Amanda, a 39 year old from Galway, contacted us in 2020 to ask for help in quitting smoking.
"I started smoking when I was around 15. Being a teenager in the nineties it was not so common and I was so young I did not really care about the health implications. I was more bothered about fitting in, which I now know was so silly of me.
In 2019 I fell pregnant with my first child, Alex. I was very motivated and I quit, the motivation was obvious...I did not want to take any risks. The pregnancy went by without any issues and Alex was born.
He was perfect, everything me and my boyfriend at the time had hoped for. However, in my mind I had this ingrained thought that I could not do it. Alex wasn’t latching on very well and my midwife recommended I also use a bottle as Alex wasn’t getting what he needed from my milk. I decided to stop breast feeding altogether and use only formula, and I started smoking again.
Over the next six months I really struggled with post-natal depression and the thought of quitting smoking was not on the agenda. I told myself I would get through what I was going through and then quit for good."
Click here for our Quit Smoking Essentials Pack
Amanda finally got in touch with us to help her stop smoking and we were happy to help. After all, we are not stuck in the 1940s. We all know that smoking is horrific for our health. However we still do it - why?
Well, one of the main motivations comes from the subconscious mind.
In many ways it is like listening to a song. If you hear a song and something significant (good or bad) happens during that song, every time you hear it you will instantly be taken back to that moment - this is called flashbulb memory. Flashbulb memory is very present in our conscious mind. We pick up on sounds and smells and they take us to certain moments.
The subconscious mind works in a similar way, however your subconscious mind controls the majority of your feelings and thoughts, and influences the decisions you make.
When you are feeling anxious, stressed or depressed, your subconscious mind is searching for a solution and often turns to something that takes you back to a time of feeling more relaxed. Many people start smoking for the first time when they are young, free and having fun with friends, and so your subconscious mind connects smoking with this feeling and you find yourself reaching for a cigarette.
For this reason, the very best way to quit smoking forever is to program your subconscious mind into thinking you have ALWAYS been a non-smoker.
After hearing Amanda’s story, we explained how hypnosis will program her into feeling like a non-smoker and will take away the cravings that keep dragging her back.
We sent her our hypnotherapy audio session and she listened to it three times over a week. This was the feedback we received from her.
"This is amazing! It worked and I feel great. I listened to the audio straight away and felt instantly calm. I fell asleep halfway through and woke up near the end. I thought it was me, but it happened each time I listened to the audio. I love it. I have listened to it three times now and have not felt like smoking in over two weeks. My head feels so much clearer and I just feel in a much better mental state. I have told myself if I ever feel like smoking I am going to go straight upstairs and listen to the audio instead.
Thank you so much,
Amanda”
We would like to thank Amanda for her lovely feedback and congratulate her on being a non-smoker.
If you would like to try the powerful hypnotherapy session that helped Amanda, it is available as part of our our Quit Smoking Essentials Package here.
Most people who smoke have no idea what the non-smoking world is like, and it’s a beautiful place to be.
