"For some reason, most of us never learned how to manage our emotional states & this has left us hanging out in areas of life that are not in keeping with what we want to experience. So....why can't we leave our hang-ups?".... Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht
I must confess, it would be easier to leave my wife than to stop smoking. What's confusing to me is that I love my wife & hate smoking, so why do I have this backwards?
Harry is a really nice guy with a great sense of humor, but his situation is far from funny. There is no butts about it, he has to stop smoking & if he continues to entertain thoughts like the one's above, it is going to be even more difficult for him. If you are following the blog you already know that we get what we think about. Words......either spoken or in the form of thoughts, program the mind. It doesn't matter that Harry is making light of his situation. The subconscious mind is actually impressed with the great fun emotion & so will etch these suggestions even deeper. The more he repeats this, the deeper the etching.
There are many different approaches to smoking cessation. It's important to keep in mind that smoking is both a physiological & emotional/behavioral challenge. All areas need to be addressed.
Smokers have an underlying "hyperinsulinemia". That means that the pancreas over-produces insulin & their is usually insulin resistance on the cell borders. What's interesting about this is that IF the individual who wants to stop smoking takes care of his/her nutrition, then the cravings for tobacco are minimized. This is the physiological part. Also, there are about 5,200 chemicals in a single cigarette.......and so, it's important to drink lots of water to rinse these out of the body.
As for behaviors/emotions/stress, Harry is going to need a good stress management program that includes deep relaxation, as well as techniques for emotional management. These are easy to learn & will keep him from falling back to old patterns.
Once the nutrition & stress management are in place, Harry needs some specific self-hypnotic images to stay in motivation. Knowing his history, I'll design both "away from", as well as "going towards" motivators. "Away from" means things that Harry doesn't want to experience. I'm going to hook him into some pretty fearful images & emotionalize them quite heavily. I'll also write & deliver some aversion therapy, most likely connecting the taste of the cigarette & the smell to something very toxic that Harry already has an aversion for. I'll also take him "towards" what he truly wants & allow him to feel the good health & the happiness of his wife & children, who will share & benefit from his success.
In addiction, everyone is different, even though the substance may be the same. That's why the spoken word needs to be written or expressed in such a way that individual idiosyncracies, needs & internal motivators can be addressed. I get around this in my writing & CD/mp3 design by having the individual inwardly choosing his/her own suggestions. I call this Interactive Self-Hypnosis.
"I've been a nail biter & cuticle picker forever. I don't remember starting or ever stopping. It's part of who I am. I'm ashamed of my fingers & can hide them quite well, but it's becoming more problematic now. What is truly frightening me is that I inflict heavy damage to my fingers without even feeling the pain. Is it possible for someone like me to gain control?"
I'm very moved by Sharon's story. I was a nail biter & cuticle picker myself & so I know about hiding, positioning fingers & even inflicting damage. Because pain sensors are dulled by the negative hypnotic trance of this habit, it can be quite amazing as to how much pain needs to be inflicted before one wakes up to it. Once awakening occurs, the pain can be felt & the individual's mind seems to have a program related to the timing of the awakening.
In the case of Sharon, we'll begin by reprogramming the awakening. Then, she will be ready to begin to stop the habit.
MIND EXERCISE
Sharon, you already know how to relax deeply into the moment. It's a common compulsion to want to rush ahead, but decide right now that you will break that habit as well. You'll be greatly rewarded in the future for taking this special time for yourself.
Bring your attention to the mind screen. Image or simply think yurself biting or picking. Don't turn away. This is simply in front of you & it is very important to look & observe. Notice there is a number up in the right hand corner with a dial sitting right next to it. The number corresponds to when your subconscious mind mind agrees to wake you up to what you are doing. You might also notice that the level self-destruction is also indicated. Play with the dial, first turnit it way up & then way down. There is a number that indicates less damage, but still allows biting or picking. There is also the digit called zero, indicating no biting, no picking & therefore no damage.
I'd like you to program the first number, the one that wakes you up earlier, the one with less damage, but still allowing the biting or picking. This is an excellent place to begin because it is here that you will begin to build your awareness. Noticing your image, allow it to relax deeper into the moment. Change the breathing....change the pace of the movement....if the fingers are in the mouth, remove them gently, placing them on your relaxed abdomen that is going slowly up & down. Allow the fingers to ride the abdomen, just as if they were sitting on a merry-go-round horse. If the you in the image is picking cuticles, or other areas, gently bring the fingers to the merry-go-round horse.
Sharon, as this program is etched over & over, you will soon find yourself ready to stop completely & then you will simply walk into the stopping room, finding that you enjoy being finished.
