Some people lack the skills to be successful in their chosen careers. They believe the specialists they see to help them should do the work. They want solutions handed to them without doing anything.
A very large Russian woman once asked me to help her to quit smoking. In such a circumstance, the smoker must be actively involved in his/her own recovery. My approach is a simple. It is mandatory for the smoker to participate.
My quit-smoking program includes changing the brand of cigarettes, changing the location where you buy cigarettes, using matches, and cutting down by a specific number each week.
The Way It Works
This way the smoker gradually reduces the amount of nicotine in his system. On the day he actually quits, the amount of nicotine is so low, hardly any withdrawal symptoms exist. All nicotine, no matter how much or for how long, is gone within 72 hours of the final last smoke.
I presented my program to the Russian lady. In her pronounced accent, she said succinctly:
“I sit in chair. You hypnotize me. I no smoke.”
After three sessions, she had not followed any of my instructions. I became irate as I reminded her I could not make her quit.
Here is a successful program, I told her. When you follow it, you will quit smoking.
She, however, was stubborn. At each session she would say. “I come. I sit. You hypnotize me. I no smoke.”
After three session she stopped coming, convinced hypnosis was not working for her.
Remember that in every case, no matter what you may see or hear in the media, no one can be hypnotized if he or she does not want to be.
It requires a willingness to allow hypnosis to occur. I tell all clients that if they follow the instructions, they will have a beneficial experience. I say I cannot do for them. They must.
A somnambulist would be the lone exception. Outside of hypnotherapy a somnambulist is a sleepwalker. Inside hypnotherapy, a somnambulist is a deep level hypnotic candidate. He will go to the deepest level of hypnosis within seconds. Changes he seeks to make will swiftly occur. A somnambulist may require no more than one or two sessions. A non-somnambulist could need six or more.
(A somnambulist is what a stage hypnotist looks for to participate in his show.)
Just Let Me Listen
Another client asked me to deal with her addiction. She put herself down, did not believe she could accomplish any change. She invested her time, energy and faith in me to break her addiction. She found a stack of excuses to ignore what was asked of her. The result was she remained an addict.
I was a useless hypnotist, she said. She felt I should be forcing her to change. I explained I never could force anyone. Unless she followed what was asked of her, she would not succeed.
At her third session, she said she would not return. Hypnosis was not working. I encouraged her that when ready, she might follow the suggestions I had given her. Success was in her reach. I offered her a self-hypnosis CD to help resolve her issue.
For several weeks, I heard nothing. One day she called to apologize to me – and thank me. The self-hypnosis CD had been valuable in her success. She merely stopped waiting for someone to solve her problem. The result was everything that she wanted.
Remember that hypnosis helps anyone willing to try.
Do not hesitate to contact me by telephone, 310.204.3321, or by email at nickpollak@hypnotherapy4you.net. See my website at www.hypnotherapy4you.net
