Progress so far this month is that I have now completed all the re-writing of the hypnotherapy scripts within the course and moulded them into more of a story that fits with the theme. It has cost me more time BUT I think it was very worth it (so thank you @bradleytmorris for the prompt to do it! 😉 ) I feel so much more excited now and also proud of how it works, and how much more it has become a real story, with a real hero part for every student.

So much so, that essentially the hypnotherapy scripts can stand alone if they needed to. However, I want to make this the best it possibly can be so now begins the completion of the videos and other bits to weave in between the hypnosis to make it even more entrancing (hopefully!) Hypnosis itself is all about metaphors and stories to lead your subject into and now, this is a story within a story within a story and I do believe, in that, I have created something quite unique to the hypnotherapy world. I know I certainly haven’t come across anything like it before.

The re-recording of the new hypnotherapy scripts was almost completed last week, bar one. I ran out of time in the end and had to schedule another recording session for Monday coming to complete it all.

So, here follows an outline of all the scripts. each script is roughly 5 A4 sides long so don’t want to bore you all with that. So I have tried to condense them into a quick overview of the story included within each so you can see how the whole course flows. In some modules I have described some of the therapy I have guided them into but not all of it (again, so as not to bore you) I think this will give you a rough idea though.

I have also come up with some ideas of rewards for students at the end of each module. Though some of these I am not convinced about and feel that these will alter as I now head into my final 2 weeks to complete it all and hopefully come up with some better ideas. (fingers crossed)

SMOKE & MIRRORS

This hypnosis leads the subject through a hall of mirrors, illustrating how sometimes we can be misled by what seems real, and can get trapped within a web of misleading beliefs. Ultimately the subject will address several mirrors, each of which holds a misleading belief that has served to keep them trapped within Nicotraz. Beliefs such as, it calms me down when I am stressed, it relieves boredom, it makes me look cool etc etc.  In turn, they will take each of their beliefs (reflected within the mirrors) and turn the image to grey, before then disintegrating it in their imagination and turning it to dust. With all the mirrors disintegrated they will see the truth of where they are, trapped within a cell on Nicotraz. Only one mirror remains that wasn’t disintegrated. At the beginning of the hypnosis this showed them a reflection of themselves when they first started smoking, and we took time to illustrate how they were conned into doing that, and stressed the point this wasn’t their fault. (It is important not to pile blame on to the smoker or they go into defensive and rebellious mode. Instead, I want the smoker to feel that their habit was caused by an outside influence, this gives them more control over beating it also. Rather than them feeling it’s just how they are, and so are powerless)  This mirror now reflects their future self, a future where they don’t smoke, where they have glowing skin, sparkling eyes, more money, freedom etc etc. The subject is then given a choice, they can choose the future in the mirror or they can accept their imprisonment within that cell .

This is intended to give them their wake up call. Their moment of choice.

REWARD: For completing this part of the escape plan they are rewarded with a key that will open their cell door – in order to start their escape plan off Nicotraz.

THE NICOTINE PARASITE

Through this hypnosis the subject will be led down a corridor away from their cell door, and here, they see the grimness of the place they are locked within. It is suggested to them that Nicotraz is infested with parasites, and explained to them that parasites like to live off another creature, leeching off them, free loading, and draining them. A further suggestion is then made that, as a consequence of living here, they too, have been infected with a parasite. A parasite that demands to be fed with nicotine, so it can stay alive inside them, and how they pay to feed it, paying with their health and their money, Also explained is how this a parasite will continue to worm it’s way inside their body until it messes it’s host so much that it has to leave to find a new one or until they stop feeding it. The subject is told how many other prisoners have tried to stop feeding their parasites and how the effect, was that the parasites acted like a spoilt child, whining at them and moaning at them to feed it again (akin to cigarette cravings – though this not explained – it is left for them to take inference from) and how most prisoners will give in and feed it. However, if they just maintained their stance that parasite would have given up in no time and moved on to another victim to hound.  This imaginative scene, again takes the blame away from the smoker, and gives them something to fight against – the idea of a parasite inside them – repulses most people and so they feel more compelled to fight against it in order to get rid of it. Increasing their want and need to be free.

