Jenn,
Some thoughts . . .
I presume you started your client off with a tasking. For alcohol addiction I use a two-phase tasking. First, for two weeks I have her keep a journal of every time she wants a drink (whether she takes a drink or not): where she is, what she’s doing, what she’s thinking, what emotions she’s feeling, what’s going on around her, etc., and, of course, whether she took a drink or not. I am looking for a trigger or triggers here. Once she completes that successfully, she must stop drinking alcohol completely for two weeks. She must show that she’s able to control the addiction, at least for this short period of time, in order to be able to overcome it. This also serves as a convincer for both of us that’s she’s committed and capable of overcoming the addiction.
Then off we go into a breakthrough session, and it sounds like you have done that.
A technique that I have found useful in this environment is Prime Concerns. Tad and Adriana don’t teach it anymore in Master Practitioner but it’s still in the MP audio series, including a demonstration, and Tad also wrote a little book called “Prime Concerns” that’s very helpful. I think you can buy this book from TJC.
Prime Concerns is itself a quantum linguistics technique, and it’s based on the premise (from Fritz Perls) that an unmet need from the past creates an extraordinary or unreasonable desire in the present to have that need fulfilled. The client may be totally unaware of the prime concern; in fact, it’s likely that it’s an unconscious, unfulfilled
value. The Prime Concerns intervention can be very useful in revealing the actual problem; the intervention may resolve the problem or it may loosen the client’s grip on it, so you can get at it with Time Line Therapy techniques, or other quantum linguistics techniques. You will certainly come away with some key words that are very powerful for the client, again amenable to Time Line Therapy techniques or QL techniques.
For me, Prime Concerns ranks right up there with Parts Integration for fun and effectiveness, and I suggest you consider it. If you have any questions, you can contact me and I’ll be happy to discuss it with you. My number is (480) 305-0903; email is paul@excellencelc.com.
Hope that helps!
Paul Jensen