Stop Smoking: Tommy

Tommy Karl
Lago Vista, TX
Scenic Painter (films)

I'd been a 2 to 3 pack a day a smoker for the last 42 years and I've now been completely tobacco free for six weeks. I've tried to stop smoking in the past with cold turkey and I could never make it more than a week. Something would just set me off or I'd have nothing to do and all of a sudden I would start craving that cigarette and fall right back into it.

I felt out of control and always thought about when I could have another cigarette and where I'd be able to do it. At certain places on the job, I wasn't allowed to smoke and I found myself worrying about how long it would be before I could get my next cigarette. I felt chained to smoking. I would just stop everything and do it because I needed it.

I used hypnosis in the past and it worked for me, so I'd been looking for somebody to help me quit smoking and my friend Erika Jean said that A New Day Hypnosis was working really well for her, so I decided to set up an appointment with Laura. I noticed that I was breathing better and I wasn't feeling strong cravings. I wasn't arguing about things and things didn't seem to bother me. I could smell better, I could taste better, and I had more endurance.

I feel more in control now. I'm not looking for time to smoke; things just keep going and I roll with it. Hypnosis has eliminated urges, cravings, and the desire for the cigarette. I feel more confident because I know that I have the power to do it with a little bit of help. I keep reinforcing things until they're out of my system for good.

I don't have to worry about the stress of the cravings and I couldn't have done that without Laura's help. I would recommend A New Day Hypnosis to anyone who wants help getting anything done in their lives because she makes it sound easy and there's lots of reinforcement. I can go on and do what I need to do without worrying about cigarettes. I don't need them anymore. I can be in all sorts of situations and even be around smokers without thinking about it. After a long day, I'll realize that I did it all without wanting to smoke and that feels really good. I'm confident that I'm a nonsmoker permanently because the desire to smoke is just gone and it's one thing that I don't have to think about it anymore.

Stop Smoking: Parker

Parker Allred (snuff/tobacco)
Contractor
Lockhart, TX

I've used tobacco for twenty years and as soon as I walked out of the office after my first session, that was it. I was using a can a day and it was constant. I was a "chain dipper" and used it all day long except when I ate. In the past, when I went cold turkey, I thought about tobacco a lot and almost obsessed about it. Halfheartedly, I tried the gum once and tried the patch once; I even tried the patch and the gum together, which made me really hyper. None of these methods really showed any progress at all. I would be very anxious and people who worked for me were buying me tobacco within three days.

The whole thing that prompted me to make a change was when I woke up at 3:00 in the morning worried about business problems and realized that I was out of snuff. I started driving around my very small town in the middle of the night desperately looking for chewing tobacco. At that moment, I realized that it was ruling my life and that it was ridiculous. I felt very out of control and knew that I needed to do something about it.

I read about A New Day Hypnosis on Citysearch. I liked the other reviews and decided to give it a go. I was curious to see if I was hypnotizable and to see how it would affect me compared to the patch or the gum.

It's been two months and it's really been easy, I've been very surprised. Honestly, I walked in there with no expectations. I had snuff in my car in case it didn't work, but I didn't end up needing it. I really thought I'd think about it a whole lot more and it would be harder for me, but it wasn't. I feel in control now and really like the fact that I don't have to worry about it. I'm going to Chicago this week and, in the past, I would have gone to the grocery store and bought a roll or two of tobacco in case I couldn't find it in Chicago and now I don't have to do that anymore.

Hypnosis helped to eliminate urges, cravings and desire for the tobacco. I have a lot more energy now and I work out a lot more. My blood pressure has dropped considerably. I sleep a lot better and for some reason, I'm drinking a lot more water. I feel more confident now because it was this thing that I was ashamed I couldn't kick. After twenty something years of trying, to actually quit so easily has definitely surprised me and really boosted my self-esteem.

The most important benefit that I've gotten from this is the control over my life again. I've been given tools to deal with something that's been a monkey on my back for so long. After my success with chewing tobacco, we've delved into other parts of my life and that's helped out a lot. I would recommend A New Day Hypnosis to anyone who wants to stop using tobacco because it works.

