How do I know hypnosis will work for me? You already know intellectually that smoking is dangerous to your health. You have all the frightening facts and negative information, yet you continue to smoke. What are the lies you have been telling yourself?

Myth #1--I will gain weight. Actually, many people who have used hypnosis to become non-smokers end up reducing their weight! In my experience, the people afraid of gaining weight are those who gain the weight. You see, here is the predicament that most smokers often find themselves in who have tried to quit "cold turkey" (i.e., without any help or preparation): the weight gain becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. They hear repeatedly from others who have tried the cold turkey method that quitting smoking causes weight gain. So when they stop smoking their fear of weight gain causes them to continue skipping meals like a smoker or they substitute junkfood for cigarettes. The hitch is this: skipping meals or substituting fatty junk foods with too many refined carbohydrates in products made from white sugar or white flour causes weight gain! So, without adequate preparation, if you expect to gain weight then you probably will. But it is not a cosmic law; you do have a choice. Drinking water, eating healthier food, and exercising moderately are better subsitutes for smoking, and the best ways to boost your metabolism, keeping your weight in check.

Myth #2--I can't stop because I'm addicted. This is simply untrue. You can stop if you really want to stop. The word "can't" is the problem here-I know, I was a smoker for 5 years. The "addiction mindset" defeats the will, not the substance itself. What is the addictive substance in gambling or shopping? I have helped 2 pack a day smokers of 40 years walk out of my office feeling like they have never smoked before in their lives. In fact, in 1997, secret tobacco industry documents revealed that the amount of nicotine found in most brands was not addictive enough, people were still able to stop smoking. So research was conducted at a lab in Oakland, CA on how to genetically alter the tobacco plant to produce even more nicotine! That did not work, so now additives are used in tobacco to make nicotine become more rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream instead. Let's face it, anything that give us a "rush" can be habit forming.

For a facinating look at how women in America were first manipulated to smoke, I recommend the first segment of the four part BBC series "The Century of Self". (We basically have Freud's own nephew, Edward Bernays to thank, who introduced psychology into advertising and induced the American public to buy things on the basis of subconscious desire, not practical need.)

Myth #3--The smoking habit is more difficult to quit than heroin. Do not fool yourself. It is not because nicotine is more addictive than heroin! Cigarettes are cheap, legal, readily available, glamorized in movies, not debilitating, and easy to use. Heroin is illegal, expensive, not very glamorous, very debilitating, and you have to stick a needle in your arm to use it. It does not take a rocket scientist to understand why some junkies find it is easier to stop using heroin than cigarettes. The fact is, when the price of heroin goes down, the rate of heroin addiction goes up. So now that the price of cigarettes is rising, more and more smokers are quitting!

Myth #4--I can't make it through the withdrawal symptoms. As the body comes back to normal, often new non-smokers mistake both the natural fluctuations in their blood sugar levels and unfamiliar cravings for "withdrawal symptoms". Low blood sugar can cause irritability, nervousness, nausea, headaches, stomachaches, dizziness and cravings. They experience these symptoms because for quite some time they have substituted nicotine (an appetite suppressant and stimulant) for the normal craving for food! Ask a diabetic what it is like to have low blood sugar; for them the symptoms are quite severe. (85 years ago adult onset diabetics were locked up in mental institutions.) So the people who stop smoking suddenly, like jumping from a fast moving train, are unprepared for the blood sugar issue. They jump back on the smoking train when their blood sugar dives because they rationalize that they are "addicted". The fact is, it only takes 3 days (72 hours) for the body to remove the nicotine. Managing your blood sugar with 3 sensible meals a day and healthy snacks in between makes the process a whole lot smoother than you ever thought possible.

The TRUTH is, you already know all you need to know about the dangers of smoking. It is not information that you are lacking, it is motivation! You have two choices: bad news from the doctor (away from the negative) or taking a proactive step that is in your best interest (toward the positive). Obviously the negative has not stopped you or you wouldn't be reading this. My program focuses on the positve. Do you really want to spend the rest of your life thinking about the tumors in your lungs you are not going to get? And according to recent article covered by the Associated Press, the FDA is investigating reports suggesting "increasingly likely" links with the new anitsmoking drug 'Chantix' and "depression, agitation, and suicidal behavoir." Apparently, medication is not yielding many positives, either.

To graduate from smoking and become a non-smoker, getting your subconscious mind inspired is the key! It contains your emotions and habit center, your intellect does not. Why do you think cigarette advertising is now so restricted? Advertising works on the subconscious mind, especially of young people! You need to get the message to your subconscious mind in a way that it can help you, not sabotage your efforts.

Hypnosis is the royal road to your powerful subconscious mind! With the help of hypnosis you can successfully become a non-smoker, focus on eating right, start exercising again, improving your overall health, begin managing your blood sugar like every other non-smoker does, and thus actually end up releasing weight as many of my clients do! My Stop Smoking Now! Programs meet the criteria for educational strategies to be listed as a community resource by the San Francisco Department of Public Health's Tobacco-Free Project and the California Smoker's 1-800-NO BUTTS Help Line for residents of San Francisco.

For those geographically indisposed (out of town), in my unique, on-line, 2 CD Stop Smoking NOW! Program I'll record a Personalized Session CD based on your specific needs with your own personal imagery and choice of background sounds that are meaningful to you, (Individuals respond better when they are treated as individuals, right?) and include my Relaxation Audio CD (with soft music background) for stress. Easy, step-by-step directions on how the program works will also be included. To get started today, go ahead and click on "Custom CD" at the bottom of this page and use my secure, instructional order form there. (You must be at least 18 years of age or submit written parental consent.)

For those living in the SF Bay Area, please click on "Contact Info" below to set up your FREE 1/2 hour consultation and hypnotic screening. My on-site program is GUARANTEED: if your habit returns for any reason, you are entitled to one free session per month for three years after your last session. Let's go ahead and get started TODAY!

Patty, San Francisco

Jim and Matthew, San Francisco

Reginald W, San Francisco

RP, San Francisco

Rick R, San Francisco

Alex C., London, UK

J, Ireland

Scot, Anchorage, AK

Eric, San Francisco

PK, San Francisco

Shep Mishkin, age 63, San Francisco

Keith, San Francisco

Kathy P., Lexington, SC

Cynthia, Martha's Vineyard, MA

Cameron, San Francisco

Deborah, San Francisco

Clive Philips, Theatre Technician, SF Opera

Lucio Manso, Food & Beverage Director, Vallejo

Greg Reniere, Investment Banker, San Francisco