Quit Smoking Naturally for Life

Holistic Practitioner Spotlight with Janice Burgess, Quit  Smoking Coach

We are speaking with Janice Burgess, Clinical Pharmacist, Certified Health Coach, and Quit Smoking Coach with over 10 years experience assisting clients to quit smoking.

Tell Us a Story About  a Client Who Wanted to Quit Smoking and How You Helped

Ben who had Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease smoked for many years. Although he tried to quit smoking several times in the past, he was never able to stop.  What was different this time, was that his work was affected. As an author, he often read passages from his books and found he was unable to project his voice adequately in a larger room. Being too short of breath to speak and present, he now sought help. 

When I met with Ben, I told him about my  experience as a quit smoking coach. I have been doing this for a very long time. I assured him that there is no judgement and it is really my job to create confidence where there is uncertainty.

We went  through a typical day and discussed where his smoking fit in. Ben used cigarettes when he was stressed or fearful. He craved tobacco. I asked him to describe what his quit smoking goals were. We discussed the options of smoking reduction tips and allowed him to choose what to put into his quit plan.  All of it was his choice and he picked the approaches that he thought would work for him. If it didn’t work, we would regroup and tweak the plan until it did work.

At the end of our first session, Ben admitted that it was nice to have an “intelligent” conversation with someone about smoking cessation.

The Quit Smoking Natural Approaches

Things we did that Ben fleshed out for his personalized quit plan:

• Visualization: I asked Ben to imagine a life without smoking; to breath pleasure into his vision and to sense how amazing it feels without cigarettes in his life.
• Help with cravings, withdrawal, and self-sabotage – We discussed the power of meditation, deep breathing 5-5-7 and tapping (Emotional Freedom Technique) to get him through difficult moments
• Mindfulness around smoking – To recognize triggers and change the habits that are associated with reaching for a cigarette.
• Change his thinking – the power of a different perspective

The Confidence of Being Able to Quit Smoking

Infusing the 5 A’s, stages of change into sessions, in a period of five weeks, Ben has come a long way. He celebrates that he has adopted better habits and continues moving in the direction of a tobacco free person. He is stronger and healthier and is so appreciative that it helped him come off of one of his diabetes medications and reduce his inhalers.

Quitting smoking gave him back the stamina and the courage in presenting his work. Mostly he feels confident he will never go back. 

Why and When Did You Choose the Holistic Path?

I am a pharmacist who really doesn’t like drugs. This sounds unusual, but there are many people who are on more meds than they really need. Prescription medications play an important role in treating illness and disease, however I can’t bear to see people taking a handful of meds at each meal without wondering if it is all really necessary. Smoking cessation was a good fit.

First of all, if we can get people to quit, especially before the age of 40, we may be preventing an illness and/or disease from ever happening. Plus we are eliminating a risk factor – not just reducing it – but eliminating it. Secondly, my father died when he was just 56 years old of lung cancer caused by his smoking and I miss him every day. What if I could help others to quit and prevent the loss of life.

What Lessons Have Your Work and Personal Experiences Taught You?

It’s important to be authentic! As a Quit Coach, I create confidence where there might be uncertainty about successfully quitting. I help people quit with confidence, and they feel great while doing so.

What Would You Like Your Clients to Know About Your Services that They May Not be Aware of?

The options to quit have never been better. I provide one-to-one services, group services, online services, and combinations which suit the needs of my clients. If I have learned anything, it is that there are no two quit plans that are the same. Some are similar but everyone sets down a slightly different path that feels right for them, and then their plan is more likely to be successful because it was created by them, for them.

Biography

Janice Burgess is a Stop Smoking Specialist with a degree in Pharmacy, and extensive training in health leadership and tobacco cessation principles. Janice is an innovator in cessation, and her passion is to create a tobacco-free future for all. Her work combines best practices in Smoking Cessation with Transformational Mastery to create a one-of-a-kind quit smoking program call the Breathe Easy Boot Camp. Janice leads cessation training for Health Coaches.

JB Quit Coach 

6 Bole Place Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada S4S 3W7

Visit Janice’s website

Find more practitioners like Janice in this Holistic Health Directory