Multiple Issues
by Owen Atkins
Post by Owen Atkins - January 02 2001
Gedday
I'm currently working with a couple of people and it's a bit
interesting. I have a housewife client who has some very limiting beliefs about
herself. She also has a drinking problem in that she drinks most nights at
home. She drinks well over 6 standard glasses of wine.
The triggers are: temporal ( 8.30 at night) and contextual: alone
(husband is usually at work and kids are asleep or away) and at home. She never
drinks when away from home. There is no neuro-adaption to alcohol. She was
recently admitted to hospital and scored nothing on the Alcohol Withdrawal
Scales.
She has Krohn's Disease (which I know nothing about so far and will
not be addressing yet). Her husband has a bowel cancer that has a poor
prognosis. She has a poor relationship with him and her daughters. Her brother
suicided 4 years ago and her sister died from alcohol related causes two years
ago.
The first two sessions have been devoted to a complete shake up of
her belief systems. I have placed everything up for grabs through a series of
metaphors. I have also asked her to begin checking on the outside for
information about her world. She is finding this very exciting and has begun
describing herself positively.
Next step is to induce relaxation for sleep. Ron, I went for the
submo's on her nightly depression/drinking. Seems to have worked nicely.
Suggestions?
thanks
Owen
Responses
Post by Ronald T Robinson -January 2nd 2001
Hi all!
Yes, Owen. Even if someone comes in with a hangnail, they get a
couple of Reimprints. As the impact of these interventions generalize out -
over time the opportunity to address specifics seems to be a lot more
comfortable a process.
The added benefit of the Reimprint is the conscious awareness of
the Client that "something wonderful is happening" leading to an easier
acceptance of the work - particularly when we start getting "weird" with
sub-mos and the rest.
Meanwhile I'm sure our friends here at the site have some input on the Krohn's
issue.
Best...Ron
Post by Owen Atkins - January 3rd 2001
Gedday again,
Submos for depression were auditory, her own voice. The driver was
distance. The greater the distance the less effect. The voice appears to have
gone now.....but I saw her today and the next layer on the onion is her worry.
Her husband is sick with cancer (did I say that before?) and she has very real
worries about his fate.
An interesting component of this is that he doesn't believe that
she is really sick. Krohns is a bowel disease (or grouping of symptoms..) so I
asked about the contest that she has engaged in with his stomach cancer. She
didn't even blink an eyelid at that so, I think this is an issue. (I have still
been focussing on the depression, worry and drinking as these have preceded the
stomach stuff...) but I'm open to suggestions.
I asked her to list ten words that describe herself. She gave a
list that at first wasn't all that positive. She is a devout Christian and
easily found the words "vulnerable, unattractive, short, bad teeth" to have
positive connotations when applied to Mother Teresa.
Did similar things with the other words too. Also, she's been
copping some "verbals" from her family over her behaviour. Told her the story
about Buddah being abused by a non-believer. Buddah kept on smiling at the man
who was railing him. Did this for three days. Finally the man said "for three
days I have yelled at you, I have renounced your teachings and abused you and
yet you smile, why is this?" Buddah replied "If a person offers a gift to
another and the gift isn't accepted then to whom does the gift belong?" The man
considered this and replied, "To the giver", "And so it is with your gift" said
Buddah.
The client was delighted by this story and quickly made the
distinctions between the two "gifts". The gift of intent "I care for you and
worry about you" was accepted while the gift process "Stop all this drinking,
wake up to yourself etc." was refused.
I'm not remembering all the metaphors I used (they tend to be
fairly spontaneous and based on current examples). I used the classical lead in
to shaking up beliefs by reviewing old and redundant beliefs (Santa Claus etc).
Have given her a task, it's the Brief Therapy "Day one, Day two"
task of writing down all her worries at a certain time during the day. At that
time she has to devote 110% attention to these worries. On the Day two she has
to read everything she wrote. She must write and read with total attention and
non-stop. I induced a slight trance and suggested that she would be surprised
at what she will learn and also at how exhausted she will feel afterward (sleep
is a problem).
There may be a quicker way to do this (Ron?) but her worries are
real (husband's cancer) and some are more fantasy (will my children be OK when
they are old?) and I wanted to work towards resolution in the home context at a
pace that the husband can deal with. He doesn't believe in counsellors (it's
all bullshit etc.)
One thing is clear, I have been remiss in learning reimprinting.
