Testimonials Archive

Susan French

The course is wonderful. I’m just starting the second section. I am so thrilled that someone finally agrees that you can’t push smokers or expect them to respond after one session. I’ve been searching on my own to try to find some method that addresses the addiction/habituation without being so do-or-die, “you’re either ready or your not” judgmental, making the client wrong, insensitive, impractical and dismissive.

So many therapists say that their smoking clients quit after one session. I’ve found that to be the exception so I ended up cringing in fear and confusion when I got a smoking client. I was so relieved to hear Mark say the same thing.

This is a much better approach and has some really wonderful information about the nature of addiction/habituation and how people are so different in their responses. I’ve always rejected the idea that you only take clients who are “ready.”

I always knew that some kind of segmented approach was needed but I couldn’t get a firm handle on how to structure it. This seems really great and I’m already using it with a smoking client. It also seems as if it works for any other addictive/habituative behavior.

This way it seems that the pressure is taken off both client and therapist for perfect, immediate results. It also seems that both the cognitive brain function AND subconscious brain function are used to support each other, which has always been my preference. I find that people do better when they know what to expect and why and, more importantly, how to handle it in the recovery process.

Kudos to Mark and Roger. Please forward this to them. If I had the money, I would gladly pay twice as much for their courses and consider myself lucky. I’m very grateful.

Melody Taylor

I really enjoyed doing this course and looked forward to each session I spent working on it. I found all the setting up instructions easy to follow and even fail proof…which for me is a big deal because it has been easy for me to get muddled up with following computer instructions in most other instances (I’m in my 50’s and only have basic computer skills at this stage).

I really liked the check list at the beginning of each section… I got a buzz each time I ticked another step off and looked forward to the next step. In NLP we call this ‘chunking down’ and for me it had the effect of feeling steady progress. My ability to learn and retain the information was hugely aided by the multi-sensory system presentations – video presentations, audio and written and even kinesthetic with using the computer and ticking off the steps. I even liked the on-line tests for each section…they were relevant questions, achievable and the results are instantly available (very cool)!

The approach of gradually separating the person (client) from the smoking as part of their identity totally makes sense to me and focussing on care and respect for the power of people’s beliefs is also congruent with my understanding of people.

All in all I will continue my professional development with Uncommon Knowledge because it is a fantastic learning resource for me and encompasses the NLP presuppositions, Human Givens and Erickson style hypnotherapy.

Chris McFetridge

I’ve just completed your ‘How to Stop Anyone Smoking’ online course. Thank you so much for a compelling, well thought out, highly enjoyable, and informative programme. The content is presented in an easy to follow manner, is very engaging, and I especially liked how some elements are revisited throughout the different sessions.

The Uncommon approach is certainly different to the way I was taught – as a regression hypnotherapist – however, I can’t wait to utilise the unique insights, tools, and strategies with my next smoking cessation client.

Robert Sieveking

Completing your course was a pleasure. I have taken a number of smoking cessation courses, and have been helping smokers become non smokers for over ten years. Your insights are unique and your instruction refreshing. I feel that I have gained some new and promising tools and strategies for my clients. Thank you for all of your work. Fine job.

Sherry Hardt

Thank you so much for this course. There is such a wealth of knowledge here that I had not been exposed to before. I feel well equipped to work with addictions and ready to create metaphors. I used one of the metaphors for a client with disease and she is improving! So glad I found this course. Working with a smoking (really a nonsmoking) client tomorrow. Before I dreaded it, now I am excited to work with this client.

Rosemary Siple

The materials are superb. I love the written material and being able to follow along with the video or audio while reading. It is perfect for my style of learning. Rather than taking notes, I can highlight and notate the written materials…fabulous! Also, love the full session recordings. Really, I cannot say enough about what I have learned, not just with this program, but others that I am taking as well as the wealth of information on your site and in your emails.

I believe that I am listening more carefully and reframing. Reframing is so critical and while I do it, I found that I lacked confidence having never been a smoker, almost like I was a fraud, you know, “who am I to help these people quit!” But the program helped me understand the nature of the smoker and I believe the single most important factor that smokers have shared with me, that never came up before, is how “stupid” they feel for smoking and ashamed that they cannot quit by willpower alone. To free them from that misconception by helping them understand that the habit is a pattern of association and not a straight nicotine addiction, has freed each one of the guilt they felt and low self-esteem that developed around smoking. It is amazing.

