishment he took! When he offered the cigarette to me I looked at him, and with conviction I said, “Thanks but I’m a non-smoker!”
When I woke the next morning I recalled the dream and I was able to recognize that my sub-conscious had indeed accepted my status as a non-smoker as a known and valid belief. The dream confirms for me that a fear I had that I would possibly not be able to successfully help myself quit was something I needn’t worry about any longer. My sub-conscious proved this by processing this dream in which I was tempted and was able to resist…I knew from that moment on my ability to remain a non-smoker is not a question any longer.
Just what I needed…
So, why am I so thrilled about the fact that hypnosis worked well for me? Well, what better way to be able to provide therapy for clients than by being able to also be a walking testament to the fact that something works? While I was still a smoker I had difficulty in telling people I was able to assist them to quit smoking when in fact I was still a smoker. There’s nothing more hypocritical than someone who tells others they can help them do something yet in reality, they don’t seem to be able to even help themselves!
So, I had to work on that before I could or would allow myself to be comfortable enough to tell others I could indeed help them to quit smoking! When I decided to perform hypnosis on myself I hadn’t given myself much time to really absorb the idea that I was going to quit. Instead I found myself listening to the directions I wanted my sub-conscious to grasp and to be honest, I also found myself testing myself at times…was I really able to do this? Was I actually a non-smoker thanks to hypnosis?
Indeed I was!! Now, I am a thousand times more confident to assist clients to quit smoking simply because I can actually relay my story to them and offer them the additional support of someone who has been where they are and who has a success story to relay to them.
It’s a great feeling to know that I can assist others who are motivated to quit smoking and help them do so easily and without any medications, added expense of patches or gum or anything other than their own belief in themselves and their desire to be smoke free. It’s an amazing feeling to know that when done with the client in mind and customized properly to the persons needs, personality, beliefs and motivation – hypnosis can be a magnificent tool that can create so many powerful, motivating, successful changes for a person!! I have to say that the money I have spent to become a certified Hypnotherapist is most definitely the best money I have ever spent!
I’m sorry but I just had to brag….I AM smoke FREE!!!! …. and yes indeed, I’m squealing! Now, I’m busy putting together a Smoking Cessation program which includes customized hypnosis. I’m looking forward to launching that shortly and can’t wait to have others squealing along with me when they too are finally successfully kicking the habit!
Enjoy your day and thanks for reading!
Lex
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Where to begin! I'm just your average (ADD afflicted creative, all over the map kind of gal with each of my fingers and toes dipped into something different. I write, draw, paint, sculpt, airbrush, bead, knit and sometimes sew (although rarely, even though I have a brand new sewing machine) my way through usually blissful days.
Lexxia in Beta Mode 