Over the years I have reviewed a number of stop-smoking systems on the market. One of the more interesting ones used what they called an “extinction” programme. The way this worked was that over 12 weeks, you would gradually change the things you associated with smoking. In the first week you could smoke as many cigarettes as you wanted, just none after dinner. The next week was the same, but no cigarettes after dinner or in the first hour of the day. Each week you would eliminate one association until by the end of the 12 weeks, you had given up smoking altogether.

While I prefer to take care of things more quickly (if you haven’t already, you can completely quit smoking in the next few hours and by Day 5 you will be a former smoker), the principle behind their system was sound. Human beings are creatures of habit and we associate things together. If you continually smoke cigarettes in your kitchen, after a time you will begin to associate being in your kitchen with wanting a cigarette.

In this system, we will be using the power of habitual association to help you to quit smoking today. I will be asking you to associate things you don’t like with smoking — followed by positive, empowering feelings to help you to make positive choices, leading to a healthier life.

Going unconscious

When we are addicted to something, we tend to build up a significant positive association to it over time. Because of this, we don’t take the time to consider if we really want to do it or what it will cost us if we do — we just feel as if we have to have it and we blindly follow that thought.

The brain is a mass of neural pathways and every action we take creates new connections. Every time we repeat an action, the neural pathway is strengthened, just like a footpath that becomes clearer and wider the more it is used. That is how a habit is formed.

Instead of trying to “scare you” into changing, we are going to re-write the operating software of your mind. We are going to link some negative associations to smoking that will help to destabilise this old compulsion. It’s vitally important that we make the negative associations extremely strong to overcome the old positive association, so you may feel a little uncomfortable during this process. The good news is this — the more uncomfortable you feel, the better (and faster) the process is working.

Yesterday, in Exercise 1, you created some positive associations with the thumb and middle finger of your right hand. Today, in Exercise 2 (below), we are going to put negative feelings on your left hand. Do not confuse the two. We will then begin to attach these negative feelings to cigarettes, which will begin to collapse the old addictive positive ones and give your mind something to move away from. We will then transfer your positive feelings to the freedom of living without cigarettes, giving your mind something wonderful to aim for.

How good can it get?

Remember the “calm anchor” that you created yesterday? We are now going to be associating even more good feelings to the thumb and middle finger on your right hand. (Exercise 3, right. Keep the repulsive feelings on your left hand and the positive ones on your right hand.)

We are going to programme your mind and body to release happy chemicals without cigarettes so that you automatically release good feelings at times when you used to smoke. This will not only reset your body’s natural balance, it will also enable you to feel good whenever you want without the use of cigarettes, food or any other artificial stimulants.

We are going to remember some times in your life when you felt particularly good without cigarettes. Then we are going to create an association between those feelings and this squeeze of your fingers by repeating them together over and over again.

EXERCISE 1: LINKING BAD WITH BAD

Before you do this technique, read through each step so that you know exactly what to do.

1 Think of a smell that you find totally disgusting. You need to be able to remember or imagine it vividly for this process to work well. For example, one of my clients imagined how Bernard Manning’s underpants would smell after he’d been eating a vindaloo. Another one imagined inhaling the exhaust of a London bus. If either of those thoughts make you feel disgusted, that’s perfect!

2 Now imagine or remember that awful smell — what you notice as you breathe it in and how disgusted you feel. As you keep remembering this, squeeze your thumb and middle finger together on your left hand. Repeat this process as many times as you need until you feel utterly disgusted.

3 Next, think of a taste that you find utterly disgusting — it can be a food, beverage, anything at all. You need to find something that makes you feel quite sick. (For example, how disgusted would you feel drinking the contents of a spittoon? What if it was filled with plenty of big green juicy grollies?) Remember, you need to find something that’s repulsive for this process to work. Once again squeeze your left thumb and middle finger together and imagine swallowing that disgusting substance. Keep doing this over and over, until you want to vomit.

4 Now, as you squeeze your left thumb and middle finger together, remembering how disgusting that smell and that taste are, imagine taking a little bit of a drag from a cigarette, then a bit more and more, gradually increasing the amount of cigarette smoke. Imagine that each time you inhale from a cigarette, a little bit more of that disgusting smell and taste is getting mixed in together with the smell and taste of the cigarette.

5 Keep repeating this process until you can no longer find anything but repulsion in the idea of smoking a cigarette. If you have done this process correctly, you will now be feeling uncomfortable when you think about smoking. Great! As soon as you’re ready, it’s time to feel a lot better fast.

EXERCISE 2: BEAT THE CRAVING

Part 1:

1 Press the thumb and middle finger of your right hand together to fire off the “calm anchor” that you created yesterday.

2 Now, remember a time that you felt really good — you were having fun with friends, someone paid you a compliment, you felt incredibly loved. Return to it as though you were back there now. Remember that time vividly — see what you saw, hear what you heard and feel how good you felt.

3 As you keep going through that memory again and again, continue to squeeze your thumb and middle finger together on your right hand. Notice all the details, and make the images bigger and the colours richer, bolder and brighter. Make the sounds louder and crisper and the feelings stronger.

4 Next, think of a time that you felt DEEP PLEASURE. It needs to be intense and strong. As you keep going through that memory again and again, squeeze your thumb and middle finger together on your right hand. Recall it as vividly as possible. Remember that time, see what you saw, hear what you heard and feel how good you felt.

5 OK, stop and relax. You’ll know that you’ve done this correctly when you squeeze your thumb and finger together: you should feel that good feeling again. Go ahead, do that now — just squeeze the thumb and finger together and enjoy feeling these wonderful feelings. Now we’re going to programme good feelings to happen automatically whenever you are in a situation where you used to smoke. This will stop you from getting cravings . . .

Part 2:

1 Squeeze the thumb and finger of your right hand together again to get that good feeling going in your body.

2 Now imagine taking that good feeling with you into all the regular situations where you used to smoke, only this time imagine being there, feeling great without a cigarette. See what you’ll see and hear what you’ll hear as you take that good feeling into each one of those situations without any need for a cigarette.

3 Take yourself through a few difficult situations and handle each one of them perfectly.

For example:

You are at work and it’s a little stressful, but you are able to deal with it easily.

You’ve had a drink or two and someone blows smoke in your direction. As they offer you a cigarette, you confidently say “No thanks — I don’t smoke”. As you say those words, you realise they are true and feel even better.

You’ve just finished an excellent meal and you think to yourself, “you know what would make this perfect?” To your surprise a deep breath comes to mind.

Imagine each scenario repeatedly until you feel really good about life without cigarettes, but with more good feelings than ever before.