I did not want to focus too much on Louise wanting to give up smoking ‘ to start a family ’ since there was no guarantee she would get pregnant straight away or at all, I wanted to focus on living a healthier lifestyle and more helpful ways of thinking which was something she had identified as important to her in our conversation the previous evening. I wanted to break up the ‘ work ’ aspect of the session with relaxation exercises and demonstrations to keep it fresh. I had several scripts ready to use which I had personalised for Louise and in some instances wanted to read directly from to make sure that I said exactly what I had planned to say. The office was bright and cool as I wanted Louise to feel that it was a working environment – we could close the blinds later for any relaxation and hypnosis if required.
I wanted to focus Louise’s language from the start of the session to ‘when I used to smoke / now I’m a non-smoker ’ rather than ‘ smoking makes me feel ……smoking gives me a break ’ to reinforce the decision she had made.
I had collected about 30 stones of various shapes and sizes and placed them in a nice flat box – so that they could almost all be seen at once.
I reminded myself to make sure that Louise realised the session was a team effort – she had to do some of the work to achieve her desired outcome – hypnosis ( ie me / the therapist ) alone would not magically do it for her.
The Session –
Louise arrived on time and was keen to tell me that she had not smoked as many cigarettes since we spoke and that she had not had one this morning. I congratulated her from now – today – on being a ‘ new’ non-smoker and was keen to move the focus of her attention from all about giving up smoking to instead living a healthier lifestyle which happened to include as one of its components no longer choosing to smoke thus diminishing the issue.
I asked if she would like a glass of water ( healthy option as opposed to coffee/ tea ) which she happily accepted. I gave it to her in a clean clear glass which I hoped would subliminally suggest health and ‘flushing out of toxins ’ and had a glass myself. Given that we had already discussed the information provided on Louise’s client intake form and smoking questionnaire and given that there were no contra indications I merely repeated what I had said on the telephone the previous evening that we would start the work immediately. I ran through the format of the session – some tasks, some breathing exercises, some breaking down of ideas ( I said that she was going to have one of her ‘ Best Days In Court – she’s a lawyer – today ’ which amused her ) and then some relaxation and hypnosis. I asked her if she had any questions however she was fine and keen to get started – she did notice the Body Browser on my computer screen and asked what it was. I asked ‘ did she want to have a look ? ’ to which she said yes and leant forward. I clicked all the various layers intentionally slowly down and did not talk to Louise at all until it got to the parasympathetic and the sympathetic nervous systems and then I smiled and said that’s where all the trouble starts – that’s where our work focuses ’ ( instincts / flight or fight response ) then continued down to the skeleton. I noticed that she was really connecting with it as she was leaning towards the screen so that she could see the images more closely – there were a lot of ‘ wow – that’s amazing ’comments. I was confident that the programme had had the desired effect and said I too liked the programme – the human body is an incredible thing.
I wanted to focus Louise’s attention into my office and onto work so asked Louise to sit back and make herself comfortable. I said that I would like to show her ( if she was happy to go ahead ) how powerful her mind was ‘ and we hardly use any of it at all ’ by doing a short relaxation exercise which she completed easily.
Louise re-orientated well and was relaxed and commented immediately on the exercise. I did not want to overload her since she was doing very well all by herself and agreed with her that it is important to realise the mind is a wonderful resource that we/she can use to great effect whenever we desire.
I then lifted my box of stones from the floor and placed them on my desk infront of both of us and proceeded to work through one of my favourite tasks with Louise which is absorbing and different with everyone. It provokes thought and language and looks at the bigger picture of life around the client’s presenting symptom – in this case Louise’s smoking habit. The exercise encourages the client to look in all areas of their lives past, present and future and connect anything they find with the therapy session. There are no right and wrong answers and anything that ‘pops up’ in the client’s mind is relevant – it is always fascinating.
Louise was animated and she began to share that she really wanted promotion to enable her to work in her chosen preferred area of interest. We talked about her job and her friends and her boss and also her hobbies and interests until she had broadened her focus sufficiently.
