Non-smokers retreat
Interesting but disturbing facts about tobacco
- Smoking is an “Empty Habit.” An empty habit is one that once had psychological or social meaning, but no longer does.
- Every cigarette deprives you of four minutes of life.
- If you tried to drink a pure vial of nicotine, you would be dead before you finished the vial. You just die slower since the nicotine in cigarettes is filtered.
- One ordinary cigar may contain two lethal doses of nicotine.
- There have been many more warnings about the dangers of smoking than there have been ways to stop the habit.
- Three out of four smokers express a desire to quit, and 60% have tried unsuccessfully to stop at least once.
The Effects of Smoking On The Digestive System and Liver
Smoking helps cause heartburn, peptic ulcers, and liver problems. In addition, smoking changes the way food is processed. Heartburn occurs when the lining of the esophagus comes into contact with stomach juices. To prevent this from happening, there is a ring-like one-way valve at the junction where the esophagus and stomach meet. Normally, this valve allows food to go one way into the stomach without back washing. However, smoking weakens the valve allowing stomach acids to backup into the esophagus. Also, smoking transports harsh bile salts into the stomach, causing further irritation. Finally, smoking injures the esophagus directly, so it is more vulnerable to cancer-causing substances.
Smoking also damages the liver, which is often called the body’s chemical factory. Its over 500 functions include blood cell repair, detoxifying poisons and alcohol, processing nutrients, and making energy available to the body. So vital is the liver that without it we die. The important point is that although the liver can take a great deal of abuse, it is vital and vulnerable. Smoking shortens its life, and without it, life is not possible.
On a positive note, there is some evidence that damage to the digestive system ends when smoking is stopped. But at some point the damage becomes permanent. When you stop smoking your lungs and heart benefit.
Smoking actually lowers the HDL good cholesterol, the kind that reduces the risk of blood plaques in the arteries. Therefore, even if you are trying to eat right, if you still smoke you may be fighting a losing nutritional battle.
- Smoking Releases Tension and Helps Me To Relax (Calms My Nerves)
- Smoking Helps Me to Feel More Confident in Social Situations
- I Find Smoking Pleasurable (Smell, Taste, and Sight)
- I Smoke Because I Am Bored
- I Smoke Because I Need To Be Doing Something All The Time, Especially With My Hands.
- All My Friends Smoke
- Smoking Makes Me Look More Like A Mature Adult
- Smoking Helps Me Keep My Body Weight Under Control.
- Smoking Helps Me Maintain Control When I Become Angry
- Self Destructive Tendencies
- Peer Pressure
- Defiance of Parental Injunctions Not To Smoke
- Sexual Sublimation
- Visualization of the “Breath of Life”
- Hidden Self-Destructive Wish
- Wish To Feel In Control (When you are in control of your life you will not need to be in control of your death.)
- An Excuse For a Break From Work Tasks
- You will breathe easier.
- Your sense of taste and smell will improve.
- You will have more energy.
- You will have more money. It is like giving yourself a raise.
- Your overall health risks eventually decrease.
- Your heart will not have to work so hard.
- You will have more self-confidence and a feeling of personal empowerment.
- Other people will not be disturbed by your smoking behavior.
- Your body will love being free of tobacco, which is its natural state.
What is Clinical Hypnosis?
Hypnosis can be defined as an altered state of awareness, consciousness, or perception. In simple terms, hypnosis is a highly relaxed state in which the client’s conscious and unconscious mind is focused and receptive to therapeutic suggestion. When Hypnosis is used for treating a defined problem or addressing a specific need, this is called clinical hypnosis. It is a special form of communication that increases motivation and the ability to control physical responses and behavior. Hypnotherapy is frequently used in conjunction with other forms of psychotherapy. Hypnotic treatment is only one tool, and when used by itself, the treatment is usually short-term.
Almost everyone has experienced one form or another of hypnotic trance at some time in his or her life. Think of those times when you were driving on an expressway and caught yourself briefly unaware of what you were doing, or when you or your children were so engrossed in a TV program that you were unaware that someone else had entered the room. The unconscious mind is responsible for the ease with which we automatically tie a shoelace, button a shirt, or sign our name. There is nothing to fear, because hypnosis is a safe procedure when used professionally. The relaxation you will experience will be pleasant and refreshing.
In a state of heightened suggestibility, such as hypnosis, we focus attention on new ideas, new learning, and new experiences that are imprinted in the unconscious and become automatic responses.
Trance is a natural process, however everyone is unique and therefore people often experience hypnosis differently. There is no right or wrong way to experience trance.