Stop Smoking Hypnosis Metaphor

A hypnosis script for motivation to stop smoking

Many clients who want to stop smoking say they need some motivation to get through the first few weeks. This Stop Smoking Motivation script uses an usual effect, a story based on a woman going to consult a hypnotist. That then leads to a magic place from childhood where the reason for smoking is discovered and thrown away.

Then a second metaphor is used to create self esteem, to reverse any problems from childhood that might be preventing stopping smoking. This returns to the first metaphor of getting rid of the problem and reinforces it.

Finally the session finishes with a direct suggestion self esteem section.

 

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	Induction
	[Do your usual induction]
	Stop Smoking Metaphor Story Section
	I wonder if I ever told about this woman I knew... about your age... and she was not feeling really happy in her life... she was wondering why things hadn't worked out the way she hoped... she felt she had done everything that she should have done... and yet still it wasn't working		Metaphor
	and she wasn't really sure what it was she wanted anyway... but she knew that the way she was living now just wasn't it... there had to be something else...
	and so she went to this guy.... and asked him what to do...		Resource
	and he said.... 'Well... you know... you really have to go home... and look inside that house... look inside that place where you have lived all your life... and you will find the answer there'.		Ambiguity instruction
	And she didn't know what he was talking about.
	But she went home anyway... she went to that place and she started thinking about the whole of her life and how things had worked out... about her parents and growing up.... meeting people... about how she got a house... a partner... and her family and her children...
	and she realized there was some sort of gap there... and she began to look into the gap... to think about it... and in that gap... she noticed that there was a way in... a way into that...
	and so she found a way to get into the gap... she squeezed into it... and got through to the other side...
	Find the problem and discard it
	and she found herself in this really strange old fashioned sort of house... and there were rooms everywhere... and as she looked at these rooms she realized that one of them was the earliest room she could remember.... it was where she was when she was a little kid...		Metaphor object
	and then there was another room after that... which was a bit older... it changed and there was the kitchen she remembered... and the hallway... and looking around she found there were all these other rooms...		Links to childhood
	and then she noticed something she hadn't seen before... there was a door there. Like a door to a cupboard... or a closet.. something like that..		New resource
	and she thought... 'I have never been in there'.
	and she opened that closet door... and it's quite small inside... and there was a box... like a big toy box or something... or maybe it was tool chest... it is hard to see in the dark...
	But there was this box...and it had her name on it... and she thought... it must be mine!
	and with a feeling of excitement, she opened this box... and inside was all sorts of stuff that she had forgotten about... and she picked out the first thing... and it was a favorite toy from long ago... and she remembered seeing that.. and thought 'Wow, I wonder what else is in here? I had forgotten all about that!'
	And she picked out different things... and one of them was a school book... from years ago... and she could see her handwriting in it... and marks from the teacher... and there were other things in there... there were things from when she was a teenager that she had forgotten about... there was clothes and shoes... all sorts of jumble... all sorts of stuff in there...
	and she began to take all these things out... and some of them were not that nice... there was stuff in there that she thought 'Well I don't want that any more'. She had forgotten about it... but there was a good reason to forget about it... and those ones... she put aside... to put into the rubbish to throw out later.
	and she kept digging through... and she was looking at diaries... and photos... and stuff like that... and then she dug right down to the bottom...		reminders of times past
	and in the bottom was something wrapped up... wrapped up in cloth of some sort... she wondered 'What will this be'.
	and she reached in with both hands, it was quite heavy... and lifted it out... slow but heavy... And she started thinking.. I think this is what I have been looking for... I think I have finally found out why I am doing the things I am doing... what's making me keep doing this...		develop the metaphor object
	And she put it down on the ground and thought about it... and wondered.. 'Do I really want to know?' And in the end she thought... 'Yes, I am going to open it. I am going to see what is in there'.
	And she started unwrapping it... and she unwrapped it... and it seemed a little lighter.. and she unwrapped it a bit more... and more and more cloth and paper and stuff come off... and it got lighter still... and she got to wondering 'what on earth is in this?'		Incremental change
	and she began to get quite excited... and she kept unwrapping it... until eventually, right in the middle.... there was this little heavy dark thing...
	and she couldn't quite see what it was in the dim light... and she weighed it in her hand.... felt the texture... and she thought 'Is this it? Is this all? Is this what is holding me back?'
	And she thought about that thing in her hand, and she thought... 'If I throw this thing away... my life will be different'.
	And she wondered... 'Am I safe to do that? Would it be OK if I throw this away?' And she thought about that.		Safety
	What do you think she should do, [Clientname]? Tell me what you think she should do.		Get permission
	[Await response. Whatever the response is, develop it]
	Throw it away.
