EFT Tapping for Quitting Smoking without Gaining Weight

My client “Erin” wanted to quit smoking after 39 years. She had tried several times before and claimed that every attempt caused her to gain weight, which was her main concern and hesitation now.  We began the session with the Quick Heart Coherence Technique and then went into a few rounds of Talk and Tap. During this time, she told me about a recent follow-up visit with a new doctor she saw for a chronic cough. She’d had this cough for a few years and was being treated for acid reflux. However, this plan hadn’t resolved the issue. Feeling hopeful for answers, she was left extremely frustrated and disheartened to find the results were inconclusive. The doctor suggested she quit smoking (as others have done in the past).

We tapped on Erin’s frustration around this event, which had a SUD score of 9, and the disappointment SUD 10, along with each of the aspects using the Full Basic Recipe with 9 Gamut. We used the Setup Statements:

Even though I was really hoping this doctor would be different from the others, I deeply and completely accept myself.
Even though I am so frustrated with the outcomes and not having any of the answers I hope for, I deeply and completely accept myself.
Even though I am extremely disappointed in the outcome with this doctor and not finding any solutions, I deeply and completely accept myself. 

Our Reminder Phrases included:

This new doctor
Feeling hopeful
Excited to hear new perspective
So disappointed
Disheartened
Frustrated
He didn’t find anything wrong
There was nothing obvious to fix
I wanted answers
I needed answers
No solution
Will I have this cough forever?
Can I fix this myself?
Should I commit to quit?
So frustrated
So disappointed

After several rounds of tapping, we reduced the SUD levels of both to a 2. Erin shifted the conversation and acknowledged that smoking cessation was probably her only choice at this point. However, she feared gaining weight.

I asked her to rate her confidence in being able to quit smoking, on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being fully confident in her ability to quit. Her VOC (validity of cognition) was a 9. I asked her the same on the tail-ender about gaining weight. Her VOC was a 10 because she believed 100% that she would gain weight.

We then used the Full Basic Recipe with the 9 Gamut to reduce the charge of “gaining weight” to a VOC of 3. We used the Setup Statements:

Even though I want to quit smoking and I am worried about gaining weight, I deeply and completely accept myself without judgment.
Even though I know I need to quit smoking, as it may be my only choice, I deeply and completely accept myself without judgment.
Even though my biggest concern is gaining weight if I quit smoking, I deeply and completely accept myself without judgment.

The Reminder Phrases included:

Ready to quit
I know it’s what’s best
I can do this
I’m worried
Worried I’ll gain weight
I know I’ll gain weight
It’s happened before
It will happen now
To quit
Not to quit
It’s up to me
I’m ready
I need to
I’ll gain weight
I have before
What if I don’t?
Maybe I won’t
This time might be different
I need to quit
I want to quit smoking and end this cough

After a few deep breaths, Erin mentioned how she regretted ever starting smoking. I asked her to tell me more about that. She said she was a teenager and gave into peer pressure. She gave her feelings of regret and anger at her young self a SUD score of 10.

I introduced the Unfinished Conversations/Empty Chair technique. Erin imagined herself talking to her younger self sitting in a chair directly in front of her She spoke to the teen version of herself with a little bit of judgment. “Why did you have to take the cigarette? What were you thinking? Look at what it did to us!”

I asked Erin what she thought the teen version of herself might say and she said: “I am so sorry. I didn’t know any better. I wanted to be cool. I wanted to be liked. That’s the only thing that mattered.”

We tapped, using the language of both the adult and younger versions of Erin: 

Even though I’m angry at you for taking that cigarette, I understand you didn’t know any better.
Even though my health now has suffered due to your actions, I know you didn’t do this on purpose.
Even though I can’t change what you did, I can forgive you and make a change now.

After four rounds of the Full Basic Recipe, Erin’s regret and anger at her young self was down to 0.

We ended with Parts Tapping to help clear more of the charge of gaining weight vs. quitting:

Even though there is a part of me that is worried about gaining weight, a bigger part of me knows this is what I need to do.
Even though there is a part of me that is worried about gaining weight, part of me knows this is important to do.
Even though there is a part of me that is worried about gaining weight, part of me knows it’s time for me to do this.

We ended with her VOC for being able to quit smoking at 10 and her VOC for gaining weight a 2.

I asked a Pointed Question: What happens if you quit and you gain weight?

Erin said, “Gaining a few pounds is definitely worth losing this cough.”