I've had a few stressful things going on the last couple of months and I've been able to handle it without turning to snuff. I thought that going out drinking would be the hardest and it was no problem at all, I didn't even think about it. I'm confident that I'm tobacco free permanently because I haven't had any urge; it's a mindset for me now. Once I've done the work, I don't see any reason to go back to it.

Stop Smoking: Christopher

Christopher Vincent
Music Teacher/Professional Musician
Austin, TX

I was a smoker for 30 years and I haven't had a cigarette for six weeks now. I was smoking around a pack to a pack and a half a day. I've tried stopping smoking with the the gum, the patch, and Zyban. I chewed a lot of gum, but I still wanted a cigarette. It was really expensive and it seemed ridiculous to me. The Zyban worked well, but it really messed up my sleep patterns. I quit for a couple of days, but I wasn't sleeping at all. The patch was useless and I would end up taking it off and smoking. I felt out of control and I knew it was ridiculous. I didn't like the fact that I wasn't able to quit.

Going through this process brought the reality of what smoking can do to the forefront. Every smoker knows that it's not good for them, but I realized that I was screwing myself up by continuing.

I found Laura on citysearch, I decided to call because she was the closest office to my house and she looked nice in her picture. I know that I did the right thing and I feel like I really lucked out. She made me feel very at ease and comfortable with myself doing it. I've been telling my friends how much I've loved doing this. I'd done hypnosis in the past with a guy in Dallas and found that Laura's approach was much better. I sleep better and I have more energy. I can ride my bike longer and my lung capacity has gotten better. I no longer have a smoker's cough.

My friends can't believe that I quit. I have a friend who lives in L.A. and we usually talk three times a year, but he's been calling me every week since I quit to see if I stuck with it. I still think about smoking every now and again, but then I just ignore it and I forget about it. It has become easier to stay quit.

I feel more in control now. I'm more confident that I don't need cigarettes and know that I don't have to be dependent on things. I just pay more attention to the things that I'm doing now. Stopping smoking was probably the most difficult thing I've had to do in my life, but hypnosis helped to eliminate urges, cravings, and the desire for the cigarette. It has been a good experience for me. I would definitely recommend A New Day Hypnosis to anyone who wants to stop smoking because it worked and also because Laura is very good at what she does.

Stop Smoking: Erika Jean

Erika Jean Hagler
Graphic Artist/Production Assistant
Austin, TX

I was a smoker for about ten years and smoked a pack of American Spirit Blacks every day. I haven't had a cigarette for a year and a half. In the past, I didn't notice that I was out of control until I tried removing cigarettes. When I started smoking again, I would just fall back into that habit. I wasn't in conscious control of anything. When I look back, I realize that this inanimate object was making decisions for me and how out of control that was. I would think to myself that I really didn't want a cigarette, but I'd have one anyway.

I tried the patch and the gum to stop smoking and it was very bad for me. The patch made my arm go numb, my left hand got cold and my heart started beating really fast. I got really, really scared and stopped using it. The gum made my cheek fall asleep. I didn't see the point of getting rid of the cigarette, but relying on the nicotine, so I decided that I could get rid of the nicotine and the behaviors at the same time.

My mom quit smoking with hypnosis a long time ago, so I thought it might work for me. I'd been talking to people who had tried hypnosis to see what it was all about. A friend told me that if I could daydream than I was a good candidate, so I figured that I might as well try it. I found Laura on citysearch and she had a really good rating, so I decided to make an appointment. I was worried about how deep I was going to go because you see strange things in movies and I was concerned about losing control of the process. My experience of hypnosis felt more like guided meditation and it was very relaxing for me.

I thought that this was going to be the most difficult thing in my entire life and it wasn't bad. I really surprised myself with how easily I was able to quit. I've also noticed now that I can breathe easier. It was amazing, about two days after quitting, I took a breath and it was the deepest breath that I'd had in a really long time and I actually got dizzy. I've been able to run, which I couldn't do before and I feel a lot calmer. I had a pinched nerve in my back and now that's gone away because my circulation has gotten so much better. After about a week I completely stopped reaching for cigarettes in the car. After a couple of weeks, I stopped paying attention to cigarettes when they were around me. I don't need cigarettes to relax anymore and I feel much more in control now.