REWARD: For completing this part of their escape plan, escapees will be given a  bottle of parasite poison so they can be protected from ever being reinfected again.

THE PRISON GUARD

Continuing down the corridor, now past the stench and dirt of the parasites, the escapees look for the exit, a door leading out of this prison. They discover it, only to find, that stood beside it, guarding the way out, is a prison guard. It is suggested to them that this prison guard, although unfamiliar to them, also seems familiar (like an old friend, someone who has been there for them through the good times and bad, listened to them, understood them when nobody else has) But as the escapee pauses to look at the guard it occurs to them, that this is no friend at all, they are reminded of the guards true purpose, to stop them from ever leaving Nicotraz. It is then described to them how some people look at cigarettes as an old friend, someone who has been there for them through thick and thing, but how, of course, they are clever enough to see that this is not true as no good friend would steal your health, looks and money from you, only to eventually stab you in the back. The remainder of the hypnosis discusses the relationship that the escapees have with cigarettes, about respect, and likening the relationship they have with smoking to an abusive relationship.

REWARD: For successfully navigating this part of the escape plan escapees will be rewarded with a cloak of invisibility so they can sneak past the prison guard and out of the exit.

THE SNAKE PIT

Now outside of their prison, the escapees are making progress, but they still have to get off the island of Nicotraz. They are walked down a path and asked to pause for a moment whilst I explain what is ahead of them. It is described to them that on the path ahead is a snake pit. A snake pit that is far enough way to not cause them any distress and it is perfectly safe where they are (to have them near the snake pit in hypnosis may cause ab reactions for the subjects, especially for those with snake phobias, therefore, I can only describe this for them in this way)

It is described to them how, for someone who knew nothing about snakes, seeing a boa constrictor wrap itself around someone might seem like the snake was giving them a hug, it may seem loving and comforting, when in reality the snake is trying to squeeze the life out of that person. It is then further described, how smoking squeezes the air from their lungs, money from their pockets, blood from their genitals etc etc and how at first, they don’t notice this squeeze and initially it felt ok to do it, but eventually, they start to notice the pain it causes to their bodies.

REWARD: A bridge to take them over the snake pit in complete safety, and onwards with the rest of their escape plan.

ELEPHANT PASS

Walking away from the snake pit, down a winding path, the escapees are asked to imagine coming across a clearing, in which they see some elephants, each tied up with only a small flimsy rope. The escapees are asked to approach the owners of these elephants to ask, curiously, why the elephants do not try to escape, even though they could very easily break the thin ropes that hold them there. It is then suggested that the owner would reply how, when the elephants were small, the ropes were strong enough to hold them, and over time the elephants accepted they couldn’t escape so gave up trying. Now they are bigger and stronger, they could of course, break free but they don’t bother to try because they believe they can’t. Again, the inference being that smokers believe they can’t break free from smoking so don’t bother, when in reality, they can walk away very easily once they let go of limiting beliefs around their habit.

REWARD: A pair of scissors to cut the flimsy ropes, tied around their own feet, that have tied them to this island, preventing them from walking away

GRAVE DIGGERS

Here the escapees are asked to continue their walk on the path, and as they wander they notice they have come to the top of a hill, ahead of them is a breathtaking view, a beautiful horizon, it is calm, tranquil and inviting them towards it. They can see the shore below them, and it is all described as being their future view, of what lies ahead of them, But before they can continue onwards they must look back behind them to see how far they have come, to look at the prison that once held them and they can become aware of how they have freed themselves, They can notice also, beside the prison, a number of other prisoners, digging holes in the ground, shackled and toiling in the murky air. These prisoners are working hard, working hard to stay trapped, digging their own graves. And i ask the escapees to perhaps be able to hear the discomfort of these other prisoners, their anguish at their incarceration, and how, they might feel compassion for them. But they can also feel delight as the escapee recognises the horror that they have escaped from  and now they can turn back towards that beautiful view ahead of them and walk towards it.