	Yeah, that's what she did. She threw it away. She put it out for the rubbish collection, along with all that other stuff... all that old stuff... and took all the good stuff, and put them back in the box... and shut the box... and she shut the door... And she thought.. 'that's my secret place... that's where I can go anytime I need to connect with what is good... happy memories... any time I feel bad I can look into the box... and take those things out and look at them... remember all the good stuff... feel how good that is... all the happy things... all the stuff I liked... and just knowing that box was there made a difference to her.		Develop the metaphor
	And then she looked at all the other stuff... all those broken things... and she got a brush... and swept them all together... and gathered them up.. and dumped them into a bag... swept up every last little bit... even the broken bits... and put them into the bag... and then she sealed the bag... and just to be sure... she put them all into another bag... and she sealed that...
	and then she took a hold of it and lifted it... and it was actually really heavy... and she dragged it out of that place... and she dragged it through that old house... and you know... as she did... everything began to feel light... everything began to feel right...
	and she was dragging that bag... and she pulled it right through that gap... right back outside again... and you know, once she was through the gap... that bag looked really small... it looked quite insignificant... and she thought... 'Well, I don't need this'. and even just thinking that made her feel better...
	And so she took that bag...and she went outside.... outside into the sunshine... and as soon as the sun hit it... it got smaller still... and the time she got to the bin... it was just tiny... and she just dropped it in the bin, and put the lid on it... and went inside and washed her hands...		Another metaphor
	and as she watched the water going down the drain... she realized that it is all washed away now... and she felt clean and fresh...
	And she said to herself 'I can do anything'		quote
	and you know that 'You can do anything now'.		quote
Behaviour	She went outside again and everything looked different. Because everything was different. She knew that that box was there... full of good stuff, there when she wanted it... when she needed it... and she realized that she had found that thing that had been holding her back... and threw it away.
Behavior	And you know what, the first thing that woman did was to take a holiday... she just gathered up all the people she liked... and went and had a break. I don't know if she went to the seaside or to the country... maybe she went overseas... but when she came back.. it was like she was different. You could tell she was different, she took more pride in her appearance... she was choosing bright colours... she laughed a lot... and she looked healthier... because... you know... she had stopped smoking... she began to look after her health... look after her body... she began to look a lot younger too... everything about her was just radiant.	I
	and the last thing I remember her saying was that 'it is like I dropped some old ugly thing and walked away from it, and it's not in my life any more, and it has been taken away and dumped and I don't even know where it is and I don't care'.		Indirect quotation
Identity	It has gone out of my life for ever. I have changed.	D
	And from that day on, she was different. She had changed. And that was the really good thing.
	So now, take a deep breath, take a deep breath and just go Haaaa.... And then one more breath and let your mind clear, allow yourself to drift away.		Test the client ha not gone to sleep
	I wonder if you have some old thing that you can dump, or maybe you have dumped it already? And you are ready to go on. I think you are ready to go on.		Bind
	Seeing your Life on Stage Section
	I want you now to think about going on a journey... to some town you have been to before... a familiar place, but you find yourself in a different part... and you realize that there are parts you have never been to...	M	Second metaphor
	and you go down this side street and you come across this tiny little theatre... and it used to be a movie theatre.... but that went bust years ago... and now it's got seats inside, and it's got a stage... and it's beautiful inside... all that old decoration from a bygone age...
	and you take a seat, and you look up at the stage... and on that stage... the curtain opens... and out comes a woman...
	and she says... 'this is a special performance for you. This is your life'.
	and on that stage she introduces your mother... and your mother comes out... and you mother looks at you... and says to the woman 'I think [clientname] was the best thing that ever happened in my life. I loved her so much. I still do. Maybe I never told her enough'.		Self esteem section
	And on that stage, your father appears. And he puts his arm around your mother. And says 'We did good, didn't we. We did something good in creating [Clientname]'. And they both look at you, and they go and sit down on the stage.		Validated by parents
	And then someone else comes on stage. And it's a teacher from long ago. And the teacher says to that woman... 'She was a lovely girl. I remember her well. She was full of fun and joy and laughter, all the other kids really liked her'. And as the teacher says that, some younger people come out, and they say... 'Yes, we remember being at school with her... she was great, we remember being out their playing, laughing, having a good time... '.		Validated by authority figures
	And then more people come out... people from when you were a teenager... and they are saying 'Yeah we remember her, still see her now and again... she's a lovely woman... Everyone knows that. Everyone likes her. And, yeah she was a bit of a troublemaker sometimes... a bit unhappy sometimes... but that was OK. Mostly she was great'.		Validated by peers
	And them more people come out. And you see old boyfriends, old girlfriends, and the stage is filling up with all these people.... all the people that your life has touched...		Validated by peers
