alternatives.com.au Dip CH MASCH ACA Registered Clinical Hypnotherapist More Testimonials...... The cravings were there but the mechanics had simply vanished. I could not have picked up a cigarette had my life depended on it. This was a very strange scenario indeed. Especially considering the cravings were still VERY much there. However onward into the night I pushed, without a cigarette to speak of. As a a friend (having great fun with my bizarre state) actually took a lit cigarette and placed it in my hands. A round of applause erupted from my friends as I drew it all the way up to my mouth, put it between my lips... and then hurriedly removed it without so much as a taste of it  I even tried to wipe the smell off my lips that had been left there by the butt. My cravings had truly disappeared. The next week I was back with Matthew for the second of my three sessions. It was much of a muchness. A pleasant trance like state during which time it was further re-enforced that I would not like, need, want or touch a cigarette again. I continued on another week happily plugging along without ever needing a smoke. So finally the third week arrived, and so did I for my final session with Matthew. Never having been one to conform or stick to convention I declared to Matthew that I was already positive that I would never have another cigarette in my life. Because of this that to do a third session on smoking would only be a waste. I asked if we could focus on something else instead to which he agreed. We settled on doing a session for anxiety in which Matthew both hypnotised me using a deep relaxation therapy, and also spent a great deal of time simply LISTENING to me. That's a rare gift to be given in this day and age - especially considering that Matthew went overtime blowing the session out to a whopping ninety minutes. I was his last client of the day and we went well into the night. I truly appreciated the extra time and attention. So to cut to the chase, here I am five weeks later and the results speak for themselves. I am more relaxed, and I DON'T smoke. Nuff said. Matt Thomas Hi Matthew, I came to you for help in late October '04 with a combined marijuana/nicotine addiction with which I had been doing battle for about 10 years. Even though I had been using both for much longer, (marijuana for about 25 years and cigarettes for about 32 years) it had only been in the last 10 that I had made serious efforts to stop because I'd long realised the damage to my body. But my own best efforts had only brought me frustration and an increasing sense of weakness and lack of worth because of my seeming inability to stay stopped, despite the obvious negative consequences. Just in case these need cataloguing; a real sense of "enslavement" and consequent self-loathing, shortness of breath, an inability to stay focussed, fear of cancer or other smoking-related diseases, suppression and numbing of emotions, irritability whenever I tried to stop, ridiculous wastes of money, emotional distance between myself and loved ones, lethargy and lack of motivation, general feelings of negativity, constant thoughts of how and when I could smoke, sallow skin and stained teeth - to name a few. Clearly, I needed help. My own best efforts had netted me little result and I feared that I would never be able to successfully quit. I came to you with a real sense of desperation and as a "last ditch" attempt to kill this habit before it killed me. I could also see that until I succeeded, my own sense of myself and my ability to flourish creatively (I'm an artist) would be permanently stunted. I had had hypnotherapy before, and it had been the most successful of all the attempts I'd made, but I'd always started again after a few weeks, at best. The reason you appealed to me also Matthew, it must be said, was because I was familiar with your work and hoped that your understanding of this subject and the accompanying psychology would inform your treatment, as indeed it did. After the very first session I was amazed to feel not the slightest desire to smoke - either a joint or anything else, and by the 3rd session I was sure that I had finally become a non-smoker. This has not changed in any way after 4 going-on 5 months, despite being offered it many, many times. I can happily be among other smokers (cigarettes or marijuana) and not feel the any inkling of an urge to partake, even though I often remove myself from the smoke itself because I don't like the smell anymore. However, I'm happy to say, it has not made me a sanctimonious non-smoker. I don't mind what others do, I simply don't need or want to do it. I am merely indifferent when I'm around it. If you had told me that it would be this easy, I would not have believed you, because of the many struggles and "battles of the will" that I'd previously had. I still find it hard to believe. I now enjoy my life so much more.    I don't "sneak around" with my shameful habit - I connect directly with others, my work, the world. I am richer, not just monetarily, though this is a real bonus. The money I save by not smoking either substance I treat myself and my loved ones with. I am exercising regularly and with much less effort, and am looking and feeling better than I have for a many years. I am much more directed and focused in my work, with very rewarding results. In short, I feel very much more alive. I can't thank you enough Matthew. I don't quite understand how it was done (all with mirrors?) but I will be eternally grateful that it was done, and hope that others with my particular set of (ex) symptoms, and I KNOW they're out there!, will read this and know that they can be helped. I wish you every success in your future endeavours, and again,        I thank you for restoring me to myself. Cathy Dear Matthew, I can’t thank you enough for changing my life. I can’t believe how much better I feel after your treatment sessions. Even more so, I can’t believe how I could have those thoughts and feeling for so many years and you could change this in a few weeks. My family are also very appreciative. I sincerely thank you from the bottom of my heart. Regards, Wendy – Ballina NSW Hypnotherapy Sydney Australia  0416 272 142 More powerful than you think and more effortless than you know