REWARD: A mug? To remind you to never be a mug to smoking. (I like the idea of being able to send out a real mug to my students at this point. To serve as a reminder for them, a trophy of what they have accomplished and even a marketing tool too. Perhaps on one side of the mug would be ‘don’t be a mug’ and on the other side would be ‘escape from nicotraz’

MOUNTAIN LEAP

Here, the escapees are asked to get distance on the ‘smoking mountain’ behind them, how it is an unstable and dangerous landscape and they must make progress as far away as possible, eventually they get to a part of the path that has a small gap in it,  the side they stand on is dry and barren land, on the other side is lush green vegetation, flowers and life blooming all around. They must take the safe and easy leap across this gap and get to the other side in order to proceed. Here they will be walked through the beauty of being a non smoker, the freedom and health it brings, the new life blooming around them, reflected in the greenery they walk through, and how they are now past and beyond the grey landscape they were once held within and can look forward to the new life that they are breathing in to themselves with each step forward.

REWARD: A pair of trainers to help take the leap across that gap in to a better and more beautiful life.

WATERFALL WASH

In this part of the escape plan, the escapees continue their journey down and off Nicotraz, through lush green vegetation, where they eventually come across a waterfall. They are encouraged to step into the waterfall and enjoy the cleansing wash it will provide them with, washing away all the grime and stench that living on Nicotraz has left on them, cleansing their bodies, renewing their health and allowing them to start again, refreshed and rejuvenated after being under the healing falls of waterfall wash. Washing away any last remnants of Nicotraz they may have on them.

REWARD: A fluffy clean towel and fresh clean clothes to get dressed in, abandoning their prison overalls and allowing them to feel good, walking in to their new life (I will encourage at this point, that subject should perhaps treat themselves to a new item of clothing, one that will have that lovely clean smell, and will not be polluted with cigarette smoke, lingering in it’s fabric.

WEIGH BEACH

Here, the escapees finally make it on to the shore of Nicotraz, a beautiful beach, that they can walk along, enjoying the sensations of the sand, the water lapping on the shore, Here we talk about how their bodies are now renewing, getting stronger as they begin to make better and healthier choices, how they will gain pleasure from looking and feeling good. How this place here, is a fit and healthy land, where they can feel a flush of oxygen throughout their bodies, and feel stronger, fitter and renewed. Before they are brought out of hypnosis I ask them to notice, tied up along the shore, a small boat bobbing in the water, and how they can be curious about that boat and wonder about what it is doing there.

REWARD: Sunglasses – to help you look towards your bright future ahead

A BOAT CALLED FREEDOM

Taken back on to the beach, the escapees are asked to again, notice the small boat that they saw before they left previously, and now, they can begin to walk along the beach towards the boat. Climbing on to the boat they find a kindly and familiar looking man, sat down in a chair and they can choose to sit down in the chair opposite him and relax. The kindly men smiles and tells them a story about how he got the boat and how, on his travels he came across some fun loving rogues who managed to persuade him to give them a job on his boat as cabin crew. At first the man was reluctant, but he was having so much fun with these rogues that he gave in and let them on board. After some time though, he began to notice how dirty the made his boat, how they did not care for him at all, only  for their own gain and fun, How he was paying them to mess his boat up. In the end he decided he would get rid of them, but didn’t find it easy, for the rogues of course, did not want to give up on their paid for trip in his boat. So cleverly, he tricked them to come with him to a new town, which he promised them would be full of wonderful taverns and fun. The rogues agreed, and whilst the rogues went off to have some fun, the kindly man sailed away from them as fast as he could. As he sailed away he got to work cleaning his boat up again, and as he did so, he realised it was not as hard a task as he first thought it might be.

The escapees are then told that this kindly man is now here to sail them away from Nicotraz, taking you to your new and beautiful future, to a place where Nicotraz will only be a distant memory and will have no control over your life ever again.

REWARD: Your own shiny boat to sail away on wherever you want to go.

Ah WOW! Thank you SO MUCH! You know, I felt so excited about it too, but then, sometimes, locked in your own head and your own work you sometimes get blinded by yourself, so to have that brilliant confirmation from you has made my heart and confidence soar! I am so grateful to you for taking the time to read and reply @bradleytmorris!

