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5 things that actually happen when you stop smoking — including why the craving on day 4 has nothing to do with nicotine.

Smoking Cessation Clinic · Workshop

Ready to become a non-smoker?

A 3-hour workshop on Sunday 27 September that gets you ready, followed by Monday 28 September as your official quit day, one clear plan, one clear date to act on it.

SUN 27 SEP 2026 · 13:00 to 16:00
Birkdale Library (The Station Master's House), Birkdale
£50 per person
Max 20 seats
How it works

Two days, one clear plan

A results-focused workshop built on Tom's clinical experience helping people quit, structured using Robert Dilts' Logical Levels framework, and drawing on James Clear's habit-formation research.

Sunday 27 September

The workshop

Three hours, in person, in a small group, at the start of your journey to becoming a non-smoker.

  • Where and when you actually smoke, and why that pattern took hold
  • A practical toolkit for the moments a craving hits
  • What quitting is really worth to you, and it's more than just the financial gain
  • A guided hypnotherapy session, done as a group, built around becoming a non-smoker
  • Your own written, signed quit-day plan to take home, plus one person you tell before you leave
Monday 28 September

Quit day

Not a vague "sometime soon". An exact day, chosen on purpose, starting from who you already decided to be on Sunday. Every hour you're not smoking is one more vote for that person.

  • The first full day as a non-smoker, not someone "trying to stop"
  • A short check-in message from Tom that morning
  • Your written plan as a reference for the tough moments
  • Two days ahead of the national Stoptober campaign starting 1 October
What this workshop is for

Four honest outcomes

This isn't built to produce only one "successful" result. All four below are a fine outcome.

01

You'll understand how it actually works

Leave knowing what clinical hypnosis does to help you stop smoking, and why: the mechanism, not vague reassurance.

02

You might quit that day

One session, one cost, often less than a month of patches or vapes, with nothing left to keep buying afterwards.

03

You might want to go further

If 1-2-1 work turns out to be the right next step, your £50 comes straight off the normal cost of my individual quit-smoking sessions.

04

You might decide it's not for you yet

That's a genuinely useful outcome too. Better to know now than after committing to ongoing sessions.

Why the Sunday / Monday split

It's not a gimmick, it's timing

Behavioural research on "temporal landmarks", such as Mondays, the start of a new month, or a birthday, has found people are more likely to start pursuing a personal goal in the days right after one of these markers. A new week gives you a mental line between the old you and the one making the change.

That's the whole idea behind treating Monday as quit day: it's not about the date being magic, it's about using a moment your mind already treats as a fresh start, rather than picking a random Wednesday and hoping willpower carries you.

Based on behavioural science research on temporal landmarks (Dai, Milkman & Riis, and related studies) and the "Quit and Stay Quit Monday" quit-date model. This isn't a guarantee. It's one factor that measurably helps, alongside the plan you build on Sunday.
What the 3 hours look like
13:00
Arrival & welcome

Tea, coffee, soft drinks, and a quick overview of the afternoon.

13:10
The psychology of addiction

Why nicotine is so addictive, and why habit loops are so powerful.

13:30
Where and when you smoke

We'll look at the environments and situations where you smoke, and build plans to avoid or minimise their impact.

13:50
Beliefs

The limiting beliefs you may hold about smoking, and how to replace them with the beliefs non-smokers already have.

14:10
Your practical toolkit

What to actually do in the 90 seconds a craving lasts.

14:25
Your new identity as a non-smoker

Moving forward, you're a non-smoker, not someone who's "trying to quit."

14:50
Group hypnotherapy session

A guided session. You stay seated, comfortable, and in control throughout.

15:15
Why this matters beyond you

A short reflection on who else, beyond you, benefits when you stop smoking.

15:30
Your Monday quit-day plan

Written, personal, and yours to keep, built before you leave the room.

15:55
Questions & close

Anything unanswered gets answered here.

Tom Phillips, clinical hypnotherapist
Your hypnotherapist

Tom Phillips

I work to two aims with every client: dealing with your challenges as quickly and effectively as possible, and helping you become self-sufficient at managing your own state long after the session ends, not dependent on ongoing appointments.

I have spent 18 years training in Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP), Clinical Hypnosis and other techniques such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT). I have been fortunate enough to be both trained and personally mentored by Dr Richard Bandler, the co-creator of NLP. I have also been trained by Paul McKenna and worked with Dr Bandler and Paul as part of their training teams at their seminars in the UK and US. Offices in Liverpool and Birkdale (Southport).

Before you book

Is £50 worth it compared to nicotine replacement or apps?

Most ongoing methods (patches, gum, vapes) cost more than £50 within a month and ask you to manage cravings yourself, every day. This is a single session built around one specific date, with a plan you leave holding.

I've tried to quit before and it didn't work. Why would this be different?

Most quit attempts fail without a plan for the moment cravings hit, and without a clear start date. This workshop gives you both, plus the hypnotherapy session, which works on the automatic urge to smoke rather than asking you to white-knuckle it.

I'm sceptical about hypnotherapy. Does it actually work?

Fair question. It's not stage-show hypnosis. You stay aware and in control the whole time. It's a guided relaxation technique aimed at your automatic smoking triggers, used alongside the practical plan, not instead of it.

What if I can't make Sunday 27 September?

The Sunday session is when the group workshop and hypnotherapy happen, so it's needed to take part. Get in touch before booking if you'd like to know about future dates.

What if I decide I want more support after the workshop?

That's a common next step for some people, and it's built into the pricing. If you book 1-2-1 quit-smoking sessions afterwards, your £50 workshop fee comes straight off the normal cost.

What if I'm not ready to fully quit by Monday?

That's normal, and it's covered in the session. The plan you leave with is built for the realistic version of quitting, not an all-or-nothing one.

In their own words

It doesn't have to feel like a fight

Real outcomes from people who've done this work with me, kept in their own words.

"I'd smoked a pack a day for 18 years and tried patches, gum, even cold turkey, nothing stuck longer than a few weeks. From the first session with Tom, the constant mental tug-of-war just wasn't there. Six months later, I'm still smoke-free and barely think about cravings at all."

Sarah, 20+ year smoker

"Every quit attempt followed the same pattern: a few good days, then a stressful moment at work sent me straight back to the packet. After one session with Tom, the automatic reach for a cigarette during stress just wasn't there anymore. Four months on, I haven't had a single cigarette."

Saeed, 10+ year smoker

"I'd smoked for over 20 years and tried quitting twice before, but stress always brought me back. After two sessions I wasn't white-knuckling it or resisting cravings. I just didn't really want one. It's been 5 months now. I expected quitting to feel like a constant fight. It doesn't."

Sam, 12+ year smoker

Sunday 27 September. Your quit day, Monday 28th.

Just 20 seats, to keep the group small. £50 per person, includes your written quit-day plan.

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