Site last updated 09/12/2006

(Written for a health awareness event at StowHealth, a GP practice)

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So you want to give up smoking?
As anyone who has attempted it knows, giving up smoking is a process rather than a set event or a simple decision. The risks to one's health from smoking are well publicised - yet knowing the facts is not, in itself, enough to make the change. Smoking is an addiction, firmly entrenched in your behaviour patterns and in your body. 'Giving up' therefore requires a multi-facetted approach and sustained attention over a period of time.

How can biodynamic massage help you 'give up for life'?

The Department of Health's (DoH) booklet 'Giving up for Life' gives several characteristics which are associated with people who successfully give up:

They really want to stop
Saying 'no' to smoking should be an affirmation of yourself - if you like, it is a way of 'saying yes to me'. A biodynamic massage therapist does not just work with a body, he/she aims to make contact with the person who inhabits it, and in doing so to help you to make contact more fully with yourself in a truly holistic way (mind, body and spirit). Some people try to stop smoking because other people have told them to do so, or because they feel it is the right thing to do. These 'false' motivations may emerge in the process of biodynamic massage, to be replaced with a new awareness of your 'true' motivation. Once the drive to quit is coming from the right place within you, you will find it much easier to stop.

They understand why they smoked in the past
Another benefit of reconnecting with your underlying motivations is that you also come to understand what maintained your drive to smoke in the past. Biodynamic massage is not just a touch therapy - there is some talking involved at the start of each session (and especially at the first appointment) so that time time and space is provided for you to express yourself and to explore your way of being in the world.

They put time and effort into planning the attempt
Biodynamic massage is a process; it is not a set number or a prescribed course of treatments with a particular plan or a specified outcome. It is about being with what is most alive in you now, in this moment. From this point of view, the therapy is at odds with this aspect of giving up, as seen by the DoH. From the biodynamic perspective, the time and effort that is required is that needed to turn up for sessions and to stick with the process of reconnecting with yourself. The outcome of this is that you become more aware of your natural rhythms of preparation, activity, relaxation and rest. You are then more able to 'sense' of 'feel' when it will be right to give up, and to remain in touch with yourself so that you are able to 'say no' when temptations occur. This way of going about things necessarily involves your body - your whole 'being' - rather than just being a cognitive process which is entirely carried out in your head.

They know what to expect when they stop smoking
Biodynamic massage does not usually work in a cognitive or conventionally 'educational' manner, but the therapist will certainly support your enthusiasm for finding out for yourself what may happen when you give up. The therapy will not - or at least is very unlikely to - stop cravings. It can, however, help to provide relief from some of the withdrawal symptoms - for example, digestive disturbances, mood swings and sleep problems. In fact, many people who come for biodynamic massage find that their digestion, general mood and sleep patterns improve as a by-product of the therapy.

They have support and encouragement
The ongoing relationship with the therapist which is provided alongside the bodywork provides a ground of support and encouragement from which the changes you want to make can take life.

They take each day one by one
The way the massage is carried out (without dimmed lights or relaxing music), combined with the fact that every session is a unique experience, encourages you to be 'in the moment' and centred within yourself. This experience can then be taken into everyday life in many ways, one of which is the ability to take each day as it comes. Biodynamic massage also works to open up the body's natural way of 'processing' or 'digesting' your life experiences, which helps you to move through life's ups and downs more smoothly. As such, it will be particularly good for people who are stressed and/or realise that they use smoking as an 'antidote' to stressful situations.

They plan ahead to avoid 'tempting' situations
The time for talking at the start of each weekly session can be used to discuss and prepare for upcoming events which may be likely to tempt you back to lighting up.

They see themselves as non-smokers
This is another area where the biodynamic view differs from that of the DoH, in that a biodynamic massage therapist would tend to see you as 'you, in your entirity' - not as just 'a smoker' or 'a non-smoker'. In applying labels to ourselves, we start to engage in an internal fight; we are either a smoker or a non-smoker, one or the other - but, whichever, all the time part of the same battleground. What biodynamic massage offers instead is the chance for you to experience you and your body differently, so that you are less identified with smoking or non-smoking and therefore quite naturally move your focus away from this whole arena.

How do you know it's working?

It would not be advisable to measure the success of biodynamic massage therapy solely by whether you manage to stop and stay stopped. As the DoH booklet explains, research shows that the more past attempts to stop smoking a person has made, the more likely they will be to stop smoking in the future - due to the experience gained at previous attempts.
Committing to biodynamic massage in the longer term will provide you with an ongoing source of support, and a foundation from which fresh attempts can be made with reference to the insights gained from past experiences. This is another good reason for not labelling yourself as 'a smoker' or 'a non-smoker' … it is important to maintain a sense of your own value, rather than getting engrossed in a 'success/failure' cycle. As you 'grow' as a person and learn to let your body help you out with the stresses and strains of everyday life - as it can do, given the chance - you will find it easier to ride the highs and lows of this process.
People often get benefits from biodynamic massage therapy which are far beyond and above their initial expectations. It truly has the potential to change your life.

What is biodynamic massage?

Biodynamic massage is a gentle and very enjoyable form of massage which was originally put together by a Norwegian physiotherapist and clinical psychologist, Gerda Boyesen. The therapy has an energetic understanding of the body, in common with acupuncture, shiatsu, Reiki, reflexology etc., and is effective for many physical complaints (bad backs, headaches, migraines, ME/CFS, IBS etc.). The various techniques used also have specific effects on one's psychological and emotional state; it is therefore very useful for people who find themselves frequently overwhelmed with emotions, for those who are depressed and/or cut off from their feelings, for those suffering from anxiety or panic attacks, or for those who are generally 'stressed out'. When experienced regularly over an extended period of time, it is also beneficial in terms of helping people to connect with their inner nature - with who they really are - and to live in a more natural, spontaneous manner; 'flexible' both physically and psychologically.

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Vicki Martin, March 2004