I then asked her to keep the stones in her hands one of which she obviously had become quite attached to and I put the box back down on the floor. I then proceeded relax Louise and induce her into hypnosis followed by a script and story that I had written for her specifically which focussed on how wonderful the body is, like the best chemistry set you have ever had, and how the body can repair itself and how we can aid in that process with special focus also on what effect smoking has on the body ( using some of Louise’s own words and research that she had shared with me the evening before on the telephone and written using auditory and visual language ) and how beneficial stopping smoking was not just for Louise’s body but also for the people who loved and cared for her around her ( and yet to come ).
I add here some extracts from the hypnotherapy script :
‘…………..if you think you want a cigarette in the future you actually do not want a cigarette at all………you are merely experiencing association……..a subconscious trigger will ensure that you instantly do your breathing exercises and the need to have a cigarette will go away in a matter of seconds…..you are now fully prepared and can use your breathing exercises whenever you need to …………’
‘………….so let me tell you something that I know you will understand……let me tell you something about Repair that I know you will be interested in today…….. The modern technique of using radioisotope allows us to trace the chemicals that enter ….and leave….…… the body and demonstrates that 98% of the atoms of the entire body are replaced every year…..each structure of the body has its own rate of reformation……..the lining of the stomach renews itself in one week……the skin is entirely replaced in one month…….the liver is regenerated within six weeks…………some tissues are relatively slow to turn over for example the supporting tissue of the body called collagen …..the bone on the other hand is specially dynamic…………our body is constantly dissolving and renewing itself………we all know that in the next five years we will have completely renewed our hair and our nails but did you that in five years time not a single atom of your present body will be here and that five years ago you didn’t exist ?…………’
‘………….gaseous exchange takes place between the air in the alveoli and the blood in the capillaries and ideally there should be a match between the amount of blood flowing through the capillaries and oxygen brought to the alveoli by breathing………remember…….breath is life…….however sometimes mismatches occur………….. or let’s call them ‘ inefficiencies ’ ………..serious inefficiencies occur if the alveoli are injured by smoking………most people have about 3million alveoli in their lungs……….slow destruction of the alveoli continues for years and it is only when their numbers are drastically reduced that the person may feel short of breath ………carbon-monoxide which is present in cigarette smoke and exhaust fumes ……….is known to decrease the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood……’
‘……….and you can see your mother and father there………be with them now….they may be looking directly at you and talking directly to you…..can you hear what they are saying………..see what they see……looking directly at you…….so proud that you have made this decision………..’
Louise orientated slowly and her eyes were a bit teary – she took a while just to ‘ find herself ’ so I offered her drink which she took. She said the imagery had been very powerful indeed and she had seen her mother and father standing on a beach together looking directly at her and smiling – like it was real.
I suggested we swop chairs for fun ( and to keep the session fresh and her alert as the content of the session was intense ). I then said I was going to show her something that she could use for most situations she may find herself in and also to review past situations. An exercise she could use at any time without anyone knowing she was doing anything at all. I gave her a green marker pen and then asked her to write
‘ Louise’s Courtroom ’ along the top of my notice board. I asked if she ever thought things through in her mind / heard ( auditory ) herself talking to herself in her head and so on which she freely agreed that she did – often, she ‘ woke up’ thinking about things in her head. I suggested we try an exercise that identifies if it is just one voice in her mind or several and if there are several ‘ who are they, what do they say and what do they want / how do they say what they say and so on .’ I suggested we put an imaginary situation in the middle of the board – I wrote ‘ work mate off work again / Louise having to do their workload, again .’ I asked her what she would think about that and we wrote down her ideas eg. sceptical because she was often off ‘ ill’ / cross because it was always Louise who had to do the extra work / under pressure as she already had work that had to be completed the same day as this additional work etc etc. The board became very full very quickly with all sorts of comments and thoughts. We identified four of five characters that operated in her mind for example a Victim and worked with their ‘voices’ for a while.