A client came to me recently and had quit many times and for long periods of time, 5 years, 8 years, etc., but somehow she always returned to smoking. Now, she suffers from Peripheral Artery Disease and has had to undergo an angioplasty procedure. Furthermore, she was hiding the fact that she still smoked from coworkers, her doctors, and family members. She felt deep shame and disappointment in herself for continuing to smoke. After the session, upon coming out of the trance she began to cry. I allowed her to compose herself and process her tears before I asked what she was feeling. She said she never realized how much of her identity was falsely linked to smoking and how she felt free of it for the first time. She has no doubt that she will never smoke again.

You provide the absolute best hypnotherapy training available. Truly there is none better that I have found. I have been to NYC and spent weeks undergoing training by professional therapists, as well as other online programs; nothing beats the training and knowledge received from Uncommon Knowledge. Worth its weight in gold! Absolutely love you all, from Mark and Roger to all the staff that support the programs. Exceptional people and exceptional service.

Alina Tanase

How to Stop Anyone Smoking’ is a course that changed the way I think, feel and behave about smokers. It made me understand the habit from the inside and gave me a new mindset about them. I knew this course was good before I took it, because some of the materials they used to market it made me quit smoking. So, after I saw that it worked on me, and it was only one good crafted metaphor, I thought this is it, this is a course I must have. So I had. And it was a great experience, from the beginning till the end. It is a new and creative approach, and its knowledge expands even beyond the smoking habit. I am still learning from this course and I’m sure I’ll find new things again and again.

I’ve had only one client for stop smoking so far and it was a success, even if it didn’t seem like it when he left the session. Being my first client for this, I was so nervous and I used the material from the composite session to prepare myself. Before I made the appointment for the session, I sent him the ‘Get Ready to Quit Smoking’ material. Well, my client’s motivation was just curiosity about hypnosis and how could it make him stop. So, at least that’s what he said. He even told me at the beginning, ‘I have tried this and that for stopping, and it worked for a while. Now I want to try this hypnosis and if it doesn’t work, no problem.’ :)

The session took about 2 hours, pre-talk and hypnosis, and before he left I told him that some people are able to stop immediately after the session, and others need some more time, and I want him to give me a call and tell me that he had quit.

The very next day he left me a message that he is craving like crazy and I suggested we should meet again to talk about other stresses in his life. Well, as we approached the date of the next session, he left again a message telling me that after one day he couldn’t smoke, even if he wanted to. He had tried and the smoke made him feel sick. So, that’s my story and it made me feel good!

Mark and Roger are great teachers, I feel like they are around me when I need some inspiration. I look forward to the other courses on Uncommon U.

Janine Fowler

The course is very well put together, professional, and will appeal to all learning styles. My background is 20+ years in learning and development so it takes quite a bit to impress me! I would recommend this course to other therapy practitioners. It’s all good, assistance is easily accessible, Mark is welcoming and the materials are very professional.

Gaye Morgan

The course was extremely comprehensive and I’m not sure how it could be improved. Love the way it is set out – easy to navigate, no time-wasting. It is all excellent content. It is not just how to, but why, so it makes sense and is easy to adapt to the client’s individual needs. The live demonstrations are incredibly useful. I have learnt so much from watching Mark in action. I also very much appreciated having both audio and text versions to study the material.

I’ve found that most people only require one session with me using this material but it would be helpful to have even more ideas about how to deal with smokers who are particularly resistant.

One client, in particular, emailed me with this lovely feedback:

‘I visited you nearly two weeks ago for a hypnotherapy session to stop smoking and I thought I would send you a quick update before I head overseas.

The last two weeks has been very stressful, we sadly had to admit my father into a nursing home due to his dementia making him quite violent, abusive and delusional, work was chaotic due to going on long leave and having to hand over to someone who was covering my job (so having to make sure everything was in order/perfect for them not to have to stress) and also getting everything finalised for my operation.

I have not smoked a cigarette or desired a cigarette since my session with you. I am feeling really good and on top of the world.’

How is that for a feel-good story?!!

Kim Hansen

This course covered everything that a therapist needs to know in helping someone stop smoking. There is no need to wonder about the efficacy of what you are doing or to fumble with lots of bits of information that you have gathered from all different sources. It is a one-stop shop of quality resources. It really gives you the confidence to practice and know that you will get results in a very short space of time.

Recently, I had a particularly challenging new client, who presented with a number of complex issues. She was seeing a psychiatrist and psychologist, but wanted to see me to stop smoking. Initially looking at the client on paper, I was concerned that smoking was the least of her worries and I wasn’t at all sure that I could successfuly concentrate just on her goal to quit. The strategies I learned gave me the capabilities to focus in on the smoking and cover it from several angles. As an off shoot, she reported to her psychologist that she had significantly reduced her drinking as well. Bonus points!!!

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