The author is a drugs worker dealing with a client group who use many different types of recreational or habitual drugs.
Posture:client will shift breathing into upper chest and breathing will
become shallower and more rapid. Blood will leave the face. With
the increase of adrenaline digestion will shut down and client will feel restless,
thoughts will turn to method of procurement.
Client will believe they have no choice except to use and justifications &
excuses will be adopted to ratify use (tried not to use in the past, always
use when they have money)
Triggers:
visual,many users are triggered
visually either by seeing a using acquaintance or simply an area/street associated
with crack use,
when unconsciously craving anything remotely connected can be a trigger (coke
can)
auditory, one client's cravings were triggered by telephone calls from
his using partner the effect on his digestive system was so severe he
would often vomit after she called, this was interpreted as proving he had no
choice but to use.
kinesthetic: for many clients money is a trigger and this may lead to
a gradually building pressure to use culminating on payday/giroday.
Some clients may initially link their cravings to other aspects of their life
for example the 'Buzz' of shoplifting or to their
sexuality choosing to only use with women.
Filters of perception. Clients will often filter for use : some direct
quotes "I can't have money in my pocket and not use" "I always
use until all my money is gone" "I cannot control my use"
Rather than teaching people how to
experience a crack cocaine craving
(which could be construed as quite a negative excellence, as described in The
Lightning Process) I will
outline how to model craving management..
First raise conscious awareness in client of physical symptoms, breathing,
butterflies in tummy, sweating or simply the urge to use.
Encourage client to disassociate from craving by Subjectively Rating
Discomfort-on a scale of 1-10 how strong is this craving, if you were
to stand on the other side of the room and see yourself craving how would you
look?
Teach clients to introduce perspective to cravings by looking at how
they will feel tomorrow/after they have used and crashed (associate
negative consequences and begin setting negative anchors to use) and that also
to remember this will pass
Teach clients also look at times client has craved and has NOT used . What resources did they have then? How will they utilize them now?
Teach client how to use breathing (very slow and low in the stomach breathing)
and visualization (self hypnosis) to enter positive states
where the likelihood of use is remote, using complimentary therapies as a learning
tool by framing them as practice for entering relaxed
states and build with Hypnotic language the cumulate effect of all the above
reinforcing clients resources and help them challenge any
beliefs they have which support continued drug use.
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