Louise really grasped the concept and we threw in another situation for fun. I introduced her to The Princess in her head. The little voice that also tells us / makes us feel like we ‘ deserved / we are entitled ’ to something, like to that car parking space someone has just nipped in front of us to take.
And also the Saboteur who reminds you have lost three kilos ( knows your weaknesses ) and pretends to be your friend and ‘pats you on the back and encourages you to eat the chocolate as a reward for all your hard work. ’
‘ Craftier than a barrel of monkeys and more dangerous than a rattlesnake is the true nature of that friendly enemy ! ‘
I suggested that Louise watch out for him / her over the next few days – (s)he’ll be the one trying to sabotage Louise’s new non-smoker status. I said if Louise heard his / her voice then ‘ put her in the witness stand / cross examine her / and send her down for life imprisonment ! ’ She liked the idea of the Courtroom in her mind ( she is a lawyer ) and the effect of dissociating herself from the voices in her mind and using the exercise to break down situations. She could do it anywhere on a piece of paper or simply in her own mind.
Once Louise had grasped this concept I referred back to our telephone conversation when she had stated she did not think she was addicted to smoking but more that it was a habit. I was sufficiently convinced that she would not be looking to ‘blame’ a third party ( ie addiction ) for her smoking and had decided to discuss instinct and belief systems to help her understand why smoking had become a habit and in understanding that how she herself could stop it effectively.
I explained that the human body is a wonderful miracle of engineering – remember the body browser when you came in on my computer screen ? Each and every part of its function is controlled and regulated by the subconscious without any conscious consideration. Our heart pumps oxygenated blood round our body. The liver, kidneys, the brain, every cell, each molecule is monitored and regulated precisely without pause. The chemical balance of the organism is precise and specific and it is part of the function of the subconscious to ensure that the correct chemical constitution is maintained.
When the first cigarette smoke is introduced the chemical balance is placed in jeopardy and so those defence mechanisms are activated to protect the integrity of that delicate balance, but the young person is so determined to be one of the gang ( as Louise had answered in her smoking questionnaire ‘ I started smoking to be more adult ’ ) that she continues the assault on her defences so that the subconscious programming becomes corrupted and begins to accept the new chemicals being introduced as necessary for survival.
The subconscious has become fooled into a belief that it must ensure that the nicotine supply is maintained and a new ‘part’ of a persons survival programming is created, its sole purpose is to do everything necessary to ensure that supply….there is a school of thought that considers it far better to give up smoking gradually however I cannot agreed with this at all for this just prolongs the discomfort. If the subconscious smoker is getting less than it needs then it will increase its demands as the levels of nicotine decrease.
Smoking is a maladaptive coping strategy since whatever caused you to smoke in the past ( I wanted to use language that reinforced that Louise had given up smoking already ) will still be there to be dealt with after the cigarette is finished.
It is the deep breath in that used to give you the buzz when you used to smoke not the cigarette – and the association with having a break from work / a chat with friends / a quiet mind for a while ( the parasympathetic nervous system ) etc. Your Saboteur who is not your friend at all used to whisper in your ear constantly ( auditory language for Louise ) that you used to need a cigarette to get that buzz / chat / relaxation whereas you now know that it isn’t true – any perceived cravings are actually only associations.
There are no benefits to smoking.
You can still have a break and chat with friends – listen to Louise not the voices – and breathe in clean fresh repairing air instead from now on.
We visualised together what Louise would do and say and feel in situations where she was now a new non –smoker and may be offered a cigarette and reinforced the images with breathing exercises from the beginning of the session as a reminder of how powerful her mind is.
I suggested to Louise that in the same way the voices in her mind were ‘ not her’ and that she could choose to listen or not listen to them ( thanks but no thanks ), she could apply the same technique to her belief systems some of which she had been relying on for some time either to keep her safe or because it just took too much energy to change them.
