Will Hypnotherapy Make Me Cluck Like A Chicken?
Or, more eloquently asked, is your Smoking/Eating/other a habit or a symptom of stress?
I am asked so often, “Will Hypnotherapy make me Cluck like a chicken?”. The answer is NO! But if we are going to talk about chickens, my first question is why are they the subject of so much discussion? Whether they are crossing the road, clucking, or coming first before their egg? For purposes of our discussion and this blog, we are not concerned about the chicken or her egg. We are concerned about whether you are you smoking because you are stressed? Or are you stressed because you are smoking? In other words, is your smoking a symptom of your stress, or the cause? What did come first, the chicken or the egg?:)
I chose to get into Hypnotherapy to help people manage their stress. I learned that Stress Kills, and I decided I could spend my energy helping people get out of their own way. Very soon into my journey, I faced a new reality. People don’t necessarily even know they are stressed. And sometimes the symptoms of their stress are stressing them out. Confused? So was I. Confused enough to grab a cigarette or a bag of chocolate chip cookies to help you feel better? If you answered “YES”, you have lots in common with many of my clients. And how do you feel after that smoke or binge? Better? Or are you now stressed because you had been “doing so well, and then…..”. Yep, same story.
Like most people I have asked when I meet with groups for Hypnotherapy sessions, or when I give presentations, I thought I knew the symptoms of stress.
1. Rapid heart rate? For sure.
2. GI problems including all the awful ones that we don’t like to talk about but which are the subject of television commercials promoting products to cure them? Absolutely.
3. Sweaty palms? Yes.
4. Blushing. Yes.
5. Can’t catch your breath? Shyness? Anxiety? Insomnia? Sleep too much? No appetite? Pain? Discomfort? Sick to your stomach? “Yes”, to all of those.
Okay, the list is endless. According to http://www.activebeat.co/your-health/10-surprising-signs-symptoms-of-stress/10/, the list can include:
6. weird dreams
7. hair loss
8. hair changes
9. jaw pain and tooth pain, (Oh yes, the infamous TMJ and temporomandibular joint disorder!),
10. twitching
11. acne
12. frequent colds and flu
13. skin rashes
14. abdominal fat
15. irregular periods
16. difficulty getting pregnant
The list is endless. Sometimes it seems like a better challenge would be to name a symptom that is NOT a sign of stress.
So yes, I set out to help people with all of that because it’s tough to be productive, or joyful, happy, even tempered with any of that going on.
And then I faced a huge, new truth. Other symptoms of stress include:
17. Fears!
18. Phobias!
19. Bad habits! After all, what do my clients tell me when I ask why they eat too much, crave sugar, drink, smoke, or other substance abuse. “I got aggravated”. “My kids got on my nerves”. “My husband/wife aggravated me”. “My boss is making me crazy”. “I am just totally stressed out so I smoked and once I had one I couldn’t stop”.
So now I knew that part of helping people manage their stress and get out of their way meant helping them with the signs of stress they all knew about, but their bad habits were symptoms of stress, too. And that is a double edged sword. After all, if stress causes you to smoke, what is the result of trying to quit and not being able to? You can replace the word smoke with whatever habit is stressing you out. Your habit is a symptom of your stress. It is also a cause of your stress.
Honestly, I expected to help a few people close to me quit smoking. I just thought I’d help them quit their bad habit, smell better, save some money, and get healthier. Fifteen years ago I was part of the crew collecting signatures in Ohio to ban smoking in public places. Two years ago, I served at matchmaker to two people I really liked and knew would be great together and it didn’t work because she smoked. When I bought my first house, my mom’s best friend bought me ash trays so she could smoke when she visited. I filled them with hard candy. I don’t tolerate smoking even though the smell of pipe smoke brings back warm fuzzy memories of my dad, grandpa, and my uncles when they were together. And I really had started to believe there weren’t that many smokers around anymore. After all, no one I know smokes anymore. And people aren’t smoking in restaurants.
Maybe my head was buried in the sand. When I began my Hypnotherapy practice, smokers began to call. “Can Hypnosis really help me quit smoking?” they would ask? And every second or third caller would ask, “You’re not going to make me quack like a duck/cluck like chicken/bark like a dog, are you?”.
Yes, Hypnotherapy is a fabulous quit smoking/smoking cessation technique. And, by the way, quacking, clucking, and barking are “Stage Hypnosis” or “Hollywood Hypnosis”. Meant to amuse. When we work with clients who want to rid themselves of bad habits, whether they are the symptoms of stress or the cause of stress, we mean business. You will likely have fun during your session. And you will feel completely wonderful and relaxed after. But you won’t be a quacking, clucking, or barking!
What you will be is on the road to being a Non-Smoker.
So, why am I blogging about this today? Well, this has been an interesting few weeks. The word is out. Hypnotherapy is a great smoking cessation tool. So I have been seeing smokers who are ready to quit. And I have been seeing smokers who aren’t ready to quit, but their husbands/wives/children or somebody who loves them is ready for them to quit. So we work together to get them ready. And it works.
Hypnotherapy for smoking cessation is much like Hypnotherapy for all of the other symptoms of stress. First we talk about why you decided to seek my help. (Or someone decided for you). Then, together, we set an intention for our session. I let you know that it will take more than one session, and that there are Smoking Cessation packages available. I really would like to work with you 6 times. And when you have quit, we will agree on a refresher session sometime in the near future to keep you on the road to breathing fresh air, smelling better, clean clothes, clear lungs, ending smoker’s cough, able to taste your food again, able to smell the flowers when you stop to smell them, and more.
After we agree upon your intention for your first session, I help you to relax into a trance with a guided meditation. And then we move into the Hypnotherapy portion of our time together. When you come “back” from your trance, you feel wide awake, aware, refreshed, relaxed, and on the path to being a Non-Smoker!
It doesn’t matter how many times you have tried to quit, or if you never have tried. It doesn’t matter how many time you have actually quit, and then found yourself smoking again a year later. Or eating sugar again. Or returning to whatever the habit is that you would like to leave behind. Hypnotherapy works.
Call, text, or write. I look forward to seeing you! 440-346-2630. Bev@HealingWatersSolutions.com