Kris V.
Addiction Kicker
After 23 years of smoking cigarettes and 14 years of smoking Marijuana, Kris wanted to kick his addiction and habit.
Step #1
Define aim
Kris’s aim was to stop smoking cigarettes and Marijuana. His motivations were:
- • “To be more comfortable in my own skin, so I won’t be needing any more crutches to deal with stressful moments or even dull moments in my life”
- • To get fit again
- • Be an example to his young niece and nephew
- • Stop the self-destructive lifestyle that he had adopted with his friends which had already sadly led to several fatalities amongst his circle of friends
- • Give confidence to his elderly parents that when they pass away he will live a long and healthy life
Step #2
Develop core body skills
Kris learnt to relax in sessions using his attention to focus on the body, breathe and let go of tension. These initial sessions provided a basic but vital experience to Kris, reminding him of his ability to relax.
Step #3
Identify and stop automatic patterns
As Kris developed further body attention and control, he found it was challenging for him to let go in the diaphragm and belly, which were also the areas where he tensed in daily life when he became anxious and felt the need to smoke. Kris identified and described relevant situations where he regularly carried out his automatic habits and practiced expanding his body attention in order to stop and choose his automatic physical, cognitive, emotional and behavioral responses.
Step #4
Use capacities and new options to achieve aim
With time, Kris developed greater ability to recognise and stop his automatic patterns. His confidence increased and he experienced a greater sense of relaxation and vitality in general – enabling and encouraging him to stop smoking.
Step #5 - Complete aim
- By the end of his sessions not only had he completely stopped smoking both cigarettes and Marijuana, but his life had changed in many ways, including:
- • Being able to dream again
- • Being at work “another colleague and boss”
- • Gaining a new perspective on life and matters important to him
- • Being able to go on long-haul flights to travel and see friends and places he had wished to visit for a long time (before he couldn’t imagine not being able to smoke on the long journey)
- • Starting an initiative to train long-term unemployed people to become painter-decorators and give monthly workshops for people who would like to redo their homes themselves but lack the skills to do so
- • Be the example he wanted to be to his niece and nephew – and play with them longer as he was in better shape
“My first encounter with the Grinberg Method was completely by accident and I had never heard about it before. While on vacation in Barcelona, I asked a friend where I could get a decent massage. She told me about Reflexology and how much it had helped her before, so I called Charlotte and made an appointment to have a session.
During the session we were talking about how I wanted to quit getting high and also give up cigarettes, I’ve been smoking cigarettes for 23 years and smoking pot for 14 years. She told me about how she could teach me how to relax more in my daily life and manage stress effectively, so I wouldn’t need to depend on these things anymore.
Nothing else was working so I decided to try it out and it has changed my life and me as a person. I have been more relaxed since the very first session and I learn something new about myself with every next one I go to. For the last 2 months, I’ve been clean and sober and I haven’t smoked a cigarette for 4 weeks at this moment in time.
I would recommend it to anyone who wants a change in their life but doesn’t know how to go about it on their own. The key is that you want a change in your life and Charlotte teaches you your own possibilities to look at it and abilities to deal with it. I always viewed myself as a hopeless case, but it only took a couple of sessions for me to reach my goals and improve my own well-being.”