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are
very often looking for miracles. Sometimes they get
them – the one-session smoking cure does happen.
Any therapist worth the salt has plenty of experience
of that. But too often the expectation gets in the way
and the smoker complains that ‘it didn’t
work’ – as if they had been given an ineffective
drug. Or the miracle happens but the smoker relapses.
because he or she has been left vulnerable: the therapy
was not comprehensive enough.
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Intelligent therapy for smoking concerns recognizes |
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• that
some smokers can and will give up straight away
with well focused assistance
• that
many other smokers needs more sessions and careful
coaching
• that
therapy should address not only how to stop but
also how to stay stopped
• that
the smoking habit has hi-jacked some basic needs
that will need to be met in new ways in the non-smoking
pattern
• that
in some (though not all) cases additional therapy
for associated concerns may be necessary |
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• motivational
interview techniques through which clients can
understand better how smoking has worked for
them
• solution
focused counselling that allows clients to see
and understand clearly how they will function
as non smokers
• hypnosis
and guided imagery to counter the hypnotic power
of the smoking addiction
• and
make effective use of the power of the ‘unconscious
mind’
• flexible
use of a range of other communication techniques
including metaphors and imaginative techniques
• teaching
ways of relaxing and focusing that build new
flexibility and psychological skill
• developing
individually tailored strategies for maintaining
new non-smoking habits
• dealing
with any associated issues effectively and without
psychobabble
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and
is widely recognized as such. Yet it is not simply
a physical addiction; it has many psychological roots,
perhaps especially because it is so widespread and
until recently, socially acceptable. Also because
of what could be called the hypnotic power of the
smoking habit.
because
it somehow manages to convince the smoker that it
is useful, intelligent, cool, relaxing, stimulating,
stylish etc etc. whilst in fact it is, as everyone
knows, slow but sure killer that ruins health, wrinkles
skin and makes people generally less attractive. One
out of every two smokers dies of a smoking related
concern. Statistics like these rarely bother smokers
for long because smokers are incurably optimistic.
Yet very few people would cross a road with only a
50% chance of reaching the other side.
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Therapy that attempts to frighten smokers |
with
this sort of information is, however, rarely effective
for long. Smokers need sympathetic understanding in
order to help them develop their own understanding
and practical skill as non-smokers. This is the approach
we take.
It
follows from the above that there is no easy answer
to this question. It depends on you. However, we recommend
a course of three sessions is the most commonly effective
pattern to follow in order to hit all of the targets
set out above – though of course we still allow
for that one session miracle!
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