 |
| kick tobacco with EFT |
And, once again, I have been lured away from my healthy lifestyle by the desire to roll a cigarette. I don't smoke daily, I don't smoke often, but I do like rolling my own sometimes - however before I know it, one becomes two and then I'm hooked again.
Half my life I've had a tobacco habit. It is time to say goodbye. Which is easy when I'm feeling strong, but old friends are old friends and they don't always go easy.
This was my plan of action:
- Step one - I smoked for a couple of weeks knowing I was going to stop - somehow this made sense. I do this with wheat and dairy too - enjoy them before I bin them.
- Step two was getting annoyed and depressed that I was smoking - these feelings led to anger which, if channeled properly is a great creative force and propels us to take action
- Step three involved seeking out a friend trained in Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)
EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique)
EFT is a combined force of Chinese medicine (acupressure points) and psychology, however there are no needles and no couch counselling. It works on the basis that all physical conditions, including addictions, are rooted in our emotions - and thoughts and memories etc.
Otherwise known as the 'tapping' therapy, EFT uses the acupressure points to access the deep channels of energy that run along certain meridian lines.
The session began with questions & answers:
- How do I feel when I smoke - annoyed at myself I replied
- Why annoyed? Because I was letting myself down
- What do I enjoy about smoking? - the social aspect, the shared moments smokers have, the thrill of tobacco in my veins
- Why do I want to stop? I'm too old for this. It doesn't look good, it smells bad. That and a silent fear of cancer and so on
The questions gave the therapist the right amount of information which she turned into affirming phrases that honestly reflected my situation - warts an all - and these phrases were then spoken aloud by her and repeated by me, all the while we were tapping acupressure points on the head, face, collarbones, wrist and fingers.
I resisted at one point - I was bored and thought surely this silly tapping won't stop me smoking. But I recognised the resistance as a mental obstruction designed to stop my progress - so continued tapping and repeating.
After the session I felt strong and positive, as though the EFT has boosted my determination.
Something as strong as addiction will require a two, or three, pronged attack. And willpower has to be at the heart of any treatment or therapy... but as choices go, EFT does get straight to the emotional aspect, which plays a key role in illness and recovery.
It's been three days since the session and I haven't smoked - but neither have I been in any tempting circumstances, so I'll keep my fingers crossed.
For more info on EFT for stopping smoking, click here