Thanks Ron (hangnails? Maybe a tatoo for a change...)
Owen
Post by Ronald T Robinson - January 3rd 2001
Terrific report, Owen. This is the kind of dialogue to which I was
referring.
As to "sleeping": I'd suggest that you go for something else she
does really well that is relaxing and comfortable, determine the sub-mos of
that and do a "belief change" piece of work. It's a quick and dirty piece and
very, very convincing.
Best...Ron
Post by Owen Atkins - January 4th 2001
Gedday Ron,
Thanks, I'll do that. It'll enhance the drowsiness I was inducing
yesterday.
On another note, I just finished with a couple I have been working
with yesterday. They are leaving the area so the process isn't complete, but I
have referred them to another NLPer in the place they are moving to.
They were clear at session closure yesterday that they felt that
seeing me has made the difference in survival of one partner and establishing
the basis for decision for both. They haven't decided yet whether or not to
stay together.
Talking multiple issues; he has had several affairs. She felt like
a doormat and was out of the decision making process in the relationship. She
was depressed and occaisionally suicidal. He has unresolved sexuality issues. A
physologist he had been seeing had told him to hire a prostitute (male) to sort
it all out. The result was an STD which she contracted off him.
Collapsed the parts (adolescent and sexually unclear part) with
mature male part. His words.
With her I collapsed her assertive part and the doormat.
The result?
She became assertive, I taught her about checking on the outside
and on the inside.
He resolved sexual issues.
Set the stage after telling that by telling them that all
subsequent decisions would be based on new ground. He's different and so is
she. He has no excuses left, he can't fall back on "I need to sought this out"
and she shouldn't let him off the hook. No excuses for being soft on him. This
paced her beliefs and his.
This is more or less where they were left but with future pacing
for decision making. A metaphor of him and her against all that stress-one part
which is the stress of whether or not there is going to be a him and her.
Very cool result. Incidentally, they both wanna do NLP training
now!
Owen
Post by Owen Atkins - January 10th 2001
Gedday
I ran my "Krohns client" through a Parts Integration which blew her
sideways. It took longer than I wanted it to (over half an hour) in deep trance
after the integration; and so I didn't get to do the rest of the Timeline
patterns that I had planned.
I planned in Removing Negative emotions for the 5 negs. Also a
Change Limiting Belief pattern.
Finally I plan on using a hypnotic visualisation for the Krohns.
The drinking has been identified clearly as a companion. She has the task of
spending that time with whoever else is available in the house at the time
(usually the husband). I taught her simple rapport building techniques to
practice with him. Their relationship has been poor in the past so the concept
of unconscious rapport and not necessarily needing to talk might prove useful.
I have instructed her to drink only if she can find no other way of getting
companionship. e.g writing letters (this is one of her favourites), ringing
someone up, visiting friends etc. She is to drink no more than two standard
drinks when she does this. (She has in the past week cut down to 3 Standard
drinks)
Next appointment is in two weeks
Owen
Date: 02/17/02 02:21 PM
Author: hank baker
Subject: Crohn's
Hi Owen great work in answer to your inquire about Crohn's
dis-ease.
I have four clients who no longer have the condition. The last gal
was updated by her doctor to a agitated bowel. The first gal was a
psychological major. Had Crohn's for about eight years.
Your idea about using visualization is almost the same as what I
did only I prefer not to use hypnosis. The first part is to get them to have a
picture of what it looks like. Then I ask them to see if they can take the
color that is on either side of the Crohn's and have it encroach on to the part
that is the other color. Once they have moved the color as far as they think it
will go, I ask them if you were to jump on the other side and look at it from
there could it move in any further NOW (voice trailing down subjective command)
and just observe how far it wants to go by it's self if any?(voice trailing off
upward subjective question) If I feel that it could go more I'll push it a bit
to see what happens. I then ask them has it snapped back at all, every one did,
however not to where it had been before.
From here on I would go into beliefs and values etc.. Having her
check in through out the session as to the colors. The first client was taking
five or six pain killers when she had an attack. The next day she went back
home and had left all her pain killers at the peoples place who had arranged
the session for her. (she lived 400 mi away). Ten years later the condition has
not returned.
She is married and a chartered psychologist. And still trying to
figure out what I had happened in three hours, according to her brother.
So keep up the good work Owen it can happen!!!
Hank
habaker@shaw.ca
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