Amy Potts
Bed & Breakfast Manager / Student
Austin, TX
I'd been a smoker for thirteen years. I've tried lots of methods to quit smoking, I tried the gum and that just didn't work. I went cold turkey when I got pregnant, but went back to smoking about a year after I had my daughter. I quit on my own again last summer and then I hit that stress wall and immediately went for the cigarettes. I tried the patch and I felt like I was going to have a heart attack. It gave me really bad nightmares, but I still did it for two weeks. It worked in the moment, but after I got off the patch the desire was still there, so I wasn't successful.
I felt out of control sometimes. If I were drinking alcohol or hanging out with friends I might smoke a pack in an evening. My ability to make decisions was gone and I could never have enough cigarettes. For me there was always this guilt and I knew it was bad for me. At this point, I haven't had a cigarette in three weeks and I feel better overall. My body is working better and I can tell the difference.
Stopping smoking was always something that had been hard for me in the past. Coming to A New Day Hypnosis helped me to realize that it wasn't that hard at all because I was able to deal with different situations without feeling flustered and needing a cigarette. During this experience I've been under incredible amounts of stress and I've been able to quit, so I feel confident that it's going to be long term. I don't feel guilty anymore and it's a huge relief for me. I'm coming from a totally different place now and it's really powerful. I feel really good because I'm steering my own horse. Hypnosis gave me options and helped me to decide to become a nonsmoker. It's been like a best friend through the process holding my hand and giving me reinforcement for my decision, so it's been an amazing aid and tool for me.
This was my first experience with hypnotherapy and it's great to know how powerful it can be. I know that this is something that I can bring to other aspects and challenges in my life. Laura is a fantastic therapist and I really appreciate her style of therapy. I really value what she offers and hypnotherapy is just one part of it. It's not just quitting smoking that has been a benefit; this process has positively affected several parts of my life.
I've already recommended Laura's services to people that I know because she approaches everyone as an individual and she's really respectful and honest. She understands that this is a challenging thing to do and she's adaptable to the individual. She's willing to do whatever she can to see her clients succeed and that's really important. I know that I'm a nonsmoker because I feel different. I don't think about smoking and the tools that I've gotten from this process are very effective. As soon as I realized what I wanted to do this there wasn't any regret or desire for cigarettes. It's been really easy and smooth sailing and there haven't been any bumps in the road.