Amanda Hollingworth 

Amanda’s story is a good one. It shows how easy it is to stop smoking in one session – and how you can be dragged back to smoking when things go wrong in your life. Julie gives a free session to anyone who starts smoking again – but they must come back straight away! If you start again and allow yourself to smoke for months – or even years – then Julie won’t take responsibility for you! (Your next session won’t be free!)  

Julie says: "The best thing Amanda could have done, as she acknowledges now, is to come back when life started to get too stressful, before trying a cigarette. The Stress Relief CD that all clients have is an excellent way to avoid stress ever being an issue in your life and my new 'One Hour Stress Relief' session is great for past clients who need to chill out!"

This is Amanda’s story:

I first went to see Julie in March 2008 to stop smoking. Previously I had tried everything else gum, patches - lost track of how many I actually bought and how many times I had gone to see my doctor for them.

It was always the same. I would get stuck on the second level of patches and dare not go down to the low level as I knew I was never ready and totally scared of not having one on! It was stupid; I would even smoke with a patch on! I was on a merry-go-round with them. Go on holiday, put a patch on, once out of the airport at the other end patch off, ciggy time. The same coming home - and had to smoke all my duty free. I even bought silly pretend cigs you know the "what shall I do with my hand" thing. I would hold a pretend cig or even a pen – crazy!

Anyway I finally went to see Julie like I said in March 2008.

I could not believe it! I came out of Julie’s office so different. Cannot say how or why different just different. Julie had said I would walk past people smoking and it would not bother me. It was other people pointing out to me that I was standing near some one smoking or I had walked past people smoking. Like Julie said it just wouldn’t bother me.

Then the big test came in May - the holiday. The time when I love to sit on the beach or the balcony for two weeks relaxing, coffee and a cig first thing, glass of wine and a cig in the evening.

Well in two weeks not once did I want a cig this was amazing, really amazing. I even went on a ferry ride! (I do not like boats or water very much). In the past I would always need a cig or 4 before and after the ferry ride - again amazing.

My skin was looking so much better I was feeling so much better. I had so much more money; more clothes for me.

Even the job I was doing at the time I was sailing through even though I was doing a lot of driving and not getting on with my boss too well I felt under so much pressure. But still no cig.

Then, at end of October my position was made redundant. I had had 3 years of redundancies in different jobs. Now I did feel out of control. Even though I was not keen on my job and the hours and driving were hard. It was a job. 

Luckily I did find another job in a few weeks but for some reason this redundancy had really knocked my confidence. I had been suffering with a few panic attacks whilst doing the job but kept pushing myself.

I think I just felt "what had I pushed my self for"? My confidence for some reason was so low I felt at my lowest at Christmas. I started feeling depressed and friends were saying go to the Doctor for happy pills - but I did not want to go down that road so instead I started thinking about the friend I used to have - the one that would make me feel better. The one that had been there for so many years my dear friend "Ciggy."

I started having the odd one and thought I could control it odd one every 2 or 3 days until it became the odd 2 or 3 everyday.

I was so mad with my self, but with feeling so low nothing seem to make sense. I was arguing with my husband and to hurt him I would have a cig. Childish I know! Then I could see my skin looking terrible, lines appearing where only old people get them. Vain I know but no woman wants to look like that.

Julie had said that if hypnosis did not work I could go back. But of course it had worked. It was my choice to choose cigarettes again!

Anyway, true to her word I contacted Julie and told my sorry stupid mistake. She was great. I went back 9th Feb 2009.

All I can say is thank you. Thank you.

Julie worked on my confidence as well as my smoking.

I came out of the office feeling so in control and the unexpected will never get me again,

I cannot recommend Julie enough.

Amanda Hollingworth

Bradford