Quitting Smoking 

“I had recently quit smoking and was having a very hard time with it.  I had a couple of emotional crises in the first two weeks that caused me to fall off the wagon.  Frustrated with what I perceived as weakness, I went to Mark for help. 

He explained some of the causes for smoking addiction to me and I immediately related to the "stuffing" of emotion.  Every time I have begun smoking again it had to do with some emotional crisis that I did not want to deal with.  

Mark used gentle touch to draw my attention to the back of my ribs and my lungs. I was suddenly overwhelmed with an intense emotion… and I laughed.  I was very aware that I laughed instead of cried. Very interesting.  Mark suggested that it might be more productive for me if I tried to go with what I was feeling instead of fighting it. From there he continued to guide my attention using touch and we began exploring some areas in my body where I held some deep and serious trust issues with males.  It was very intense but I tried to keep with it and work through the emotions I was experiencing.

By the end of the session, I felt very calm and peaceful.  What I noticed at once was that the knot at the back of my neck, which had been growing tighter and tighter over the last year (and which no amount of massage seemed to be able to penetrate), was completely gone. My shoulders were completely loose and free. Since this session, my cravings for cigarettes have dramatically reduced.

I recently had a phone call from my mom (one of the prime triggers for past smoking misteps). There was yet another crisis in her life that I could do nothing about. It was a difficult phone call. Usually I would have reached for a cigarette right after talking to her!  The remarkable thing is that I did not even realize until the next day that I didn't even think about having a cigarette. That is truly amazing. 

Since the session I have continued to feel much more relaxed and the tension in my neck and shoulders has not returned. Mark explained that I have the tools now to confront and work through future emotional crises without resorting to smoking. I'm more aware now where the cigarette cravings originate from and finally feel like I have the capability to be free of them. ”

- Karen

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