Stopping Smoking – How to Stop Smoking with NLP and Willpower

Many people have started seeking support to stop smoking using mental focus and willpower, sometimes combined with conventional strategies such as nicotine patches, nicotine sticks, or nicotine gum.  If you want to stop smoking with enough intensity, it’s possible to even stop smoking without any of the supplementary drug methods at all.  That’s right, many people have managed to stop smoking permanently after smoking for over 30 years just by using willpower alone.

We’ll be honest – It’s not easy unless you’re committed and willing to accept and pursue the life of a non-smoker.  By following our technique to stop smoking you will start to identify yourself as a non-smoker from the beginning.  A big part of the process is letting go of the part of your identity that attaches you to smoking.  Once you begin to believe that you are a non-smoker, you can then start to take positive action towards breaking your dependence on cigarettes and stacking up all the evidence to support your new belief with such intensity that the mere thought of smoking will repulse you!

The Technique

1. First of all, I want you to get a pen and paper and write at the top “What life will be like as a non-smoker”.  Next, work your way through the questions and suggestions below, writing your answers as sentences.Focus on what life will be like when you are a non-smoker.  You need to banish the belief that you are a smoker and start to identify yourself as a non-smoker.  How will this affect your life?  How will you feel when you are a healthy non-smoker?  What smells will you notice which were previously masked and choked by the effects of smoking on your senses?  What will people be saying to you when you have achieved this goal?  What will it be like to be able to stay in the pub and not have to leave the building for a smoke?  What will life be like on that flight to your holidays without the constant thought of getting off the plane and running to the smoker’s lounge?  What will your finances be like without the expense of cigarettes?  What else can you afford to do with the extra cash?How does this new life feel?  Do you like it?  Is it something you’re happy to attain?

   If you’re happy with it, then congratulations, you’re already making progress.  Read over your list a couple of times, then read on to step 2!

   If you’re not happy with it, then try again from the start.  Try to really believe in yourself.  You’re probably reading this because you’ve been searching for how to stop smoking, so you’ve taken the first steps… however in order to succeed you need to REALLY believe in being a non-smoker, and you need to want it enough.  If you’re not able to convince yourself of the life of a non-smoker then you might struggle to make this work.  We can’t wave a magic wand, we can merely guide and suggest – your success is dependent on how much you want it!

2. So, hopefully you’re reading on because you like the idea of being a non-smoker and you’ve produced enough references to support it.  If you’re still unsure, please read over the first step one more time to reinforce your beliefs.Now I want you to look back over your list and pick out the 6 most important important and impacting points that you wrote down.  Put a star next to each one.  It’s easier to work with half a dozen powerfully impacting motivating factors than a whole page of loose points that don’t really inspire you.Now get a fresh piece of paper and write at the top “What life is like now that I AM a non-smoker”.  It’s now time for you to start to truly believe that you are a non-smoker.  One of the most powerful things you can do to make something attainable is to act “as-if” it has already happened.  I want you to act like a non-smoker.  Believe that you are a non-smoker and start to live out that vision in your head.  Proceed to write down the 6 impacting motivational points as sentences taking in the present sense.  Start them with the words “I am…” or other such statements that really make them feel like they are happening right now.

   Is this what you REALLY want?  If not, work over your list again and make the changes you need to make this action compelling enough and comfortable enough for you to pursue.  We’re creating your future here, so it had better be good for you!

   Now read over your list.  As you read each item, begin to see, hear, and feel everything around you with this new behaviour in mind.  Repeat this process 3 times a day and watch as it becomes a part of your routine.  Eventually you won’t even need your list, but keep it anyway as a reference point of your incredible journey as a non-smoker.  The art of mastery is repetition, and only through making this new through process a habitual exercise will you start to live your life in this new way.

3. Now that you’ve built up the believe that you are a non-smoker, and you’re comfortable with how it feels, you should be raring to go with the process of actually rewiring your perception of smoking.  What we’ve done this far is helping you to build up a comfortable perception of being a non-smoker so that when we take action to stop the intake of nicotine, you will be happy with the direction that you’re heading.  Many people fail to stop because they are not prepared for life without smoking and so act in a way akin to bereavement and loss.  We’re taking the steps to help you to welcome the change and to be ready to make those all important steps and to be ready to welcome this exciting new life.People are generally more compelled to act to avoid pain rather than focus on what they do want.  We’ve already built up your impression of life as a non-smoker and now we need to help you to move away from the physical action of smoking.  So what we’ll do now is build up a list of images that push you away from smoking.
4. On a new piece of paper, think of as many negative aspects to smoking as you can.  If possible, think of things from your new non-smoker’s perspective.  Write down as many as you can, it doesn’t matter how small or trivial they appear, just write down everything that comes into your head.Now on a fresh piece of paper, write the heading “Reasons why I stopped smoking”.  On this piece of paper write in sentence form the most important and impacting of the items you just wrote down.  Remember that we’re writing this list as though it has already happened.  Think of each sentence as “I stopped smoking because…”.  We need to continue the belief that you are a non-smoker and as such we need to talk “as-if” it happened in the past – as-if you’ve already succeeded.Now whenever you read your “Life as a non-smoker” list, follow it straight away with your “Reasons why I stopped smoking”.  You will find that the two lists become very complimentary and self fulfilling.
5. We’re well on the way to creating your new life now.  How does it feel?  Are you happy with the progress you’re making?  Are you ready to step it up a level and stop yourself from putting the cigarette to your lips?  Then let’s move on…By now you may find your perception of smoking has changed and that you’re already “not as keen” on smoking.  There’s still work to do though!  We are now going to re-wire your thoughts of smoking and the way smoking triggers off your mental references.  Like any action, the physical action of smoking triggers references in your mind to events from the past.  Many people itch their neck or cheek for comfort, scratch their head when thinking, or tap their foot when they’re anxious or irritated.  What we’ll do now is utilise this fantastic human reflex action to help you to stop smoking.This can be quite a distressing step, so please make sure you’re in a place where you can be free with your emotions, ideally alone, and be completely honest with yourself.

