No more need for the weed
If you've given up giving up, hypnotherapy may be worth a try. And it's not as scary as it seems
Calm: hypnosis is similar to yoga in that body and mind become relaxed, explains Susan Wallace
If hypnosis is a journey, as my therapist suggested, mine looked like being one of the shortest. I volunteered to put myself through the rigours of hypnotherapy in a bid to give up cigarettes. Driving home from my session in Portlaoise, I was caught speeding outside the village of Stradbally.
On my return home I smoked a cigarette for each of the penalty points I had just earned.
So I was a complete failure, having given in at the first hurdle. Well, I have to admit -- as I did to Susan Wallace, the hypnotherapist -- this wasn't my first attempt to give up the weed.
I wouldn't say I was a typical smoker but many of the routes I tried will probably sound familiar. From hypnosis to the Allen Carr book, nicotine replacement to good old-fashioned willpower, I had tried everything. My problem wasn't giving up. It was staying cigarette free.
I associated smoking with the familiar. If I ever found myself in unfamiliar surroundings, such as a change of job or circumstances, cigarettes reminded me of the familiar.
I also have to admit, I used them to curb my appetite and my biggest fear was piling on the weight should I stop smoking.
First session
The day after the first session, Susan rang to see how I was doing. It was uncomfortable, to say the least, when I told her what had happened.
"There's something I always ask my clients, which I think I might have forgotten to ask you, but do you actually want to stop smoking?" she enquired.
"Hypnosis isn't a magic wand. You have to want to stop and it does take a commitment on your part."
A simple truth and realisation dawned that it was up to me. I wanted all the benefits of not smoking with the minimum amount of effort. I agreed to go back and see Susan again the following week. I smoked throughout the interim and chain-smoked on my way to the session.
A common response when you tell people you're considering hypnosis is: "I don't want anyone messing with my head" or "I don't think I'd like to lose control to someone else".
Hypnosis isn't like this. For anyone who's ever tried yoga or deep relaxation, it's not a whole lot different. The process simply puts you in a relaxed mood where you're more open to the power of suggestion. This was my layman's understanding of the process and Susan agreed.
Susan is a consultant hypnotherapist and a founder member of the Irish Hynotherapy Association, established to raise the standards of hypnotherapy training and practice in Ireland. She also lectures on the association's foundation and diploma courses in Clinical Hypnotherapy.
"While you were hypnotised, positive suggestions were implanted in the deepest part of your mind, that part that does not think but just reacts," she explained.
"Even though you remained alert, my words penetrated through your conscious distracting mind into the inner reaches of your unconscious.
"These words have set in motion new patterns of behaviour and new habits to live a life free from smoking and free from nicotine cravings."
However, Susan emphasises that in order for hypnosis to be successful, the client must maintain their conscious commitment to quitting over the coming weeks.
This involves doing the homework. Susan records her own voice reaffirming the positive suggestions made during the hypnotherapy session. The client listens to this every day for the next 21 days, but never while driving. She also teaches techniques in self hypnosis.
A lot of people stop after one session, Susan claims, but she likes to follow up with a number of phone calls and emails over the following weeks. She is also an advocate of telephone hypnosis, especially if a client is experiencing a moment of weakness and needs that extra boost.
Unique habits
"Quitting smoking is ultimately your decision," she says. "You will stop because you want to stop. Hypnosis will not make you do it; it will only help you follow through on what is ultimately your decision.
"There are many different kinds of smokers and each one has a unique smoking habit. Some people come to me because they believe they cannot quit alone. Others come because they can quit but they feel that they cannot go the distance and worry that future events will trigger a smoking reaction.
"Others feel that their addiction to nicotine is so strong that they are frightened of coping without the crutch they have grown dependent on. Others still have quit time and time again only to relapse, and are unsure of why this is. With each kind of smoker I must decide on what will be the best course of action to ensure they get what they want," she said.
Susan maintained that despite my relapse, the positive suggestions and commands were still lodged in my unconscious mind, awaiting the time that I was ready to consciously put them into action.
"Willpower makes the decision to quit in the conscious mind but it's the unconscious mind that has the ability to follow through on what it is you truly want to achieve," she said.
As to what you can expect to feel during the session, Susan explains: "It's a very subjective experience. For most people it feels like deep relaxation.
"Some people feel it's incredibly profound, but for others it isn't. The worst that can happen is that you'll drop into sleep."
I returned one week later and had that second session. The programming was very targeted, as I mentioned to her that I did not want to replace one bad habit with another and substitute food for cigarettes.
Coming out I felt more in control, and more responsible, probably due to Susan telling me off the previous week for thinking hypnosis was going to work on its own without any input from me.
Decision time
And did it work? Well, eight weeks later and I'm still smoke free and I haven't found it a huge strain so far. Mind you, I've been here before. However, I know from experience the danger signs but I think I've probably changed my attitude.
I don't want to be a smoker for a million different reasons but I don't expect that I will never again experience a craving to smoke.
Ultimately, it's my decision and I've made up my mind that I don't want to smoke cigarettes. However, should I fall off the wagon again I know where I can go for help and I wouldn't hesitate to do so.
- Majella O'Sullivan
