carried out a case study on a 31-year-old man named "Paul" who had smoked for 17 years and smoked on average between 15 and 20 cigarettes per day. He had been trying to quit smoking for almost six years. XXXX et al taught him three mindfulness techniques:
Intention. Paul was taught to verbally state his intention to quit smoke. This included statements like "I will not smoke today" and "I will not smoke anymore."
Mindful observation of thoughts. He was taught that desires were simply "thoughts" and should be "let go." In other words, he was to be aware of his thoughts, but not respond to them.
Meditation on the soles of his feet. If the desire thoughts were too strong and could not be let go, he was taught to move his attention to the soles of his feet. Within three months, Paul was no longer smoking, with the number of cigarettes smoked daily decreasing incrementally over the three-month period. Paul is checked every three months to determine whether he has been able to maintain his behaviour. After three years, he is still smoke-free.