to give up smoking

Hannah — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 15:32:24 +0000

I have been working with a client who wants to give up smoking and has only had partial success. We tapped on cravings and looked at her history which came up with some very interesting issues. Suffice it to say that we dealt with some childhood/coming of age traumas surrounding abandonment and she felt fantastic and went home elated. The following day she called to say that she was still smoking albeit a little less. The next time we met we were able to discover that the client also suffered from a lack of emotional support from the same time and we thought this was the remaining core issue. Alas not. Then I read your last newsletter which had a very interesting article concerning overcoming addictions by asking questions and regressing to childhood. We gave this a go and I was bowled over by what transpired. We had been working from the premise that this was an addiction that we were dealing with, but after asking the question "How do you know when you want a cigarette?" expecting the usual "to feel calmer", "when I see someone else light up" etc, came the eureka moment. "Because it gives me some 'me time' to think and work things out" came the retort! Well, we are now dealing with a habit - very different. The client used a cigarette as a tool to allow her to withdraw from whatever was going on around her and think things through. What a revelation! We weren't dealing with cravings or addictions as these were dealt with in the earlier consultations. We tapped on: "even thought I use a ciggie as a mechanism to give me time to think things through, I now realise I can think without the aid of a crutch and deeply... etc". The result is fantastic. She has stopped smoking and feels released. The important lesson to be gleaned from this encounter is that an addiction may mask a habit and of course, vice versa. Never think that there is just one "obvious" symptom presenting, as in many cases they are symbiotic and become a homogenous, seemingly singular issue.

Arriving in Buenes Aires

Hannah — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 17:49:53 +0000

On Saturday I visited San Telmo. San Telmo comes alive with a street market, a shopping extravaganza that was in full swing when I arrived. Lanes and alleys proffered stalls of independent fashion, dusty curios and buskers dancing tango at outdoor coffee houses. People wandered by selling steaming hot pastries from wicker baskets.

Not being a big shopper, I was somewhat concerned when two hours later I had already acquired a new shirt and a 1950s leather watch: what might happen to a serious shopper?

Things I Like

Being Noticed

to give up smoking

Arriving in Buenes Aires