Sometimes belief systems just needed a little bit of updating rather than the energy of drastic change – and Louise could now put any belief / habit / event etc ‘ in the dock ’ and talk it through with her ‘characters in her imaginary courtroom’ and then make her own decision. I shared with her an analogy I particularly like :
In Aikido ( martial art ) the aim of the opponent is not to block and fight back ( as in traditional boxing ) but rather to look for the fist that is coming towards them, clasp the wrist of their opponent and using the force of their opponents forward motion pull their wrist forwards as if it was continuing its line and overbalance them onto the floor
– overbalance your belief systems and update them by shaking them up as opposed to stopping them dead in their tracks. And thank them for their help so far – they are only trying to keep you safe in their own way.
I suggested to Louise that whilst all these exercises could be a lot of fun and be helpful and thought provoking they were active and required her to do the work – she had to practise becoming aware of what was hooking her attention – and then ‘place it in the dock and work it through until she was happy with her own verdict ’ if nothing else, just to stop and think rather than instinctively reacting.
Louise had to realise that she was going to go through a very active process over the next couple of days / weeks and that the areas of her life affected would not just be smoking – she could apply the exercises to anything in her daily life. We discussed at length the process of moving from -
unconscious incompetence – not being aware of what you need to know
to conscious incompetence - being aware that you don’t know it
to conscious competence – being aware of what you know
and finally unconscious competence – do things without thinking eg. driving a car / riding a bike etc
– I suggested that she think of the process as ‘piling up the evidence for the defence ’ with the winner not just being Louise herself first and foremost but also for example her Mum and Dad ( who she ‘saw’ during the relaxation exercise earlier ) and this afternoon the children’s ward of the local hospital ( who she had told me she was donating a some of money to from the amount she intended to save from giving up smoking ).
We had worked extremely hard and Louise had responded well however I had foreseen that she ( and I ) would need a break before final relaxation and hypnosis so having confirmed she had no further questions I suggested we take a break. We took the stones that Louise had selected into the walled garden outside my office and enjoyed a break and did a bit of work with them which was quite profound.
‘ We are who we are today because of who we have been in the past………’
‘ If you choose the path of freedom then know that the only person to trust is yourself.
Know that from now on, your happiness is always your responsibility, and your happiness is the result of your own judgement.
Know that once you have left the domain of powerlessness, returning is no longer a viable option for you, and choosing it will only hold you back.
Know that your choice of freedom was meant to be, and that you wouldn’t be able to make that choice if you weren’t ready.
Know that you will be leaving your comfort zone behind, but will be entering the realm of endless possibility.
Know that perseverance is the short cut, and trust is the inescapable consequence of unshakeable resolve.’ – courtesy of John Glanville.
We then went back inside and I relaxed Louise for her final hypnosis which utilized many things she had personally told me, research she had done, words she had used and imagery she had shared with me woven into a smoking cessation script. I have included some extracts as follows :
‘……..breathing in new life force…..and breathing out relaxation because you know Louise that breath is life ….and every time you take a deep breath in you are taking oxygen into your lungs and into your bloodstream……from the moment you came into my office today you were a free-breather…….your body is repairing itself right now….your heart…..your kidneys…….your skin……your lungs…..do you remember learning about your lungs ?……..those tiny tubes in your lungs called bronchioles each of which ends in a series of tiny sacs with very thin delicate walls called alveoli that require such a fine balance so that the oxygen and gases can flow freely……you are a free breather from today…….with every breath in…..and out……you are repairing …….renewing…..bringing balance where there was imbalance…….bringing efficiency where there was inefficiency……..and you told me that you read if you were to extract the nicotine from one cigarette and inject it directly into a vein you would be dead in seconds…..there is enough in one cigarette to kill a horse….and you told me that shocked you………and you also told me that a single cigarette contains nicotine and tar and ammonia and benzo-pyrene and carbon-monoxide and arsenic and cyanide………..and yet people still smoke…….would you swim in an area where there is a sign clearly warning you there are strong currents…….you told me when you really thought about what you knew was contained in cigarettes and the damage they did it was ‘ clear as a bell ’ ( clients own words ) to you that you are not going to smoke anymore………you told me smoking helped you relax…now I invite you to review and to question that statement in the light of the knowledge that the heart is working so much harder every time you take cigarette smoke into your lungs…..you introduce into your body in excess of four thousand different chemical compounds, many of them deadly poisons…….your body reacts to these lethal poisons in the same way as when it is subjected to terror…..the automatic response we know as the flight or flight response is activated……your sympathetic nervous system…….adrenaline production is elevated……respiration increases…..blood pressure increases as the body prepares to fight …..or to run away from danger……the toxins are being absorbed into the tissues of your body……’
‘……..Does this sound like relaxation ?’
