gabayeah

PorkandPancakes Of course. I totally agree with you, we choose to smoke or not smoke. EFT doesn't make us do what we don't want to do. It's a tool, a technique and that's how I presented it. The only thing I claim is that it's very efficient and really helps with the stress, cravings and getting rid of habits. It doesn't come with a magic wand and you must apply it correctly if you want it to work well, which is why I did have a session with a professional at first, before I got the hang of it. As far as scientific evidence for acupuncture, Asia has plenty, about 3000 years of it. Maybe the western world would have also if it decided to study it rather than deride it. My daughter once had a liver problem and turned yellow and looking like a blowfish. A Japanese acupunctor took care of it with one session. Of course, the fact that it involves no drugs doesn't make it appealing to our profit dominated medical industry.

Yes, my experience also involves stopping putting things in my mouth and setting fire to them :-) I wrote "scientists" to make a distinction. Unfortunately it's the industry that finances the research and the publications. MO's info is from wikipedia...

Thanks Stuart, Yes, I can see some are very defensive... Sazerac was saying it might be a case of shooting the messenger, but in general the messenger gets shot for bringing bad news, not good ones. Actually, some of the points that MQ was making is exactly why this method is good. A control over your cravings, emotions and habits on a very deep level, the subconscious. Acupuncture has been used in Asia for millenniums, way before Western medicine appeared and EFT uses the same energy points, so there is a strong scientific basis. The fact that it's a DIY method and does without any prescription does not make it particularly popular with the pharmaceutical industry however, so it's no surprise if it gets a bad press from "scientists". When you use EFT correctly, you tackle the actual addiction, the habits associated with smoking and your emotional reactions. You don't just put the problems on standby as you do when using drugs, you actually get rid of them. You're still quitting cold turkey, you still have to take the decision to quit, but it's a lot less stressful and remaining a non-smoker also. When I quit in the past, it was very difficult to be around smokers and not be obsessed by cigarettes, today I'm indifferent to it.

MarylandQuitter ​You obviously have no idea what EFT is. Since it's free, available and harmless, why not try it and then post an informed opinion? At worst, as you say it's only placebo, right? Placebo is by the way a wonderful thing as it gives the same results as the "real thing" with no drugs or side effects. Is there any glory in suffering? Personally, I tried both ways of quitting so I talk about it from experience not hearsay. Anything ever achieved was first dreamed of :-)

Sazerac Well, I guess, you're right about this. Sorry if I was insensitive and sorry to Evelyn also. I'm Joey, I quit a little over 2 years ago after smoking a pack and a half for almost 30 years. I tried to quit a couple of times before and experienced great stress, cravings, burst of unwanted energy etc. Each time, I tricked myself back into smoking quite quickly afterwards. Then and by chance I encountered this EFT method which consists of tapping acupuncture points with the fingers while repeating a phrase related to the issue. I had a session with a therapist where we tapped on every aspects (addiction, cravings, habits...) and then I just followed some simple instructions he gave me. I experienced hardly any stress or cravings and this time cigarettes were not all I could think about. Even with other smokers around, I was fine. I haven't smoked or wished to smoke since. I'm not going to bore you with any more details, if you want to know anything more you can ask me, I'll be happy to share what I can.

PorkandPancakes I don't wish to undermine anybody's struggles, I've experienced them myself before. I'm saying that another way exists that doesn't involve nearly as much struggle or suffering, that I've used it and that it's very efficient and deals with the issue in a way that willpower doesn't achieve. Furthermore, it's free and accessible to all. To me, this sounds like good news and I'm surprised that anybody would feel threatened in any way.

not really. Why are you here posting? What to do you hope to get from this forum? Do you come for support or to offer such? When did you quit smoking? I quit smoking over 2 years ago. I tried and failed a few times before that, until I discovered a great simple tool that made quitting much easier so I thought I could share that info with others having a hard time quitting. That's why I came to the forum and posted. Now, I see that my help isn't appreciated. I guess you've had bad experiences before, although I thought that helping/passing on infos was the whole point of a forum... Best wishes anyway.

PorkandPancakes EFT is a free tool available to all. Although getting a therapist's help is efficient, it's not a necessity and anybody can learn and apply it quite easily, even a child.. I hope that answers your question.

Good job Evelyn! If you encounter difficulties, give EFT a try. It's a simple technique that's very efficient for the addiction, the cravings, nervousness and the habits associated with smoking. No side effects, you can do it yourself or do a session with a therapist (usually once is enough). ;-)

I don't think it's allowed to post web addresses here, so I've sent it to you in a private message.

EFT is Emotional Freedom Techniques and was developed by a Stanford engineer named Gary Craig . It's a simple technique that uses aspects of both psychoanalysis and acupuncture. It consists of gently tapping key energy points of the body with your fingers while repeating an appropriate phrase to focus the mind on the issue. It is extremely efficient and when done properly, frees the mind and body of the addiction and its associated habits. I can recommend the therapist I used if you're interested.

Withdrawal symptoms: problem is not solved Cravings and withdrawal symptoms exist because the problem is still there. The use of drugs, medication and nicotine replacement products such as patches, nicorettes, inhalers or lozenges is often ineffective because you're not really dealing with the actual issue: the addiction and its related habits. So it's like putting a bandage on a broken leg. To quit smoking this way is both stressful and hard to achieve. Relying on willpower is not efficient, forces you to compensate the habit (often by eating, thus putting on weight) and there's a strong tendency to relapse. Fortunately, there are other ways. You need to reprogram your subconscious so that it can be free of the addiction and all of the habits associated with smoking that are often deeply rooted. Hypnotherapy is a good technique for this, but even easier is EFT, which is what I used. I had one single session with an excellent therapist over Skype and just followed his simple instructions afterwards. Amazingly, I experienced no stress. I kicked off the habit so easily that even during the first week, cigarettes were hardly on my mind. I didn't snack or drink to compensate, nor chew gum, toothpicks or anything else. I didn't feel nervous and was not unpleasant to those around me. In fact, the person I lived with was a heavy smoker and she continued to smoke as usual, right next to me, even in the car. It did not affect me and I never smoked or even wished to smoke again! Today, I am a non-smoker and what's more: no longer addicted to smoking.