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“Tobacco
Hypnosis” or "Cigarettes Are My Friend"
Practicing hypnotherapists hear many peculiar statements from
smokers asking for help to quit smoking. The idea that
cigarettes could be their "friend" is one of these. One
patient believed that he couldn't write music unless he was
smoking. Others have been convinced that they couldn't relax
unless they were inhaling tobacco smoke. Those people suffered
from what I have come to call “tobacco hypnosis.” That is,
they had convinced themselves that the effects of tobacco and
smoking were positive, and that they were receiving real
benefits from dragging on cancer sticks.
It's easy to understand how some of these "tobacco hypnosis"
beliefs come about.
For example, the notion that smoking is relaxing is based on
fact. Taking a deep breath and holding it for a few seconds
before exhaling does result in a relaxation response. The
response of the body to deep breathing is so strong that it
overrides the drug effects of the nicotine. Nicotine is an
addictive stimulant which increases muscle tension, raises
blood pressure, and restricts circulation.
By combining the addictive qualities of nicotine with the
power of suggestion of the mind, many people believe that
smoking is relaxing; therefore relaxation is experienced
through feeding of the addiction combined with the
psychosomatic effects of the mind's belief in the addiction.
The smoker relaxes while smoking because they believe that
smoking causes relaxation. The truth of this scenario is that
the smoker is only relieved by the fact that their body is no
longer starved of something which it never actually needed. If
the smoker had never touched a cigarette in their life, they
wouldn't ever experience the addiction, or withdrawal.
Beliefs in the ‘supposed’ relaxing properties of smoking make
it difficult for smokers to quit. After all, they're not just
putting down a bad habit; they're giving up a friend, or worse
yet, their ability to relax!
Of course, all humans have the ability to relax without
inhaling cigarette fumes, taking drugs, or a hot bath, but the
human body will always strive for pleasurable experiences,
which nicotine addiction can easily seem like.
However much some smokers may believe otherwise, we all have
the capacity to take a break, or a deep breath, or to change
our mood quickly with a smile, an expletive, or a good laugh.
A wide range of different activities can provide enjoyment and
relaxation and smoking happens to be one of them.
The job of the hypnotherapist is to help patients loosen or
blow out obstructing beliefs so that they can quit smoking
easily.
Humor works exceptionally well with the "Cigarettes are my
friend" scenario. By simply looking at the smoker quizzically,
and asking, "Do you pull out cigarettes and have long
conversations with them about all the things going on in your
life? Or, maybe you put a pack on the pillow next to you and
say 'Good night' before turning out the lights?" Usually, the
response is a surprised laugh, and a smiling “no.”
The notion that cigarettes are relaxing can be dismissed just
as quickly. Simply explaining the chemically stimulating
effects of nicotine, and then having the smoker take a deep
breath, hold for a few seconds, and then exhale as if blowing
out cigarette smoke always causes relaxation, all without a
single puff on a cigarette! Experiencing relaxation from a
deep breath is usually a strong indication to a smoker who
believed that they could only relax by smoking, that the
addiction is based only on a good feeling. Since, people
usually relax when going into a hypnotic state, as well; it's
easy for the hypnotherapist to have them memorize the feelings
for later reflection.
Perhaps the most difficult and oppressive belief for smokers
to give up is that cigarettes are "addictive". Are you
surprised that anyone could disagree, especially after all the
publicity surrounding the scientific research that has been
done on tobacco? From a hypnotherapist's point of view, the
word "addiction" means something different when applied to
tobacco, as opposed to addiction to narcotics like heroin.
Making that distinction is crucial in helping a smoker to
quit, because a smoker's belief in addiction can turn into a
self fulfilling prophesy of struggle and difficulty, hardly
the ideal mindset for successfully quitting.
So what is the difference between heroin and tobacco? Someone
addicted to heroin will go into withdrawal, feel sick and
experience physical cravings too strong to ignore on a regular
basis, say every 6 hours. Many heroin addicts have to wean
themselves off heroin through an intermediate narcotic,
commonly methadone.
Some smokers report no cravings or withdrawal for 8 hours at
work, because smoking is not allowed, although the first thing
they do upon finishing work for the day is to light up.
Others forget cigarettes for an hour or two at a movie or
church and no one seems to be awakened fifteen times a night
by nicotine withdrawal. Once awakened a smoker may indulge,
but it isn't the craving for a cigarette that wakes them up in
the first place.
A heroin addict does not sleep through withdrawal cravings, or
put off the next fix for a while just because it's
inconvenient. The truth is nicotine's chemical effect on the
brain is limited. Once you finish smoking a cigarette, the
nicotine level in the body instantly begins to drop. Within a
short space of time, approximately two weeks, most of the
nicotine and by products in the body will have been
metabolized. Yet, the smoker will still be addicted long after
this time.
A distinction must be made and this is a suitable analogy. If
a smoker is standing in freezing temperatures outside, in the
rain, smoking, is this a pleasurable experience? Probably not.
Whereas, is sitting down with a coffee and a cigarette first
thing in the morning an enjoyable experience? Most likely.
From this, we can see that the chemical addiction itself is
not the only force chaining users to nicotine. The main
addictive quality is the mental patterns and habits, along
with activities which work well with smoking. These activities
and habits set off triggers to smoking addictions.
This is not to downplay the difficulties that so many have had
in quitting cigarettes. Their struggles, including cravings
and unpleasant physical sensations, have been real, generated
by a combination of supporting beliefs, and nicotine. Changing
those beliefs is just one of the tools that hypnotherapists’
uses in helping smokers quit easily and for good.
Source:
http://www.smokerswebsite.net |