Hypnosis helped to eliminate urges and cravings. Sometimes you need somebody else to intervene and let you know that it's okay to take the next step. This experience has just been really helpful in a lot of ways. It's nice to be able to talk about it because different things popped up that I hadn't expected. If I get really stressed out, I can pick one of my sessions to listen to and that's been absolutely wonderful.

Going through the process has helped me recognize the steps that I needed to take and have the tools that I needed to replace the behavior. The most important benefit for me has been the confidence that I've gained. I've always thought of myself as a confident person, but I realize now that before quitting, I wasn't all that confident about my decisions. I've recommended A New Day Hypnosis to several people that I know because it's been great for me. I'm confident that I'm a nonsmoker permanently because I never think about it in my daily life because it isn't a part of me anymore.

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Stop Smoking: Katherine

Katherine Kever
Diligence Search Investigator
Austin, TX

I'd been a smoker for over forty years and I quit after my first session with Laura. I was smoking over a pack a day and now I've been tobacco free for five months. I decided to stop smoking because I have emphysema. I talked with my doctor about quitting and he recommended that I call Laura. I decided that hypnosis was what I needed to quit because the focus was on changing my mindset and my beliefs.

I'd tried to stop smoking in the past going cold turkey, but the longest it had ever lasted was three months because I always allowed something to be an excuse to start again.

It wasn't that hard for me to quit this time. I think it's deciding to do it and getting Laura's help that made it easier. I had my last cigarette before the appointment with Laura and I haven't gone back since.

After three weeks without cigarettes, I started to notice a real improvement in my breathing. Now I'm going to Tai Chi every night and my personal mantra is “I quit smoking” when I have any kind of challenge in my life. I'm not coughing anymore and when I walk up the stairs to my apartment, my legs don't hurt.

I felt out of control before, I always had to worry if I had enough cigarettes or whether I was going to have to stop at the store. In a way, it ruined my whole life. I didn't want that for myself anymore and I didn't want to be the type of person that smoked.

Now, I feel in control and more confident. Hypnosis helped to eliminate the cravings and urges for cigarettes. The best benefits that I've received from Laura's services are that my health is better, my clothes don't stink, and I don't have burn holes in everything.

I still live with a smoker and go out for breaks with a woman who smokes, but I don't have any desire to join in. I decided to stop smoking before Christmas because I thought that if I could get through that than I could probably get through anything. I would definitely recommend Laura's services to anyone who wants to stop smoking because she makes it a lot easier. I am confident that I'm a nonsmoker permanently because there hasn't been a time when I've really wanted a cigarette since my first session.

Stop Smoking: Amy

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.

Stop Smoking: Marcus

Marcus Rice
Interactive Producer
Austin, TX

I was smoking a pack a day for 15 years and I've been a nonsmoker for two months now. I have more energy and I'm sleeping better now. I also noticed that I don't have a smoker's cough anymore.

In the past, I'd tried Xanax to stop smoking and that didn't work at all. I also quit cold turkey eight years ago, but when I was under a lot of stress I started smoking again. Whenever I tried to quit, I would realize that I either didn't want to or that I couldn't do it.

My boss asked me if I would consider stopping smoking if he paid for it. I'd been thinking about trying to quit and I'd read an article about hypnosis in the paper a couple of months ago that sounded interesting. I looked up A New Day Hypnosis on Citysearch and read through the testimonials. It sounded like something that I wanted to try and I felt like it would be a good starting point for me.

The change in my behavior was pretty immediate and I quit after the first session. I started to become aware of the fact that I'd gone to cigarettes for a lot of different reasons and connected smoking to a lot of different experiences. Every time I got anxious, I would notice a desire there, but it wasn't overwhelming the way that it used to be. Once I addressed it, I was able to move on. Recently, I went on my first long drive without smoking. I still have those moments where I say to myself "Something's different", and then I realize "Oh yeah, I'm not smoking like a chimney anymore".

