Traumatic Incident Reduction (TIR) and Smoking Cessation: A Case Study Perspective

The experiences of "Samantha" as a client will be used to illustrate how Traumatic Incident Reduction and Life Stress Reduction strategies have helped her overcome her smoking addiction. Samantha, age 25, is a young pregnant woman who is presently working at a shop as an accounting assistant. She is living with her boyfriend of 10 years. He is a mechanic who also smokes and is frequently verbally abusive toward Samantha. Samantha is currently in the first trimester of her second pregnancy; her first pregnancy resulted in a spontaneous miscarriage. Samantha is afraid she will lose this baby and has recently become aware of the connection between a miscarriage and smoking, thus she would like to quit. Yet, she is finding it difficult, especially since she has become aware, from her own mother, that Samantha’s conception was due to a rape her mother had experienced, but did not tell Samantha about till now.