You already know the reasons to quit. The challenge is getting your mind, habits and automatic responses on the same side.
I've helped hundreds of people quit smoking and stay smoke-free since 2012.
Call Michelle Send a Message See the 3-Session Package
Smoking and vaping can become connected with all sorts of things: stress, taking a break, driving, coffee, socialising, boredom, something to do with your hands — and that lovely big deep breath.
Smokers are actually experts at the big breath.
Rather than simply taking something away, we'll work with the habits, triggers and automatic responses that have kept smoking or vaping part of your life — and give your mind better ways to get what it was looking for.
With a cigarette there is usually a beginning and an end. You light it, smoke it, put it out and then have some time before the next one.
Vaping can be different.
A puff in the car. Another while you're working. One while you're watching TV.
Because you don't have to finish the whole thing, vaping can become woven through your day almost without you noticing.
It may also have fewer of the unpleasant cues associated with cigarettes, such as smoke, ash and lingering smell.
Whether it's a cigarette or a vape, we can work with the reach, the inhale, the deep breath, the break, the trigger and the expectation that comes before it.
Your program includes three individual hypnotherapy sessions plus two recordings you can use between sessions and afterwards.
We look at your smoking or vaping patterns, triggers and what the habit has been doing for you.
Then we work on changing those automatic associations and responses, with the aim of you leaving the session no longer wanting to smoke or vape.
We reinforce what's working, deal with anything that's surfaced and strengthen your new smoke-free or vape-free responses.
We consolidate the change and make sure you've got practical tools you can continue using yourself.
I don't want to take cigarettes or vaping away and leave you feeling more stressed or anxious.
If smoking or vaping has become one of the ways you've been coping, we'll look at what's underneath it and work on better ways to manage those feelings too.
Some people are also concerned about replacing cigarettes or vaping with food and gaining weight.
If that's a concern for you, we can work with those habits and responses as part of your sessions as well.
In Brain Reset, David Gillespie discusses Allen Carr’s approach to quitting smoking: changing how you see cigarettes, so stopping feels like gaining freedom rather than losing something valuable.
Here are ten ideas drawn from that discussion, summarised in plain English and adapted specifically for smoking.
Finding it hard to stop smoking doesn’t mean you’re weak or lacking character. Recognising the pull of nicotine and the routines built around cigarettes helps you understand what needs to change, without blaming yourself.
Carr’s central idea is that cigarettes can appear to solve a problem they help create. Smoking temporarily eases nicotine withdrawal, which can feel like stress relief. Notice the difference between dealing with life’s stresses and relieving the urge for another cigarette.
If quitting feels like losing a valued friend, it can seem much harder. Consider what freedom from smoking offers you: better health, more money, more time and less need to organise your day around cigarettes.
Gillespie describes Carr’s approach as making an intentional break with smoking. Choose your stopping point and remove cigarettes, lighters and ashtrays. Keeping an emergency packet can leave the door open to returning to the habit.
Think about when and where you usually smoke: with coffee, after meals, while driving, during a break or around other smokers. Write these situations down so you can prepare for them rather than being caught by surprise.
Give each trigger a practical response. After a meal, you might take a short walk. During a stressful moment, pause and breathe slowly. The aim is to know what you’ll do when the familiar routine calls for a cigarette.
You don’t need to handle every future situation today. Focus on getting through this day without smoking. Gillespie emphasises that the discomfort of withdrawal passes, although each person’s experience is different.
Gillespie places particular importance on contact with people who are quitting or have already quit. Sharing experiences can help you feel understood, and encouraging someone else can reinforce your own commitment.
Be mindful of automatically reaching for sweets or alcohol in place of cigarettes. Make room for things you enjoy, such as walking, spending time with friends, learning something new or getting absorbed in a hobby.
A cigarette doesn’t have to become a return to regular smoking. Look at what happened, adjust your plan and recommit. Treat the experience as something to learn from, rather than evidence that you cannot quit.
Adapted from David Gillespie’s discussion of smoking cessation in Brain Reset, including ideas from Allen Carr’s Easyway approach and peer-support programmes. This is an independent summary, not Allen Carr’s original ten-step list.
You'll also receive two recordings to support the work we do together.
A quick reset for those moments when you want to stop, breathe and get yourself back on target.
A longer reminder of the tools and responses you've developed, helping you reinforce your new way of thinking and behaving.
Smoke free you
I'm Michelle from On Target Hypnotherapy. I've been helping people make changes with hypnotherapy since 2012, including helping hundreds of people leave smoking behind.
My approach isn't about judging you for smoking or vaping, lecturing you about why you should quit, or relying on willpower.
You already know why you want to stop.
We'll concentrate on helping your automatic responses catch up with the decision you've already made.
Leave your details below and I'll get in touch for a chat about quitting smoking or vaping.
3-session package — $500
In-person hypnotherapy in Birtinya on the Sunshine Coast.
Call Michelle — 0487 748 302 Send Michelle a MessageHave a question first? Give me a call or send a message and we can have a quick chat about whether this is right for you.