‘….….tissue which does not receive enough oxygen …..dies….as arteries become constricted and blocked….ask yourself right now Louise is this for you ?’
‘………..perhaps you can agree with me that one very good reason for quitting this disgusting habit is that through your excellent example you may influence someone younger against taking up the habit….I know that you are hoping to start a family and that this afternoon you are going to the Children’s Ward of the hospital to donate some of the money you will save to them ….just think how much you could achieve if just one person was prevented from taking up the habit….think of all the misery and the pain that could be prevented…………’
‘ …… to look out at people important to you ….to hear what they were saying …listen to their voices….……and you told me that you could see your mum and dad standing looking at you…….so proud of their only daughter ….their only child……..a lawyer now…..all grown up……..and did you know Louise that when we are a child we believe things and rely on them to keep us safe…..and sometimes we believe things when we are young will make us look all grown up……..you told me you started smoking because it made you feel like an adult……..all grow-ing up……..but you realise now that you no longer need or want to smoke because you are all grown up now……’
‘……..and do you remember your Courtroom Louise …..Louise’s ‘ Best ever day in Court yet ’…….well maybe there is a Doctor giving evidence today……strong conclusive evidence……and he tells everyone here listening …….slowly in his clear educated voice that -
when you stop smoking within twenty minutes your blood pressure and pulse rate drop to normal and the body temperature of your hands and feet increases to normal…….
within eight hours the carbon-monoxide level in your blood drops to normal and the oxygen level in your blood increases to normal……….
within twenty four hours your chance of having a heart attack decreases and within forty-eight hours your nerve endings start to grow and your sense of smell and taste improve……..
and he knows everyone in court is listening intensely and he continues…….
within five days your bronchial tubes ( those fine tubes in your lungs that we learned about today ) begin to relax and you can breath more easily and your lung capacity increases which means you can do more physical activity more easily………
within three months your circulation improves and your lung function increases by up to thirty per cent…..the cilia ( those tiny hairs in your lungs that protect you from infection ) re-grow thus increasing your ability to clean out your lungs and to reduce infection ……..
At five years the lung cancer death rate drops and at ten years it drops to that of non-smokers……pre-cancerous cells are replaced………’
[ extracts only – this is not the entire script ]
After we had finished the hypnosis Louise re-orientated well and we discussed the session. I said that she got a ‘going away goody bag’ from me which included a cd of some hypnosis recordings of mine and I said I would post a cd copy of our session to her that day so she had it for reference. And that I would email her a link to the Google Body Browser she had enjoyed. I said she could keep the stone she had become quite attached to ‘maybe in her pocket at work as a reminder ’ and encouraged her to practise the breathing exercises especially over the next 2-3 days.
I then gave her a bottle of mineral water and suggested she drink plenty of water during the next few days to flush out the toxins. I also gave her a green ‘P’ plate ( like new drivers place on their cars sometimes to indicate to people they have recently passed their test ). I said I would ring her on Sunday evening to see how she had gone on and at that point I knew she would be able to throw away the green ‘P’ plate – she would not be a new non-smoker anymore she would be a qualified non-smoker ! If she didn’t mind I would also like to contact her in one month for some feedback for my own professional purposes. I added that she was welcome to contact me at any time and that her session included two follow ups of anything of her choice ( not smoking cessation since she had already stopped – although dealing with cravings / associations / healthy living / anchoring / stress / anxiety etc would be fine ).
I congratulated her on a job well done and wished her luck at the hospital that afternoon.
END