   I want you to think of the three most distressing fears in your life.  It could be anything from the fear of spiders to the fear of death, bears, falling, heights, or any other fears that you may have.  We need to really focus and make sure that the intensity of these fears is compelling enough to shock you.  Be brave and jot down the three greatest and most upsetting fears in your life.

   Now pick one of your fears to work on.  I want you to relax, sit back, close your eyes and start to imagine this fear playing out in front of you.  Step into the situation and be aware of all of the sights, sounds, and actions unfolding around you.  Replay the situation slowly and vividly and be aware of how your emotional intensity heightens as you become more and more anxious and distressed.  Really feel the pain and the upset as though it is happening right now.  Keep this up until you feel the intensity is as high as it can get, then instantly imagine yourself picking up a cigarette.  I want you to channel all of this emotional pain into the cigarette and into the action of holding it.  Channel all of the intensity of the emotion into the cigarette, making sure that all of the emotions raised from the sights, sounds, and feelings of the event are attributed to the cigarette, and begin to create a link between the two.  Now in your mind, release the cigarette and at the same time release the negative emotions.  Think of a time when you were at your most content and release all the feelings of sadness.  Notice that the cigarette has gone.

   Repeat this process three times, each time making sure that the emotional intensity is associated with the action of picking up a cigarette.  Eventually you will make this into a habitual reaction.  You’ll realise that the mere action of picking up a cigarette will conjure up all of the feelings you once attributed to this fear.  You may even realise that the fear itself becomes less intense as you start to transfer the pain into another form – into the cigarette.

   Now repeat the last two paragraphs, this time working on your second fear, and instead of the act of picking up a cigarette, I want you to associate it with the act of putting the cigarette to your lips, and the feeling of the cigarette against your lips.

   Finally, with your third fear, repeat the two paragraphs again.  This time you will associate the pain with the act of lighting and inhaling the cigarette.

   I hope that this step was not too distressing for you.  Ideally you should have found it a little difficult, felt some emotional pain or discomfort.  Now that it’s been released into the cigarette you will be back to normal, free of the distress we manufactured.  If you found this step easy, then you’ve not done it properly!  Repeat again until you’ve felt the emotional discomfort.  Don’t be afriad of jumping into the emotion – we’re not keeping it, and it will soon be banished to the cigarette – you might even find that it reduces your fears as the cigarette adopts the pain for you!

6. Now everything is just fine and the emotions we raised have been released and are safe inside the cigarette.  If you really want to experience the pain again, all you need to do is pick up a cigarette, put it to your lips, and light it.  That is if you WANT to feel the pain – Three lots of emotional anxiety and stress wrapped up into one stick.  I know I certainly don’t want to smoke your cigarettes!Of course you don’t really want to feel the pain, do you?  As a non-smoker you have no need to do so.  You can make the choice to avoid the pain because you ARE a non-smoker.  You’re free to do as you choose.  You’re free to live your life as a non-smoker.  You’re free to live life this way in the same way that you’re free to shout from the top of a mountain, to itch your ear, tap your foot, or walk around your house with nothing on!  You’re free to make the choice and make the decision without any outside pressures.  This is as much a personal decision as whether to wear your red or black pants today!If you really want a cigarette, then light one up.  Be aware that cigarettes now have the power to cause you emotional pain.  If you still want to light up, then do it.  If you want to prove a point that you’re still capable of undoing all of our hard work and that you’re bigger and braver than the steps we’ve put in place, then go ahead.  But also bear in mind that you could jump all of the hurdles in the opposite direction and say “I did it, I was successful”.  You’ve come a long way to get here, and you should be proud of yourself for doing it.  Keep it up, keep referring back to this process when you need a top up, and by all means get in touch if you need some more help.

If this process has helped you, please share your stories of success at the bottom of this article.  I’m sure that your feedback will help others in your position to becoming non-smokers.

If you would like further assistance or help on a personal one-to-one session, please get in touch by emailing info@breakyourlimits.co.uk.