About Steve Gardiner

Stephen Gardiner originates from Rhodesia, (Zimbabwe) then working around the globe before finally settling in Brisbane Australia. As a scientist, Steve always had an interest in human development, especially Mind Plastisicity and how we cope with stress, anxiety and addictive behaviours. Over the past 15 years Steve has assisted many clients to transform their lives by resolving the obstacles holding them back.

Entries by Steve Gardiner

Quit Smoking and Nicotine

Nicotine is produced by the tobacco plant and can be regarded as a biological pesticide. The tobacco plant produces nicotine in the roots and then exudes it from the leaves to prevent insects from eating the plant.

When tobacco is smoked, nicotine is absorbed through the wall lining of the small air sacs in the lungs. When sniffed or chewed, it is absorbed through the mucous membranes of the nose or mouth. Nicotine can also be absorbed easily through the skin which is the main cause of second hand smoking.

Regardless of how nicotine is absorbed, it enters the bloodstream where it […]

A Fast and Effective Way to Overcome Stress and Anxiety

In the past hypnosis was used very successfully for the treatment of anxiety, stress and what is now called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). For whatever reason, hypnosis after the 70’s was ignored or played down as a treatment for these conditions.

However times have changed and hypnosis is now playing a bigger part in the treatment of these conditions. In fact hypnosis has been described as a simple, safe and elegant way to remove the effects of stress, anxiety, trauma and PTSD. The reasons for this are:

Hypnosis is fast and does not need long periods with frequent visits.
Hypnosis is non-intrusive […]

Can smoking cigarettes lead to cocaine abuse?

It has long been thought that nicotine in tobacco products can act as a gateway drug, increasing a person’s likelihood of abusing cocaine and perhaps other drugs as well.
Most drug users report smoking cigarettes or alcohol abuse before trying drugs. This model has been very controversial as to whether smoking, alcohol or marijuana leads to later drug use.
In a current study by Columbia University, New York it was found that mice exposed to nicotine showed an increased response to cocaine. Researchers also studied humans to see if the results from mice paralleled the effect on humans. It was found that […]

Is what they say about quitting true?

Just recently I came across this blog;

“When we quit smoking, most of us go through a fair amount of junkie thinking – the internal battle between our addiction and ourselves. Early on in smoking cessation, the dialogue can seem relentless. It’s often persistent, annoying and exhausting. It is however, temporary, and the less attention you give to unhealthy thoughts of smoking, the better. Thoughts of smoking just one cigarette have been the ruin of many good quitting efforts. It’s important for you to realize ahead of time that these mental contortions are a normal part of the recovery process.”

There are […]

Am I ready to quit?

I recently had a client who wanted to quit smoking but was not ready as he had a very emotive issue in his life. He wanted to quit smoking cigarettes but his partner had just left him. I think that you would agree that in most cases this is very emotional.

Now he could have come to me to quit smoking with hypnosis but the likelihood of it being effective I believe would have been quite slim. In this case his thoughts are taken up by the emotions of his relationship breaking down.

What I am getting at is that to successfully […]

Be grateful for what you have

I was listening to a cd the other day when the speaker said, “be grateful for what you have and work with it”. After reflection I thought that it was a very true and profound statement.

How many of us ignore what we have, to live in the past and the future. In our rush to do this we ignore what we have and keep on yearning for the “good old days” or “if only I had this I could”. The reality is that we all have a set of tools that we can use to make our lives the way […]

I’m Afraid

I had a client the other day for quit smoking cigarettes that burst into tears when I asked him if he really wanted to quit smoking. He said that he did but he was afraid that he would fail. He had tried in the past and he had failed.

Many people who come to see me have failed to quit smoking and then succeeded. The point is that you do not need to be a victim of your history. So called failure is just feedback and you learn from feedback. If you look at your life you will see that you […]

I just can’t Quit!

I have had many people come to me for quit smoking and have said that they have given up drugs, some of them quite hard drugs, but they can’t seem to quit smoking.

I believe that this comes down to the fact that our brains are extremely primitive. As wonderful as the brain is there is still a lot of it that acts as if we are in the caveman times. If you are being chased by a great big sabre toothed tiger then your chances of survival are much better if you are in a group. Because of this there […]

The benefits of nicotine

Scientists have found in the last few years that nicotine may be an effective drug for relieving or preventing a variety of neurological disorders, including Parkinson’s disease, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), Tourette’s and schizophrenia. It might even improve attention and focus enough to qualify as a cognitive enhancer. These results have been found when nicotine has been delivered to the body as a patch or a gum and not by cigarettes or chewing tobacco. 

One of the biggest uses for nicotine has been for quitting smoking and in fact it has been found that nicotine for this is a dismal failure. […]

Does smoking cigarettes help with stress and anxiety?

Many people think that smoking helps when they are stressed or anxious. Is this true?

The answer is yes and no. Don’t know about you but that is not a very helpful answer. Let’s look at this in a bit more detail to understand it.

When you smoke a cigarette the nicotine in the cigarette causes the blood vessels to constrict. This interferes with the blood circulation and your blood pressure goes up. This in turn causes stress in your body so smoking adds additional stress to an already stressful situation. When you quit smoking cigarettes your circulation improves and your body […]

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