Stop Smoking: Alexia

Alexia Grant
Accounts Mgr/Student
Austin, TX

I've been a smoker for 18 yrs and I haven't had a cigarette for about two months now. I've tried to quit smoking with cold turkey and it didn't work for me. I was able to quit during my pregnancy, but I started smoking pretty much immediately after my son was born. I never tried the patch or gum because for me it was more about the habit. I could go without the nicotine, but when I made the decision that I wanted a cigarette there was no stopping me. I felt out of control and it was very uncomfortable. I wanted control of my own life and I didn't feel like I had that.

You hear people say all the time that they just put down the cigarettes, but that wasn't me. In the past, I would be pulling my hair out and white-knuckling and pretty much driving everyone around me to distraction. I've actually had people thrust cigarettes at me before and make me start smoking again because my behavior was so bad.

I heard about A New Day Hypnosis when my girlfriend found it on the internet. We researched group hypnosis classes and that didn't look good, so we just kept investigating. I saw Laura's interview on austinist.com and read more about her. I liked the fact that she got very good ratings from everybody who'd worked with her.

I had a little bit of concern about using hypnosis because not everyone is trustworthy, so I started out feeling a little bit suspicious. Everyone walks into situations like this with a little bit of skepticism, but it was nice to find that Laura was trustworthy and professional.

I quit after the first session. I noticed that I had fewer cravings and a better attitude. I feel more in control now and more confident because I've accomplished something for myself. Hypnosis has definitely cut down on the cravings and urges. The most important benefit for me has been getting the nudge that I needed to quit. I would recommend a New Day Hypnosis because it's helped me and that's kind of a big deal based on my experiences trying to quit in the past. I'm confident that I'm not going to pick this up again because I've gone this long and I feel really good about it.

Stop Smoking: Susan

Susan Wills
Executive Director
Austin, TX

I'd been a pack a day smoker for about thirty years and I've been tobacco free for a month now. I've tried the patch, willpower, and smokers anonymous to quit. I used the patch on and off for three years. It alleviated cravings, but not for the whole day, I would put it on in the morning and still want a cigarette in the evening. I chewed the gum once and hated it. I tried willpower and lasted maybe three days at the most. I thought about it all the time and I felt a lot of anxiety.

I got some success with smokers anonymous, but eventually went back to cigarettes. I had this tense, anxious energy that always went into quitting and sometimes seemed worse than just continuing to smoke. Even though I knew that it was so bad for my health, it was very unattractive, expensive, and smelled horrible, I just couldn't stop and that made me feel out of control.

I'd heard Ellen DeGeneres say that she quit smoking with hypnosis and it was easy, so I looked up A New Day Hypnosis on citysearch to see if I could get some success with it. I decided to call when I read that Laura had won the "Hypnotist of the Year" award. I still had concerns because I'd been smoking so many years and couldn't believe that it would work, but it did.

I started to notice changes immediately. I didn't have cravings or feel any anxiety. I noticed that I didn't automatically think that I need to have a cigarette when I was handling stressful situations. Every once in a while, I'd think about it and sometimes miss it, but it's not an overwhelming feeling and I could talk myself into forgetting about it. I feel more confident because I can change the behaviors that I don't like about myself. I'm more in control now because I've left this behind me.

When I come into a room I don't think to myself that people probably want to open the window. I feel at ease knowing that I don't smell offensive to others anymore. I even went to the doctor recently and I found out that I've lowered my blood pressure as a result of quitting smoking.

This experience has truly felt magical for me. It's unbelievable that it could work like this. I would absolutely recommend A New Day Hypnosis because it's worked for me. I've been able to embrace new ways of being that are healthy and produce more self-esteem. I have a great deal of confidence about this change and a real sense of gratitude. I really appreciate all the energy and effort that Laura puts into her work because this has really helped me.

Stop Smoking: Craig

Craig Foster
Marketing Manager
Austin, TX

I've been a smoker for 23 years and I was smoking almost a pack a day when I decided to quit. I've now been tobacco free for two months. Smoking had such a negative connotation to me in the way that I looked at myself because I told myself how bad it was for me and I still couldn't manage to quit permanently. I've tried the nicotine patch, but then I would just smoke while I was on the patch. I quit cold turkey a couple of times. Unfortunately, after my last attempt to quit, I was a groomsman in a wedding and thought that one cigarette wouldn't do anything; the next thing I know I was smoking a whole pack.

