" "See! It's working already." "See! It's working already." The doctor chuckled and smiled warmly. "This process will probably require two sessions. Today I will put you `under', as they say, and reinforce your own already professed desires to stop smoking. I will suggest, for example, that every time you get an urge for a cigarette you will instead get a drink of water. As the nicotine begins to be cleansed from your bloodstream you will find that you will be making fewer and fewer trips to the kitchen sink.... and to the bathroom I might add!" Jillian chuckled. She was definitely being put at ease by his combination of professional demeanor and good nature. "After a week you will have to return for another session. This will reinforce and strengthen the original suggestion. For many people that will be enough. For some others we schedule additional follow-up sessions a month apart for six months. After that you should be well on your way to a life free from smoking." "That sounds wonderful, Doctor. I'm anxious to start." "That's good, because we already have!" Doctor Kinder reached behind him and turned a dial on the wall. Immediately the room darkened. Another switch focused a small dot of light right on top of his polished wooden desk. "Relax, Jillian. This is going to be a very pleasant experience. I want you to look at the light on my desk. Don't concentrate on it, just relax and try to block out everything else in the room except for that light and the sound of my voice. |