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EBONY WINDOMSeveral smokers learn methods to shed their nicotine addiction during a hypnosis seminar with mixed results.
NEW PORT RICHEY - Lisa Pinizzotto's New Year's resolution has been the same for years. To quit smoking. Cold turkey hasn't worked. Prescription medicine didn't kill the cravings.
This year, she put hypnosis to the test.
It was a Christmas gift from her husband. He was happy to fork over the $59 hypnosis fee. Now, after 27 years as a smoker, Pinizzotto hopes this will do the trick.
"I'm hoping it erases my thoughts on smoking," she said. "I definitely want to quit; I'm not very good with willpower."
"Hypnosis is very helpful in breaking habits," said Rena Greenberg, director of Wellness Seminars Inc., which offers the program. "We give (participants) suggestions so that they can cope with or respond to any situation without feeling the need for a cigarette."
In early January, Pinizzotto, 43, of Safety Harbor, and her co-worker Joann Mudrick, 34, of New Port Richey, joined more than 20 others at Trinity Outpatient and Surgery Center in New Port Richey for the smoking cessation program.
Two "repeaters" came, too. Greenberg encourages participants to return, free of charge, for a refresher.
Pinizzotto and Mudrick planned to quit together. Their work as travel agents can be stressful, Pinizzotto says. The two of them look forward to lunch breaks so they can unwind. Chat. And enjoy Marlboro Lights.
At Trinity, a group of them take time out, before the hypnosis, for what should be their last cigarettes.
Each has different reasons for wanting to quit.
For Pinizzotto, it's health.
"I've been waking up coughing," she said. "Sometimes I feel like I can't breathe at night."
Mudrick wants to set a better example for her teenage son. He doesn't like the smell of cigarette smoke, she says.
Matt Saniga, 40, admits smoking is too costly.
His morning routine includes a smoke and a cup of coffee.
He shells out $120 a month for cigarettes. For Saniga, who lives in New Port Richey, the $59 program is an investment.
"I have nothing to lose," he said. "If I can quit for two weeks, it'll pay for itself."
At Trinity, the black sweat shirt he wears is emblazoned with the name of his favorite cigarette brand, Marlboro Lights. Saniga collects points or "miles" for each carton he buys. In addition to the shirt, he also traded his points for a gas grill and camcorder. Now, he looks forward to trading his nicotine habit for a smoke-free lifestyle.
In the meeting room, Greenberg prepares them for the group session. She frowns on gum or cell phones. It's her goal to help them relax. The room is quiet except for a few coughs. Lights are dimmed. She calls the process a "self-hypnosis."
"On the count of three, I'll ask you to close your eyes," Greenberg said in almost a whisper."I'll guide you. Soon, you'll relax deeper and deeper. Focus on breathing and the sound of my voice."
Pinizzotto sits still with her eyes closed and hands folded in her lap as Greenberg repeats affirmations.
"I am a non-smoker! I will never smoke again," Greenberg says. "Breathe that statement into every cell of your being."
It lasts for 20 minutes.
Mudrick feels her fingers tingle.
They get ready to begin another exercise to tap into the power of the mind.
Each person holds a pendulum and is instructed to imagine the center object moving side to side.
Mudrick stares at hers. Soon, the center seems to move from left to right.
Pinizzotto notices the same thing.
"I willed it to move," Pinizzotto says. "I don't believe I moved it!"
Now, she's pumped.
Greenberg discusses options for curbing withdrawal. They each take home an audiotape and booklet and are asked to repeat the self-hypnosis every day.
Saniga is confident.
After the program, he boldly gives his three remaining packs of cigarettes away to friends.
Does it work?The next morning, Saniga gave in to his cravings. He made a trip to the convenience store and bought a new pack. He couldn't shake his morning routine of a cigarette and coffee, he said.
Diane Pfeiffer of Tampa found instant success with hypnosis. It's been almost two years since she last smoked a cigarette. Pfeiffer, 70, smoked for more than 50 years. She admits, she was a heavy smoker. Pfeiffer put away three to four packs per day. Her family urged her to take action.
"I did not believe in hypnosis," Pfeiffer said. "I was sort of afraid of it. (But) it's the best thing I've ever done in my life."
She credits Wellness Seminars, Inc. with helping her quit, for good.
"I think the secret to this way of stopping is the tape," Pfeiffer said. "You are told to listen to it once a day. When I had an urge, I'd go listen to that tape. It relaxed me."
Greenberg herself credits hypnosis with helping her lose weight and quit smoking. By her own account, 28-42 percent of her customers manage to quit smoking within a year.
Pinizzotto wasn't one of them. She had a craving soon after the seminar. She popped in her cassette tape.
"The tape is so annoying you want to break it in half," she said.
Pinizzotto still smokes, but not as much.
"There are people who are open to suggestion and there are people who aren't," said Lori Rusterholtz, a Clearwater cardiologist. She believes in the hypnosis program. Rusterholtz, who's not a smoker, says she managed to lose weight this way. Occasionally, she recommends hypnosis programs to her patients to help them quit smoking and lose weight.
"Of all the different programs out there, (hypnosis) doesn't cost people a lot of money, and there are no ill effects because you're not taking any pills or drugs," she said. "A large number of the people that I sent have had success."
Mudrick has had some success. She managed to cut down.
"I smoke 10 a day instead of a pack and a half a day," she said two weeks later.
Mudrick is still hopeful. But, for now she says she doesn't worry about it.
"I'm only 34; I don't feel like I'm going to die tomorrow," she said. "I have a better chance of getting run over by a bus."