I felt like the nicotine controlled me and dictated my life. If I went to a business meeting, I had to be sure to wash my hands and bring my breath mints to avoid the social stigma in the professional world. Smoking gave me this pervading sense of gloom and I always felt like I was weak and kind of a loser. I was chained to cigarettes. Before I left the house I had to have my cigarettes with me and sneak outside because I didn't want my kids to see me. I had my secret smoking life and my nonsmoking life to other people.

When it comes to something as difficult as stopping smoking, I knew that I needed all the help I could get so I did a google search for hypnosis in Austin and found A New Day Hypnosis. I'd read enough to understand that the myths surrounding hypnosis weren't true, so I didn't have any hesitation about it.

I quit smoking after the first session. Every day gave me a little more confidence and now I feel entirely separated from the addiction. I rarely feel any kind of cravings anymore and I feel really good about that. The hypnosis has helped me to relax and remind myself of what I'm trying to do and keep focused on my goal. Subconsciously, hypnosis reinforced the good habits and now that I don't have to hide my habit, I feel so relieved.

Hypnosis has helped to lessen my urges and cravings for the cigarette. It was the impetus to get me over the hump. I have a better sense of well being and I feel a lot more in control. One of my personal goals has been to run more consistently, so now so I'm training for a 10 K. I'm breathing better and it's been great because I have a lot more energy. I can take a deep breath and walk up a flight of stairs without becoming winded.

I would definitely recommend A New Day Hypnosis to anyone who wants to stop smoking. I believe in the power of communicating internally with your subconscious to reinforce positive habits. When you make yourself more aware and these behaviors become a part of you it's one more tool that you have to fight the addiction.

I like the way that I feel about myself and I don't want to be the person that I was again. I can't imagine myself ever going back to smoking and I'm going to keep on top of it. I know that I don't want to smoke again and I feel more confident about my ability now than I've ever felt before. I've been to bars and I've gone through all the situations that would have caused me to relapse and I haven't done it, so that reinforces the fact that I know that I can do it.

Stop Smoking: Marcia

Marcia Inger
Texas Advanced Computing Center
Austin, TX

I've smoked off and on for around twenty years. I was able to quit for a while, but I went back to smoking because I was under the impression that I could try it again and drop it. I felt out of control and it was frustrating. I knew that I really needed to quit and I knew that I needed to get to a place where I wanted to quit, but I couldn't seem to get myself there.

I found out about A New Day Hypnosis on citysearch. There were a ton of amazing reviews and she was the highest rated hypnotherapist on the list. I realized that what I was doing on my own wasn't working and I figured that if all of these people had had success, I should try it out. I didn't have a lot of expectations and I didn't really expect it to work. I wanted to just try something different and see what would happen.

I was a little nervous about using hypnosis. I had a lot of misconceptions about what hypnosis was and I had some apprehension. I'm fairly stubborn, so it took a little time for me to get into the mindset of wanting to quit. I felt better after my first session and without really noticing I cut my smoking in half. I went back into the mindset that I'd had when I quit the last time. As soon as I was able to get into a place where I really wanted to quit, I just did it.

I've been a nonsmoker for four months now and I've noticed a lot of improvements. My sense of smell has come back and my circulation is much better. I have asthma and I can absolutely tell the difference because I'm breathing better and I'm not congested anymore. I used to cough a lot and I don't do that anymore either. My running is going great and I don't have to take breaks because I'm out of breath. My sleep has improved and I feel so much better.

I feel much more in control now. My mindset has changed and I just genuinely don't want to smoke. I feel more confident because the momentary urge is much weaker than my desire to stay tobacco free. I've always found that the psychological attachment to cigarettes has been the biggest part of the addiction for me. Hypnosis has helped me to break that bond and once I was able to do that, stopping smoking was easy. Days will go by and I haven't even thought about it at all, which has been really surprising to me.

I feel more confident because I've been able to accomplish something that I didn't think that I could do. I would recommend A New Day Hypnosis to anyone who wants to stop smoking because it works and it's painless. It wasn't hard for me and I feel really good about my decision. I'm confident that I have changed my mindset and I know better than going back to smoking. It was absolutely worth it for me and it's been a great experience overall.