If you are not afraid of what lurks within your subconscious mind, you might like to try using the potential of those regions to stop smoking cigarettes.
Autohypnosis is a set of techniques through which a person can reprogram their own subconscious in order to modify their behaviour.
This article looks at autohypnosis and how it can be of value to anyone looking to kick the habit.
What are suggestion and hypnosis? There are many misconceptions surrounding suggestion and hypnotism.
Foremost among these is that a state of hypnosis is a state of unconsciousness resembling sleep.
In some ways the exact opposite is true: hypnosis works by inducing a state of focused awareness, whether this be on a shiny object or some other instrument.
Suggestion is the process by which a person guides the thoughts, feelings or behaviour of another person, in this case themselves.
Hypnosis is a state of focused attention in which a person's susceptibility to suggestion is increased.
It can be thought of as a way of bypassing the border guards of the mind that screen all new ideas for suitability, and who reject those that are inappropriate by ensuring that they do not arise into the conscious attention.
Although the phenomenon of rejecting unwanted thoughts and impressions is essential to avoid living in a constant state of confusion, it can make changing unwanted behavioural patterns more difficult.
How to put yourself in a state conducive to suggestion The first stage is to relax.
Find a comfortable chair or lie down in a bed.
Consciously relax your lower legs and feet, alternately tensing and then relaxing the muscles.
Then work you way up to your thighs, stomach, chest, arms and neck.
If you take five minutes to do this your body should reach a certain state of peace that your mind will follow.
This process will disable the border guards of the mind and allow suggestion to creep through.
The next step is to go deep into a state of hypnotic induction.
There are many ways that this can be achieved, but if you're doing it yourself the best way is to imagine a relaxing scene.
Close your eyes and imagine yourself at a beach, cocktail in hand, a warm wind blowing over your body, and without a care in the world.
How to use suggestion to stop smoking cigarettes Once you are in a state where the gatekeepers of the subconscious mind are off their guard, you can begin to suggest to yourself that you are a non-smoker.
Tell yourself that you are about to awaken from a long nightmare in which you were a slave to tobacco.
Tell yourself that it is now over, and that you no longer have the desire to smoke cigarettes.
Tell yourself that you now understand the psychology of smoking, and that, because of this, behavioural patterns that were formerly addictions are now under your conscious control.
When you start believing this, imagine some situations in which you are a non-smoker.
Imagine being at a bar where someone offers you a cigarette, and you turn it down.
Imagine you come home from a long run and find a pack of cigarettes on your kitchen table, and you throw them into the garbage.
Imagine yourself going into a supermarket and not even looking at the tobacco stand, instead completing your purchase and leaving the store.
If you are sufficiently relaxed and use your imagination in a creative manner, you will find that your subconscious will adapt to the new information and make you inclined to stop smoking cigarettes.