Client Interviews   

 

Patient Interviews - Paula, 41

The following patient interview was conducted by a third party who has no personal involvement with The Lenair Technique. These interviews were conducted in June and August, 2000.

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Can you give me a little background about yourself?

I am a musician. I play instruments, compose, write arrangements for other people, remix, and do engineering. Work for myself and do freelance work for record companies and individuals. Single mom raising 5 daughters.

What was your family history as it related to alcohol?

I was adopted. I know now, but didn’t know then, that alcohol problems did run in the family.

How long had you been drinking before meeting Rhonda?

I started drinking as a teenager, but it worked itself up into problem 2-3 years ago until it was out of control.

Could you describe the nature of your drinking?

I woke up and drank in the morning. Guinness for breakfast. That’s how it started 14 years ago. I was having one of my kids and was in London, and they suggest when you’re pregnant or nursing, you drink a pint of Guinness a day. I just took it a little further.

I drank maybe 12 bottles a day. I didn’t put on a lot of weight, but just had that puffy alcohol look. I suppose. I don’t really remember. In fact, once you get treated and it’s gone, you tend to forget.

How did drinking impact your life?

I functioned. I did everything you’re supposed to do. I’m not sure I did it very well.

I just didn’t want to feel that way any more. I felt ill. I don’t know if you’ve ever had a hangover, but I felt psychotic. I had a hangover every day, and if I didn’t drink immediately, it was intolerable.

Have you tried any other programs to stop drinking?

I tried AA and was in it for a couple of years. And it worked for a while, then I would eventually go back to drinking. It was all about trying and your will. I’m still friends with a lot of people in AA but don’t tell them about the Lenair technique because I don’t want to be a proselytizer.

Even after you’d stopped drinking, did you still crave alcohol—physically or emotionally?

Yeah, I think so.

How did you learn about The Lenair Technique?

I read an article in a holistic paper. I also saw an article in The Boston Globe and went on their web site.

Were you skeptical about this type of treatment?

Oh yeah. Totally. I was very skeptical of any kind of new age, anything that sounds like crystals. It sounded like Rational Recovery and those types of things.

Why did you want to stop?

I just couldn’t take it anymore. Everybody was angry. I was angry. It was way out of control

What was your biggest fear about stopping drinking?

I didn’t really have any fear about stopping drinking—I was just afraid that I couldn’t do it.

Once you heard about The Lenair Technique, how long did it take you to make an appointment?

9 months

Did you stop drinking after your first treatment?

Yes. The obsession was gone, completely lifted. I wasn’t actually thinking about it so much then because I was in a sort of a fog. I didn’t feel any craving or withdrawal symptoms. Just a fogginess of the mind.

Did you have any physical cravings?

No. I went to a bar with my brothers and I felt no desire, not even a twinge. Nothing. It’s completely gone for me. Sometimes I break it down and intellectually think "maybe I do," and I can’t even hook myself into it that way. Nothing is there. It’s completely gone for me.

Did you have any withdrawal symptoms?

None at all.

During your first treatment you also received a medical intuitive consultation as part of the treatment. What type of information was provided to you then? Was it helpful?

Rhonda gave me some information that was just really good for me to hear, because I knew about it, but nobody else confirmed it.

Could you describe your first treatment?

You don’t really talk to her. When I first met Rhonda and she was sitting in that chair in the corner, you get that feeling like you’re in the presence of someone who is really bigger, it’s like being in the room with the Dalai Lama or someone. She’s really got that open-heart thing. I trusted her. And I trust no one.

When you’re with Rhonda, you feel pretty relaxed. You catch it from her. I’ve been to a couple of people who do polarity and claim to be knowledgeable about being medically intuitive, but they are all full of shit. I don’t have much faith in those kinds of things—you know, where the ego is just so involved.

She takes somebody back to before the time that the pattern of alcohol set in. This is how she explained it. It’s fascinating. There’s nothing shady about her at all. She’s real. I think she’s a healer. Knowing Rhonda, I’d read anything about her. But if I didn’t know her, what I’d want to read is a story about her life. You don’t want to hear about a technique. She said it’s possible to teach others. I want to know how she would go about teaching others. I want to learn.

What was your experience at the second and third treatments? Did Rhonda need to reinforce the treatment or did she move on to another aspect of your life/health?

We talked about emotional stuff, and she did hands on again. Told me stuff about myself, some was emotional, some was about my childhood.

If you were involved in a 12-step program before, do you feel the need to continue with it?

No.

How did this compare to other treatments? Was stopping drinking easier through this process easy compared to other things you’ve tried?

This worked.

Did Rhonda provide you with helpful information beyond stopping the cravings for alcohol?

She confirmed some things. What she tells you is only significant for you—it’s like trying to explain a joke to another person. Or a dream. It’s not significant when you try to explain it to someone else, but it has great meaning for you.

How long has it been since your last treatment? Have you had any cravings for alcohol?

It’s been since October. No cravings since at all. I will say that I do have cravings for some unknown thing, but I don’t know what it is. Maybe sugar. She told me foods I should stay away from and things that I’m probably allergic to. I follow her advice really religiously after the alcohol.

Four months later I went back to Rhonda for smoking. Smoking didn’t work on the first visit. On my second appointment for smoking, I got lost on the way to see her—that’s how badly I wanted to keep on smoking. I’d been smoking for 30 years since I was 11 and smoked 2+ packs a day. A week later, the second appointment, it did work. I called up a few days after the first appointment and said to Barry, "It didn’t work." And he said, "That’s why we have two appointments."

How has your life and the lives of those close to you changed since you’ve been through this program?

Oh you know, you just move on to the next problem. But life is much better. My kids are very happy. No one wants to watch their mother destroy herself.