Helping others to stop smoking is deeply personal to me. Both of my parents had smoked for many years. I was with them through my father’s multiple heart attacks and triple bypass surgery, having to carry oxygen with him to be able to breathe, and his lung cancer. My mother also struggled and needed oxygen due to COPD. A few years ago, she also passed from lung cancer. While I have never smoked, helping a client to stop is very close to my heart.
We all know the health risks associated with smoking. There is an entire industry devoted to smoking cessation: pills, patches, vaping, and numerous others, all focused on breaking the habit. Hypnosis focuses not on the issue, but on the solution. For this reason, it is imperative that a client is quitting for themselves rather than others. Much like smoking, quitting is a choice but it’s a choice that needs commitment. Making yourself and your health a priority is the first step to successfully stop smoking.
Hypnosis also addresses any underlying stressors that may be hindering you from quitting. Often, individuals 
substitute one negative habit with another such as overeating. I also ask my clients ‘why now?’ Former smokers celebrate their non-smoking birthdays, there are stories and reasons behind these. Often it is making themselves and their health a top priority. I have yet to hear of anyone who wishes they hadn’t stopped.
Every time I work with a client to become a non-smoker, I know their life will forever be changed for the better.
As always, take care and be good to yourself!
Marie
October 2018