Paul McKenna, NLP, Smoking, and Confidence

Submitted by ClearlyChosen on Wed, 02/24/2010 - 02:33

Paul McKenna, NLP, Smoking, & Confidence

Paul McKenna .. does he work?

When I say, "does Paul McKenna work?", I mean of course, does his publicized programs work? Well, I am about to find out.

I have of course seen his ads on TV and listened to the derision of those around me when they hear his name. But then again, none of them have actually bought anything of his. They have, they claim, read how "dubious" he is ... in other words, a scam. But is this true?

Certainly not out of a need to prove anyone right or wrong in this, but more like a desperate move on my part, I have just internet-bought 1 of his books (with CD) and a DVD. So I shall indeed find out if it works for me.

About Paul McKenna

Over the past twenty years, Paul McKenna, Ph.D. has helped millions of people successfully lose weight, quit smoking, overcome insomnia, eliminate stress, and increase self-confidence. He is Britain's bestselling non-fiction author, having sold 3 million books in 3 years, and his TV shows and live appearances have been watched and attended by hundreds of millions of people in 42 countries around the world. Paul has famously worked his unique brand of personal transformation with Hollywood movie stars, Olympic gold medallists, rock stars, top business achievers, and royalty. He has consistently astounded his audiences and clients by proving how small changes in people's lives can yield huge results, whether it's curing someone of a lifelong phobia, an addiction or clearing up deep-seated issues in a matter of days ..

(excerpt from amazon.co.uk)

What the excerpt doesn't mention is that Mr. McKenna employs a lot NLP in his programs - which I love and can only hope it will work for/on me. And hypnosis as well .. or really, a different state of being.

Quit Smoking

That has been my futile attempt for more years than I care to count. And for about just as many years, I have been been successful at not going for regular medical and dental checkups. (Both of which came unhinged recently, but that's another story.)

Last year, I had a few persistent, irregular aches, pains, and vertigo so eventually my partner managed to drag me to see his doctor - who is, as he claimed, extremely good, efficient, and confidence-inspiring. That was at the tail-end of the year and I gleefully told her (the doctor) I could not make another appointment till 2010 as I was going overseas. Nonetheless, she had me do a number of tests (blood, cholesterol, X-rays). And the results came in this year, when I had to see her again. And glad I was that I did. (Thank you, beloved partner).

Test results: all great. Perfect in fact. Much to my and the doctor's surprise.

However I am a smoker of long standing. And I do want to quit this very horrible habit. And I can't. As I told the doctor, I have tried therapies, a couple of hypnotherapists, patches, various techniques, what NLP stuff that I know (and I am a Master Practitioner .. but it is often hard to work effectively on self; and I have been very lax in my practice), inhalers, cigarette sticks (or whatever they are called), read Allen Carr, read other self-help books, gums, you name it.

I had heard of a prescription called Zyban which worked wonders for a ex-smoking friend of mine but it was more than I could afford. Well, hurrah! Thank you doctor! Thank you Australian Government and all ye tax payers! The doctor has just given me counseling and a prescription for Zyban. Normally cost around AU$440 (per prescription, I think) but the government has subsidised this so that it now only cost me about AU$34 (when medically prescribed, with attendant counseling).

What are Zyban (R) Tablets?

Zyban tablets contain bupropion hydrochloride. How it works is not actually understood but it is believed that it interacts with chemicals called noradrenaline and dopamine in the brain. It has to be prescribed by a medical doctor and is used as a short-term treatment to help stop smoking.

Zyban tablets are manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline Australia Pty Ltd and has a number of possible side effects.

I start my Quit Smoking Zyban Journey tomorrow. But what has all this to do with Paul McKenna, right?

I was reading online, jumping from one article to another as you do, when I fortuitously came upon a Quit Smoking article - quite unrelated to what I was researching. And that led me to a mention of Paul McKenna, which led me to sensibly do a search for reviews on the effectiveness of his programs, notably, about quitting smoking.

A number of very useful customer reviews can be found at Amazon. Which led me to the next step - getting his supposedly effective DVD "Quit Smoking Now". Well, it can't hurt can it? In fact, it might help. I certainly hope so. And I will detail my review here as the days and weeks go by. Keep your fingers crossed for me please!

Review: Quit Smoking Now - DVD by Paul McKenna

(a temporary review as I am still in the process of being permanently smoke free)

Yes, it is working. Yes, it is better than I thought. Paul does say some things that actually have more impact on me emotionally and mentally than all the other therapists I have seen or books I have read. And his techniques are most helpful in combating the urges when they arise (and they do). His "Mind programming" (like a semi-hypnotic session or meditative-other-consciousness session) is very enjoyable and I believe, has a significant effect.

Confidence

As mentioned earlier, I was actually doing some unrelated reading on line. It was more about "social anxiety" and "reclusiveness" ... which almost smacks of lack of confidence in some life-areas or other. So while being "angel-led" to get McKenna's "Quit Smoking Now", I saw he also had "INSTANT CONFIDENCE" (book and CD), which was also relatively inexpensive, I thought I might as well try because I surely could do with a mountain load more of confidence.

So there you are. By the time I come back to this article to add my personal review on Paul McKenna, I might be a whole new person - a freed smoker and a confident one to boot. Time to cross my toes as well!