Once I flipped that switch, it was easier for me. I feel more in control now. I had a friend who tried to quit smoking and he was a miserable person to be around and now he's started up again. He keeps telling me that it's gonna get worse for me and I let him know that I'm past that now. I know that now it's just a matter of having all of those "first times" again when I'm doing things as a nonsmoker. I'll even notice that I go days without thinking about it. At this point, I can't remember the last time that I thought about cigarettes. Because I've been able to quit smoking, I feel more confident about my ability to make other changes in my life. I feel like a nonsmoker permanently because I don't have the desire to smoke and I've learned new ways to deal with stress so that I won't go back to it. I would recommend A New Day Hypnosis to anyone who wants to stop smoking because it's worked for me.

Stop Smoking: Mark

Mark Peterson
Spa Worker
Austin, TX

I'd been a smoker for 20 years and I've been tobacco free for three months now. I was smoking a pack a day and I thought that because of the stress of my job there was no way that I could ever quit. I would get so wound up at the desk at work and I would release it when I had a cigarette. I had doubts because of my many failures at quitting in the past.

I'd tried quitting with willpower alone and it was always a battle, I was just looking for justification to go back to smoking. I'd try, give up, and try again and it never worked out. I tried the lozenge, but my addiction hasn't ever been physical, so it didn't do anything for me. I felt frustrated that I was spending money on something that was killing me. After a while I just felt like an idiot, but I couldn't stop. Cigarettes were the mortar between the bricks for me. I thought that it was holding me together.

I smoked like a fiend the day that I met with Laura, but I still managed to quit after my first session. It was surprisingly easy. I've found that I don't get as upset and I'm a lot more even keel now. I feel better about myself and I'm proud because I've been trying forever and have been amazed that I did it. I was shocked the first time I noticed how strong the smell was when someone walked in after a cigarette and I wanted to write an apology to anyone that I'd subjected to my stinky tobacco smell.

Hypnosis has calmed me down and everyone around me has been amazed. The temptation to smoke has never been the Battle Royale that I remembered when I'd quit in the past. My level of desire to smoke has been equivalent to a movie that you kind of wanted to see, but the show was sold out. It was just an "oh well, that's kind of a bummer" type of feeling. I would sometimes feel temptation, but it was always manageable. It's felt right to stay tobacco free this time and it hasn't been a struggle.

I feel much more in control now. I feel more confident and I know that I'm bigger and stronger than the addiction. Hypnosis has eliminated the urges and cravings for me. I can't believe the ease of achieving something that after repeated attempts I hadn't been able to achieve on my own.

I would recommend Laura's services in a heartbeat to anyone who wants to stop smoking. Hypnosis has helped me to rise above the limitations that I believed about myself. In fact, when I decided to try hypnosis, there were two other people at work who were going to quit at the same time that I did. They both backed out and, of the three of us, I would have bet on either of those two before I'd bet on myself.

I was such a long shot and that's where I credit A New Day Hypnosis for helping me to get success. Also four days after I quit smoking, I faced one of the hardest losses that I could endure when my dog of thirteen years died. She was my buddy and she had been through so much with me, but I still didn't break. I've faced such a huge test and survived it, so now I'm confident that I'm a nonsmoker permanently.

Stop Smoking: Paige

Paige Martin
Office Manager
Austin, TX

I'd been a social smoker for several years, but it was never a habit until I got married. After our wedding day, it had been a social weekend and we had a pack left when we got home. We said we'd quit after we finished it, but it just continued from there until it had been a year and a half and we were still smoking. I always coped with stress with cigarettes. My husband I would try to quit, but it always turned into fights and I would feel stressed and want to smoke. I would find out he'd had a cigarette and get really mad. I considered myself the weakest link when it came to quitting and I couldn't stick with it.