I agree with you about that first lesson being free. I think that might make the marketing of the course easier too, and it is all scripted to bring them to a kind of emotional crossroads of ‘you smoke and continue to feel rubbish or you come with me and I’ll get you out of here’ With that in mind I really like your idea of some kind of pay wall or the like. Maybe…if you want to come with me, you have to pay to have a key? Hmm, I shall dwell on that one a bit more.

I can’t take credit for all the metaphors within the course, some I have learned on various stop smoking training courses I have been on in the past and I have just taken the idea and hopefully given them  life, a role to play by weaving them all into a story where all these bits of ideas over years of my learning get to connect and create something much bigger

As for the mug, it was my buddy who gave me that idea! I needed a book on Mesothelioma cancer (the kind my Dad has) and it was only available in the U.S. So I asked my buddy if she would get it for me and send it on to me in the UK. She was so kind to oblige. Both of us commented on how, it felt strange and beautiful, because by sending something in the post, something we could touch and see, it changed the relationship from being virtual (and in some ways almost imaginary) to a real life connection. That made me wonder, if that would be a good thing to do for my students, to break through the virtual world and give them something real and tangible? I still have the packaging from that book my buddy sent, pinned to my noticeboard, so I can see her real life handwriting and the smiley face she drew on the side of it! It makes me smile. So yes, that was where that idea came from.

Oooh, I love your idea for the last two scenes, about asking them to imagine their future self and who they want to be. That reminds me of the meditation you created, where you walk down the dark tunnel and meet your future self. I LOVE that meditation – so incredibly powerful! I particularly love the part where your future self puts their hands on your head and gives you everything you need to know and feel! Now that, would be incredibly powerful used at the end of the course! I shall have to go and listen to it again to gain inspiration from it and add your suggestion in – Thanks Bradley!

And thanks too for the landing page builder suggestions – that looks great! I am excited to see what you have created for the green screen magic! I don’t know if you recall, but I did create a landing page along with the trailer video for a monthly challenge on GEA, so it’s already there. However, there were tweaks I needed to make and perhaps even more so now that I have some new ideas for the course so I shall revisit it and make a decision whether to stick with thrive themes that I used or go to mobirise

Thanks Bradley – really truly appreciate your support.

Oooh, by the way. Module one (once I receive the finished audio) is all complete with video and everything else so as soon as I receive the audio I can share it.

Oh no, sorry, I must have confused you @bradleytmorris I haven’t done all the videos yet, only the first two (of 10 that I would like to create) From creating the first two though, which are only a  minute long each (just to give an overview of the part of the escape plan the students are on) I have got myself a template now for the others, so it really is just a case of writing the text for that video and inserting the pictures that reflect that point in their escape, so I would hope, with all of that, it’s not a huge task to finish them.

Each section of the course will be an intro video, a Hypnotherapy Mp3, and then, if I feel appropriate (and perhaps not for all the steps) a pdf/journaling exercise/or other. So it’s all quite compact and simple I hope.

The story that you refer to, that I was writing last year, was an idea I had as a way to market this course. My intention being to turn it into an Amazon kindle book and give it away for free or for a nominal amount of money.

The story was going to show a number of different characters who had come together to try and stop smoking, and the reader would explore each character and understand that each one had a different ‘hang up’ when it came to smoking, the reason they were here, the reason they were struggling, the reason nothing had worked for them in the past, and how, none of this was their fault. The book would illustrate (in story form) all the different issues around smoking like fear, lack of willpower, false beliefs etc etc and I hoped I could write it all in an amusing way, at the end referring to the fact that each one of them was trapped in their own prison of fears and hang ups ( which leads into the idea of escaping from this prison by escaping from nicotraz)

It was based on a free ebook I had written on smoking and I thought – why not turn that into a story instead of just pages of facts and information – so that was the idea of it all really. A marketing tool, ( and also a self help but fun tool) rather than an addition to the ecourse itself.

Hope that makes sense.