Online Hypnosis For Smoking Cessation (And Why Does It Work?)
Note: This is a follow-up post on my previous article regarding smoking cessation.
You can read it right here: <link>
In my previous post I detailed how by using the most powerful persuasive tool in the universe - a person’s identity - people are able to shift from an identity of a “smoker” to a “non-smoker” instantly without the use of willpower.
Right now I’m going to describe what you can do if - despite conscious effort to change their identity - you're still unable to kick the habit.
This post will help you understand the inner workings of your subconscious mind and the way you can reset it online to have a greater control over your life.
So let’s jump in.
The Mind Reset.
Whether we realise it or not, we’re a product of earlier programming.
And like the social media platforms store our data and determine out future feed content depending on our previous choices, our subconscious mind stores all the past memories, experiences and thoughts in our long-term memory.
It's like a server that determines our future preferences based on what we thought was "right" for us in the past.
So our future actions and inactions are in a large way determined by what we thought and experienced in the past.
In other words - our minds are the product of our history. But other than that - they’re also the product of our culture.
The "You" That's Always Active
When we were born we had no preconceived notions of who we were, what we did and how we should be.
We were all like brand-new smartphones with full memory, only the basic apps and our long-lasting battery. We were free and had no limitations to our capabilities.
And then… life happened.
Our memories, life events and our environment day by day install certain apps in our subconscious mind.
The program us to think, feel and behave a certain way. They’re just like a software that starts running in the background…
And after a certain age - usually between ages seven and twelve - we develop what’s called a “critical factor” of a conscious mind.
It serves as a kind of firewall or a guard into the subconscious mind.
Based on previous programming/conditioning it determines which new thoughts, beliefs and behaviours can be installed on the device of our inner mind.
There are a lot of apps that glue our families, school and society together.
Unfortunately some of them - especially guilt and shame - are so effective that they’re literally used all over the world. And even though they do their job - despite Covid civilisation is still running - in our personal and professional lives they’re like a burden that we can’t get over with.
Your Inner Masters:
The problem is that some of these apps no longer serve us. And they keep us in our old ways despite a change in either our circumstances or our goals.
We realise that we're not going to live on forever, but at the same time something keeps us from making important changes in our lives.
Now, in order to "Reset" your mind and perform a proper “Reset” you need to:
- Realise you are the product of your inner apps and that in large part they govern your life and your life's choices... (So whether you agree or disagree with me right now is also a product of your prior programming)…
- Override the older apps and settings that no longer serve you.
- Establish new settings, apps and rules to follow for your life after you've made the change.
Sounds simple?
Well, it may be that simple.
In case of smoking this change sounds easy.
You delete your “smoker app” and download a “non-smoker app” - and put it on your main screen.
Imagine yourself doing it right now.
Simple?
Yes, simple.
Or at least it “should be” that simple.
The reality is that often despite conscious efforts our internal, subconscious needs and apps control us much more than we’d like to admit.
There isn’t a single number we could put on it, but several estimates are that our conscious mind is between 3-5% of what we “are” in our everyday activities. The rest - 95-97% of thoughts, beliefs and behaviours remain mostly automatic.
So while some people are able to just “click” and get going with their new identity, there will be a set of people who may need professional help to help them make changes in their subconscious.
And here’s where professional hypnotherapy comes in.
By working with a hypnotherapist you are able to delete the unwanted apps from your subconscious mind provide new solutions for your "Mind OS".
Some people think hypnosis is only for the “weak-minded”, “susceptible” or even “vulnerable" individuals.
Not quite so.
“Stage hypnosis has done a great disservice - no disrespect to the stage hypnotists out there - to detract from the power of hypnosis as a medical tool and a high-performance tool(...)"
“Hypnosis is in fact the only state of mind that utilises two of the most effective and desirable states of mind: focus and relaxation at the same time”
- prof. Andrew Huberman, Stanford University neuroscientist Source
The reality is that most people who have never been hypnotised and “don’t believe” in hypnosis miss out on a great opportunity to enhance their performance and get a better understanding of their own mind.
People usually don’t believe in hypnosis nor believe it works for one of two reasons:
- either they are simply afraid of it
- Or they have a flawed sense of how it works.
I’m sorry to break it to you, but hypnosis isn’t magic.
Hypnosis is a state of deep focus and relaxation that allows to bypass conscious awareness (your everyday thinking) and instead utilise resources rooted in the subconscious mind (things you're not even aware of on a conscious level).
Hypnosis is not about becoming a zombie.
It’s not about losing control.
It isn't about “going to sleep”.
Hypnosis "feels" different, yes.
It alters your perception of time and it changes the way you feel.
It allows you to make changes in your past (your long-term memories), your present (the way you feel “in the moment”) and your future (your belief about what you’re able or unable to do).
In short, hypnosis allows you to change “Who You Are” in a very short period of time.
But you won’t know it unless you’ve done it.
Especially if you or someone you know has a smoking problem.
So unless you know how to override your subconscious patterns yourself you might want to take your chances and either visit a hypnotherapist or do a session remotely.
In the reality of our current pandemic we’re able to work online.
So unless you live in a big city and happen to work with a certified professional I’d highly recommend an online session to get rid of your smoking cravings.
PS: noticed I mentioned “smoking”, not “nicotine”? In the next article we’ll explore ways of dealing with nicotine without the need to inhale it in smoke.
Talk to you soon!
Donald