Has anyone tried hypnotism as a means of reducing stress? I strongly suspect excess stress is leading to returning PMR symptoms for me.
I had stopped smoking for 6 months completely after hypnotism in January. going from 20/day to zero after 1 session. Am restarting smoking at about 1 cigarette/day in around 3- parts without inhaling now. Huge stress ongoing.
Mind over matter may work for me.
As you are responsive to hypnosis, I would certainly add it to your toolkit. During Coronavirus you could try the many apps available to obtain hypnosis on-line. Please stop flirting with the cigs. It will end in tears. Friends have found vaping a boon and even argue about the positive contribution that tobacco/ nicotine can make once the extreme prejudice associated with smoking is removed can be really beneficial. Perhaps like the Cannabis contribution and various conditions like uncontrolled epilepsy Sorry that you find yourself in a stressful place. You do need strategies to cope!
PMR and stress definitely don't play well together! But I suspect - neither does PMR and a smoke ...
There's something I didn't know... "Camel famously ran an advert saying : "More doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarette." theguardian.com/lifeandstyl...
I may have been hypnotised by that dayglo camel! I am definitely susceptible.
One of my friends is a GP and also trained in hypnosis. She did do a couple of sessions with me which were very relaxing at the time but had no lasting effect.
Meditation is the thing I've found helps the most. I now practice it everyday!
I think my January session was my 4th hypnotism.
First 2 were anti-smoking and only worked for a long weekend. 3rd was a madcap bit of fun [in a cemetery!] and worked really well on me. Last was the one that has kept me disinterested in smoking for 6 months. I find it fascinating that I was still going outside in mid-Winter and then realising that, as I don't [didn't] smoke, there was no need to be outside. All very strange.
I think that meditation only works for me whilst actually meditating. As soon as I stop meditating, I was ready to have a cig....!
I use meditation , there are so many guided meditations on YouTube for stress , anxiety, depression etc to learn different methods , there is a great beginners 30 day challenge just search , “JBittersweet “ that’s the one that got me started .
I also use cold treatment , showers and ice baths , brilliant for stress and anxiety , but start very slowly just 10 or 15 seconds at first , I stand happily under a cold shower for 5 minutes every morning , but it took time , and if you have any cardiac problems very slowly reduce the temperature, no shock treatment .
Ice baths and cold showers! Eeek. This is why I left Scotland! It all sounds a bit like my using the nicotine mouth spray which, for me, is like chilli peppers and certainly distracts my mind from smoking for around 5-10 minutes. It also prevents me from talking, thinking, or escaping from tigers or burning aeroplanes.
I shall continue to flirt with hypnosis as 6 months of altered mind is cost effective for me. I have asked if there is stress-relief hypnosis for PMR and wait to hear if the 'scripts' exist.
I shall check out your JBittersweet in the meantime. Many thanks.
I am a qualified Hypnotherapist- retired now due to ill health! I think it offers a potentially very easy way to relax and therefore de-stress. In these COVID days, you can find lots of pretty good guided visualisations on YouTube that are aimed at relaxation. If you are responsive to Hypnotherapy, then I would imagine you would find these useful. Sometimes we do find it easier when there is someone else doing the work for us and all we have to do is relax and listen!
Get well soon!
I must be very responsive. Last, most successful, event was totally unrelaxed as I was on a deeply uncomfortable chair throughout and very concerned that I would fall off or die of cramps. ...but 6 months before I touched puffed on another cigarette.
Relaxation is for my planned stress-free existence?
I am fairly certain that I listened throughout but afterwards I had no idea why I no longer smoked.
All very -and wonderfully- strange.
Apparently there is a script which the trainee can try on me for ceasing smoking... if I can ever find a safe travel route during Covid. I may report back. Wish me luck.
....and re-hpnotised in Sept 2020; completely stopped again; a mild craving about once a month? Easily dismissed. I remain amazed! 😀
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