[thechat] new topic - hypnosis

[Bob Davis]

Ok, since I'm beginning to feel a little sorry for bringing up the 
Silk thread (hey, I just like the way it tastes, think it's better 
for me than not drinking it) and don't really want to talk about 
olive oil (which I love and use all the time), I thought I'd bring up 
hypnosis.

I just went to my first session to help me quit smoking. I'm using 
the transdermal patches (NicoDerm) to stop the physical cravings (I 
still get nicotine, but none of the other crap) and I'm trying 
hypnosis to overcome the mental aspects of quitting.

Over the course of 17 years, I developed a number of habits around 
smoking that are hard to break. If I'm drinking, I want to smoke. 
After eating a meal, I want to smoke. Late at night, before I go to 
bed, I want to smoke. Etc., Etc..  It's not necessarily that there's 
a physical need for nicotine then, but the habit is there. Even with 
the patch, I still fell the tug at certain times of day just because 
that's when I would normally smoke.

Well, all bad things must come to an end.

I talked to my therapist about why I'm quitting, and and we talked 
about how it will all work. Then she brought me into hypnosis (which 
feels pretty cool, btw) and talked to me about all of the reasons I'm 
stopping, planting suggestions into my head as to why I'm doing it, 
what I should feel, what I can do instead of smoking, etc.

I have the highest hopes that it'll work. After trying more times 
than I can count, this is the first time I'm going at it with all of 
the tools I can.

For those of you who have never smoked, I can tell you that quitting 
is *very* hard. The drug itself is a monster, and the habits 
surrounding smoking are just as compelling. For those of you who 
smoke or did - you know, and I'm reminded again of just what I'm up 
against.

I feel like this combo (commitment and weapons) will work for me.

Have any of you tried hypnosis for anything?

Joe - have you got any insights on hypnosis and smoking? (healthy 
lungs is a subject near and dear to Joe, for those of you who might 
not know)

bob
-- 
bob davis
bobd at members.evolt.org
http://www.bobdavis.org/