| first three parts of this article series, we have | | | | The 15 year old child believes that smoking is an |
| discussed how the reasons a person started smoking | | | | important part of their life. They NEED smoking. It is |
| at an early age helped to build the psychological | | | | something to be protected. When the dangers of |
| smoking mechanism. This mechanism begins to | | | | smoking are discussed, you have them symbolically |
| operate beyond conscious control because the | | | | with fingers in the ears and a chorus of La, La, La, La, I |
| smoker has long since forgotten why they started | | | | can't hear you. |
| smoking. The first part of the process to remove | | | | A Real Life Example |
| smoking is to use special techniques to recall these | | | | My client, Bonnie Ryan, has graciously consented to |
| early reasons. The second part of the process is to | | | | have her story presented as an example of how the |
| examine and remove the reasons a person continues | | | | psychological smoking mechanism overrides the adult |
| to smoke. | | | | thinking mind. It was Bonnie's mother who died of lung |
| In this article, we will discuss why smokers ignore the | | | | cancer and yet, she refused to quit. It was too |
| serious health consequences of smoking. | | | | important to her. |
| What Would You Do? | | | | About nine years after her mother's death, Bonnie |
| You've been smoking for over 25 years. Your mother | | | | started having some problems with her lungs. It was |
| has been a smoker for over 40 years. She calls you | | | | only at this point she decided that she needed to stop |
| on the phone one day and says she's been diagnosed | | | | smoking. However, she really didn't want to quit. Bonnie |
| with lung cancer. You watch your mother deteriorate | | | | writes: |
| and a few months later, she passes away. As a | | | | "After smoking for 35 years, my health was |
| smoker, what would you do? | | | | deteriorating and I knew it was time to give up |
| If you are like a client of mine, you'd keep right on | | | | smoking. Emotionally, I grieved at the idea of losing |
| smoking! | | | | what I gained from smoking, and I was convinced that I |
| How Could This Be? | | | | gained a lot. Since my mother smoked through my |
| If you are part of the 76% of the population who are | | | | childhood, I could not even imagine being smoke-free |
| nonsmokers, you probably think this is outrageous. | | | | for the first time in my life." |
| How could a person see what cigarettes did to their | | | | You'll notice that she grieved at the idea of giving up |
| mother and continue to use them? | | | | smoking. It was like something very basic and sacred |
| It's the same reason that people have a hard time | | | | was being taken from her. Something that she |
| simply quitting cigarettes: | | | | NEEDED! |
| The Psychological Smoking Mechanism | | | | She of course, had heard all the health dangers of |
| This mechanism is created in most people before the | | | | smoking over the years but like most smokers, tuned |
| age of 18. The average age is around 15 although | | | | them out. She had convinced herself how important |
| some people start smoking even earlier. It is no | | | | smoking was to her well being. Watching her mother |
| accident that smoking starts during the time of puberty | | | | waste away and die of lung cancer was never |
| and the identity crisis. The identity crisis is an | | | | associated with her own smoking. It wasn't until she |
| unpleasant period of childhood where there is | | | | herself started having health problems, that she |
| confusion of self. The person is not a child, but not an | | | | consciously made the decision to quit. |
| adult either. They struggle to define themselves. | | | | It was not her grieving at the decision to give up |
| Due to body and hormonal changes, puberty is an | | | | cigarettes, it was her psychological smoking |
| incredibly intense period of a person's life. Everything is | | | | mechanism she began to construct at the age of 15. A |
| amplified. Emotions are strong and the world view is | | | | mechanism made by and of the emotions of a child, |
| still that of a child being exaggerated all out of | | | | viewing the world of smoking as a 15 year old and |
| proportion. The child wants to speed up the process to | | | | never changing its perspective. A childish mechanism |
| be declared an adult. | | | | always ignoring the damaging effects of smoking and |
| Smoking is an attempt to resolve the identity crisis. It is | | | | constantly looking for rationalizations to continue |
| a way to declare, "Hey, I am an adult!" Adults smoke, | | | | smoking. |
| therefore, I am an adult! | | | | The Mechanism Has to Go |
| Overcoming this confusion and ambiguity is of critical | | | | The only way a person can remove cigarettes from |
| importance; it is a strong motivator for the young | | | | their life is to disassemble the psychological smoking |
| person. It is what gets them to apply the incredible | | | | mechanism. This is accomplished by identifying and |
| WILL POWER necessary to turn off the normal body, | | | | removing the reasons a person started smoking and |
| protective reactions to harsh, hot smoke entering their | | | | the reasons they continue to smoke. When this is |
| delicate lungs. | | | | done, the person becomes, not an ex-smoker, but a |
| The fact that learning to smoke is a hard, unpleasant | | | | nonsmoker. |
| task makes the young person more strongly defend it. | | | | Removing the psychological smoking mechanism puts |
| They have numerous reasons why they HAVE to | | | | the individual back in conscious control with all the |
| smoke. Any positive feedback they get from their | | | | perceptions and attributes they as adults, possess. |
| friends adds to the power of the psychological | | | | They no longer have to fight against the illogic of the |
| smoking mechanism. | | | | child mechanism they created. They no longer have |
| By the time adolescence is over and adulthood is | | | | conflict when their logical adult perceptions are |
| reached, the mechanism is on autopilot. It continues to | | | | overruled by the shortsighted, illogic of the child created |
| collect reasons for itself to exist. It operates | | | | psychological smoking mechanism. |
| independently of the conscious self. | | | | When the mechanism is gone, so is smoking, |
| The Nature of the Psychological Smoking Mechanism | | | | permanently. There are special techniques that need to |
| The psychological smoking mechanism is frozen back | | | | be used and the smoker has to invest some time and |
| in childhood with all the inexperience and | | | | effort. With the right psychological tools, the incredible |
| shortsightedness of the child. The emotions and world | | | | power of the mind can be redirected back to |
| view of the child define the mechanism. | | | | conscious control and the childish psychological |
| Children have a limited view of mortality. They have | | | | smoking mechanism removed. When you Unlearn |
| trouble conceiving of themselves being harmed or | | | | Smoking(tm) your system goes back to the time |
| dying. This is why there are many teenage driving | | | | before you started smoking and the body's normal |
| accidents. | | | | defense mechanisms against harsh, hot smoke in your |
| The whole topic of smoking is controlled by the | | | | delicate lungs begins to work again. Smoking becomes |
| psychological smoking mechanism. When you try to | | | | aversive just like it was with the first cigarette. At this |
| discuss the topic of smoking with a smoker, you are | | | | point, you won't be motivated to put out the |
| dealing with the 15 year old child, not the adult. This is | | | | tremendous effort required to turn them back off! You |
| why trying to have a rational discussion about the | | | | have become a NONsmoker. |
| dangers of smoking doesn't get very far. | | | | (c) Copyright 2009, R. |
| The 15 year old child doesn't believe the health issues. | | | | |