Medical, Health and Wellness Hypnosis Group

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Comment by Donald Pelles on February 6, 2012 at 4:44pm

To report back:

My client came back for her second session.  I tried doing Core Transformation with her, but it was very difficult because she kept nodding out and at times was barely responsive.  I asked her if she was high; she insisted she was not, only very tired -- but I realized later that yes, she was (if I had realized that during the session I would have stopped and sent her home).  Her mother confronted her later and my client admitted using.  The mother is putting her into a detox program (which I had recommended earlier), a resident program, I believe, so I will not be seeing her for at least a while.

Comment by Brian David Phillips on February 6, 2012 at 2:34pm

Michelle, I use experiential trance with folks to recapture the feelings of druglike experiences with folks quite a bit.  While I use a variety of protocols, others use techniques such as the old NLP "drug of choice" process.  When using it for addicts, it's best part of a supervised procedure that is a stopgap while the person is going through a sequenced therapeutic program that eventually drops the needs.  It's part of a weening-off program.  For some folks it is appropriate but for others it is not.  For recreational use, it can be a wonderful tool.  I strongly suggest that folks who wish to learn such processes as therapeutic tools do so as a supplement to solid addiction therapy training and not go rooting around with serious issues without appropriate training - hypnotic or otherwise.

IMO.

Having said that, those who wish to search around on my blog site at http://briandavidphillips.net/blog can find a number of videos that demonstrate this sort of thing.

- Brian

Comment by Michelle Braun on February 6, 2012 at 9:36am

Perhaps she can "seek" something else yet even more thrilling to be determined by her that has nothing to do w/drugs?

Another thing I have been struggling with since reading this a while back: the use of experiential trance instead of drugs for drug users. I have never had a "problem" with drug use, but appreciate being able to recall and re-experience "experiences"  of my past. I am unable to determine the appropriateness of this for someone like your client but have to think somewhere this applies. If people knew/understood they could "escape" naturally and feel however they wished without drugs -even w/o any prior experience - it would seem to be most beneficial. But then I wonder about the addictive personality... If they came for hypnosis to begin with maybe that would not be a problem...dunno...

Comment by Donald Pelles on January 19, 2012 at 7:13am

Late in gettting back to y'all -- Sunday's session went very well.

She said something very interesting and (to me) unexpected: the biggest thrill for her is the drug seeking, not the using.  She said that after our first session, her interest in seeking the drugs had diminished; that she had been able to focus better on her school work.

We are developing a very good rapport.  I taught her Michael Ellner and Alan Barsky's Emotional Detox and we did an Ultraheight session.  This Sunday I plan to do a Core Transformation with her.  Both of these speak to Dan's post, below.  (I'm just sayin ...)

I suggested she might want to do detox, referred her to the Kolmac Center.  She knew about it, of course, but has never done their program (some ofher friends have).  She was open to it, said she would call them.  Her worry was if it would conflict with her school schedule.

Comment by Dan Cleary on January 18, 2012 at 4:58am

Don:

What if...

Drug use was a spiritual quest... perhaps gone awry?

Future 'recreational use' were an internal contract to change now, with the option to go back to the familiar if the changes don't provide the benefits she is seeking?

She were to remember the best parts of getting high and were to have an anchor to get the feeling with none of the side effects?

Drug use were a spiritual quest... 

I'm just asking...

Dan

Comment by Melissa J. Roth on January 15, 2012 at 8:57am

That's an interesting article, Linda. Thanks for sharing it.  

Comment by Linda Roan on January 15, 2012 at 6:50am

this article came across my desk this morning and i thought it was interesting enough to share with this group http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120105112235.htm?utm_s...

I think it highlights the importance of our work.

Namaste,

Comment by Donald Pelles on January 14, 2012 at 12:16pm

My session with her is tomorrow -- I'm preparing now.

Thank you all for your experience, your thinking, and your wisdom.  I will let you know how it goes.

Comment by Samuel Lurie on January 14, 2012 at 7:59am

Hi Melissa: Thanks for your helpful comments--but I don't see how we know much about this person from the little info on the forum. I saw people jumping to conclusions (30 days inpatient rehab, for instance).  And I still believe that working with people where they are, not where we think they should be, is key. It could mean the difference (and generally does) between her coming in to explore what her drug use means to her and what she wants to do around it for her health and well-being, vs. her shutting down and walking the other way at the get go. In addictions work there's the concept of Stages of Change and the earlier stages are Precontemplation (not realizing there's an issue) and Contemplation (beginning to see there is, and considering change). She may be right here, which is two stages prior to "action" or stopping. (The next stages are Ready for Action/Preparation, Action and Maintenance. While people go thru them in all kinds of paces, you do go thru, them, rather than skip. She's not "ready for action" yet.  Another stage is relapse, or re-addiction to use your phrase, and it is part of the cycle for sure!)

I have struggled with clients who are addicts--more with alcoholics than other drugs--because part of their addiction is denial of the problem and blaming others. It could well be that working with her here, around her belief that there's no issue, may be a really good starting point. It could help because it would be validating her, something that might be very rare, and because any next steps are up to her, but she has not decided what those should be (even if it is stopping altogether, she has to figure out how to do that. And that is absolutely where we come in as hypnotherapists)

Just my thinking on it. I have done a lot of drug and addictions work in my other work, not just hypnotherapy, so my thinking is informed (and perhaps biased) from that.

Best,
Samuel

Comment by Melissa J. Roth on January 14, 2012 at 1:18am

Samuel,

There are people who are social smokers and social drinkers and even social drug users.  Those people can smoke, drink or use for a party or other "event" and then stop smoking, drinking, using at will, without effort. They will go for periods of time not smoking/drinking/using.  These people are not addicted.  

Addicts cannot pick and choose when to drink/use, etc.  They cannot stop at just one or just one day.  If they manage to get clean and sober and decided to use or drink the proverbial "just one" then they are addicted all over again.  

From everything we've heard about this girl she is an addict.  She's hooked both emotionally and physically.  If she had just one hit, even if she did not have an emotional need or desire to continue to use, she would have a physiological response.  She may have the desire to be a recreational use.  However, since she had been physically addicted in the past, her physiology would re-addict her. ( I know there is no such word as re-addict......but there should be.)

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