I always tried to talk myself out of smoking and I even tried to quit with the patch, but it burned my skin, so I gave up. I always hoped that it was something that I could break through, but it was just so hard. My friends hated it and I always got lectures, but it didn't phase me. I felt out of control and it was awful. I never told my family that I smoked, so I would make up excuses to run errands so that I could sneak cigarettes in the car. I was lying to them and I couldn't control my urges. I realized that I was also getting sick a lot. I had bronchitis and didn't smoke, but once I got better I decided that I could really use one.

I found A New Day Hypnosis when I did a Google search and read some reviews on citysearch. People had good things to say about the business, so I decided to call. I knew that I was ready for it to be over; I just needed some assistance to get there. I've always believed in alternative therapies and I thought it would be worth giving it a try.

I've been tobacco free for a month now. I feel a lot better physically and I'm exercising more. I can exercise for longer periods of time each day and I'm building up more stamina and I'm not out of breath as much. Through the day I've been feeling healthier and more positive and I see new improvements all the time. I feel better about myself and I don't stink anymore or have to worry constantly that my family is going to find out. My husband has seen that this is working for me and I'm done with it, which will make it easier for him to quit when he's ready.

Now I can safely get in my car and do what I have to do without even thinking about having a cigarette. It's a good feeling to reach my goals. I found things to replace the smoking and I've started taking more time to think about what makes me happy. Just driving home and not having to think about cigarettes has made it so much easier. I would definitely recommend A New Day Hypnosis because it works. I feel empowered and in control of my life and I know that I'm tobacco free permanently because I've worked so hard to achieve this goal and there's no way that I would give up on myself now that I've come so far.

Stop Smoking: Patricia

Patricia S.
State Employee
Austin, TX

I've been tobacco free for over a month now and I quit after my first session. I've been a smoker on and off for about ten years and after quitting I've noticed that I don't feel sick to my stomach and I'm more clear-headed.

I decided to call A New Day Hypnosis after I read a testimonial on Craigslist and I decided that I wanted to quit permanently too. Right now I have a low stress job and I decided that this would be the easiest time to quit. I've tried to stop smoking with cold turkey, gum, and I even went to a hypnotherapist in Houston. I was able to quit for six months on two different occasions, but I started again both times. I felt out of control with my smoking and it was very distressing. I didn't like the way that it made me feel, but I felt really compelled to smoke. In general it made me feel crappy and kept me from really wanting to exercise. I didn't like it, but I felt like I didn't have another way to deal with the things that were stressing me out.

Hypnosis helped me to eliminate urges and cravings and made it easier for me. Overall, this has been a painless process. I learned how to cope with different situations and not automatically turn to cigarettes. I feel more in control now and it's much nicer. It's a relief that I'm able to get through a stressful time without having to turn to a substance. I feel a lot more confident now and I feel proud of myself. My mindset had been so focused on what I was doing wrong that I forgot what I was doing right.

I have a much stronger focus on positive aspects of myself and the most important benefit that I've received is the step up in self confidence. It helps me not to smoke anymore and it's also helping me in other areas of my life. I would recommend A New Day Hypnosis because after the first session the suggestion was so strong that I found myself compelled in a new direction. Since my first session, I've worked on other issues that used to cause me to smoke and each time I've been able to take away another piece of the puzzle. This has been much more effective and successful than doing just one session because there are so many other factors that are being addressed. I'm confident that I'm a nonsmoker because I just don't feel like one anymore. I sometimes feel like I had this dream that I used to smoke, but I woke up. It doesn't feel like a part of my identity and that makes me feel great.

UPDATE: I just wanted to share my happy ending with you and let you know that I'm coming up on TWO YEARS now since I did the stop-smoking hypnosis with you and that's really great!

UPDATE Jan 2010: I'm actually just writing because I've been meaning to send you an update. In October I celebrated my 3-year anniversary as a non-smoker, since quitting smoking with you and your wonderful hypnotherapy services. I still feel like I never smoked! I rave about Laura and about hypnotherapy for quitting smoking whenever I talk about my own success. I still feel like the amazing quality of services I received from A New Day Hypnosis is the best I've ever received.