According to the World Health Organization, tobacco is a major
public health priority and kills more than five million people every
year. It plays a role in 10% of preventable deaths in adults and,
despite increases in tobacco taxes, advertising limitations and
education, almost 20% of adults in the U.S. are current smokers.
In
2010, more than half of all smokers attempted to quit smoking and
failed and close to 70% report wanting to quit. So, what's the answer?
If you've tried to quit with the nicotine patch, prescription medication
from your doctor and the cold turkey approach, it's time to try
something different.
It's true that no method to quit smoking
works for everyone but guided meditation (or guided imagery) and
meditation can be the answer for you. This method is completely safe and
proven effective by scientific research and it can also be used with
traditional approaches to help you leave smoking behind forever.
Smoking
is often a symptom of stress or anxiety, offering you a temporary
relief. Meditation and guided imagery work to help you break free from
your negative habits by making you more aware of everything you think,
feel and do. Using meditation, you will become aware of what the
cigarette smoke does as it enters your lungs and instead teach your mind
to recognize the fogginess in your mind and nausea, rather than the
relief you feel.
After each cigarette is done, you will also
notice that the anxiety you were trying to cover is still there. Used
daily, guided meditation can help you effectively manage your anxiety
and relax.
The interesting thing many people report while using guided imagery to quit smoking
is they don't actually need to try to quit but smoking quits them
instead. Rather than using your will power to fight your urge, you will
cultivate an awareness of the mind and find that you simply don't want
or need to smoke anymore.
Most doctors will tell you that getting
patients to finally give up smoking is one of their biggest challenges
but the field of meditation has been studied extensively. It has been
shown effective in the treatment and management of many problems,
including chronic pain from migraines or IBS, reducing stress, losing
weight, relieving symptoms of cancer and, of course, quitting smoking.
One
important study conducted by Dr. Judson Brewer of the Yale School of
Medicine found that individuals who have tried to quit in the past and
failed can be helped through meditation. In his study, he taught
medication to people who had failed to quit in the past with an average
of six unsuccessful attempts and he determined that guided meditation
can help when nothing else will.
If you feel like you are losing
the battle to quit smoking and you're ready for a different approach,
guided meditation programs that you can try at home may finally give you
the mental strength and clarity you need to win.
The Healing Waterfall has been producing some of the world's best
selling guided meditation programs since 1984, including "The Healing
Waterfall," one of the best selling guided imagery programs ever
produced. The Healing Waterfall offers guided meditation programs for
reducing stress, as well as programs for spiritual healing,
visualization for success, personal growth or recovery and wellness and
healing. Try a free guided meditation program by visiting The Healing Waterfall.
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