	and then you own children are there... and their friends... all the people who used to come round to your house when they were kids... and their parents...		Validated by juniors
	and when you look at it, that stage is filled with people that you have touched... whose life you have changed... people you have helped, people you have spoken with... there are hundreds and hundreds of them... and they are all looking at you... and they are saying... 'it is time now, [clientname] for you get up and join us on the stage. What is holding you back?'.		Validated by friends
	And you think.... 'I have this fear that I won't be able to stop smoking. And I have some other fears. I fear I won't be able to leave this place'.
Capability	and the people on the stage say 'Come one [clientname], you can do it'.	I	Indirect quote
	Leave the problem behind
	And you stand up... and as you stand up, with that slight movement, something changes inside... you feel something alters... and you move away from the seat... and you look back... and you see that there is something back there... something has detached from you... something left behind... something you never even knew you were carrying.... and it is lying there... inert... unmoving... and you look at it ... and you think... that was what was holding me back....		Metaphor action - use the approval to walk away from the problem
Identity	but now I know differently... that's the thing I threw away... and now I have the power to walk away from it...	D
	and at the side of the stage there are steps going up... and you start walking up those steps... and with each step... it is like you are coming out of a dark place... emerging out of a fog... and each step makes it lighter... everything feels bright and happy... better...	M
	and come up those steps... and you stand on that stage... and everyone on the stage begins to applaud... and they gather around you... and the woman who started it is standing there with that big book... and she says '[Clientname]... this is the book of your life. All these people here represent the past. But in the rest of this book there are hundreds of empty pages'.
	And she gives you the book. And says 'Now you can fill out the rest of the book, with whatever you want, you can write in it to tell how the story ends... to get the life you want... to fill the pages with it with all the pe0ple you want round you... with pictures of yourself the way you want to be... the way you can be.... because now... you can be anything you want... '.
	and you walk up to the centre of the stage... and you look out to where you were sitting... and as you do.. the lights in the theatre go down... so the stage is illuminated, but everything else gets dark... and from the stage you can't even see the seats anymore...
	and then you find that everything begins to shrink... and the stage gets bigger and bigger... big and bright... and you realize that you are beginning to spin around... and you feel y0urself floating out of there...
	floating out of that place and all those people are still applauding you... and you are proud of what you have done.... and you realize that you are free now...	>
	You will never ever feel that urge to smoke again.	D
	you learned the secret and you left it in that place... you threw it away... that thing has gone now...
	Self Esteem Direct Suggestion
	And you find yourself back in the street... and you go round the corner... and you are back in a familiar place... you recognize all the buildings and the shops... everything... and you know you are nearly home...
	and everyone in the street is smiling as they pass you ... and you smile back...
	and as you walk along that street you see a shop window and you stop and look in it... and it is filled with lovely things...
Identity	and you see yourself reflected in the window.. and in that reflection... you see a beautiful woman... calm and serene... a woman who looks confident... a woman who knows what she is doing and where she is going... a woman who has taken charge of her life... a woman who knows who she is and is proud of who she is... who knows where she came from and knows where she is going...	I
	a woman who knows that now, finally, that old problem is over. And she is taking control. And looks right into you, connects to you... and you feel a warmth... a confidence... growing in you... you feel that strength... you feel yourself standing upright...
	Looking at yourself this way and that in the reflection, and you see yourself beautifully dressed... at your ideal weight... exactly how you want to be...
	and in the background are all those people... smiling and applauding... happy for you...
	and you know now that you are ready to walk on... and all those good things will always be with you... as you go forward now... to a new life... a healthy life... a better life in every way... and you are ready for that now... you are ready to shape a new life... to make things happen... to get fit and healthy and happy...
Capability	and you can do this... you know you can do this... and its like there is a little voice in the back of your head saying 'I know how to do this, I have done this before... I can feel it working now... '	D
Capability	and it is working now	D
Identity	so when you open your eyes... you will be a different person. You will feel different because you are different.
Capability	And you realize that this is the most important thing you have done in your life... and you have a whole long happy life ahead of you... where you can choose what you want... and you can do what you want... you can be what you want...	D
Capability	you can make it happen [client name]... it is time to show them... it is time to stand up... it is time to go forward... with strength and purpose... to start your new life... it's waiting for you...	D
	Reorientation
	And so in a minute... you can start counting from five up to one... when you get to one you will be back in the present full alert ... and ready to start that new life... and knowing that something wonderful had changed for you... all that old stuff has gone... it's over...
	so when you are ready ... start counting silently to yourself ... from five up to one.... Now.