Addictions and compulsive behavior are only different in substance, but the bottom line is that they are activities over which the person concerned has lost control. It is interesting that the generalized expression Compulsive Behavior, which covers such habits as chewing finger nails, continually washing ones hands etc, is a recognized psychological problem, but its twins, compulsive drug taking, compulsive smoking of tobacco or marijuana, compulsive drinking of alcohol, in fact the compulsive ingestion of any substance is considered to be a physical problem. The logic of this completely eludes me as does the attempted medical solutions.
Conventional wisdom works on the assumption that it is the body, which must be addressed. In the case of a drug addict, a common treatment is the use of another drug to counter the one the person craves and the less said about that the better, but the limited success in this area suggests that this is not the solution. In the case of an alcoholic, the accepted solution is to totally abstain from alcohol. With smoking, working on the assumption that the body is craving nicotine, researchers are tending to supply the nicotine on via a by the individual ingesting nicotine without the inhalation of tobacco smoke. What is ironic about this approach is that I have had clients who became addicted to the very substance they bought in a pharmacy (Drug store) to handle their habit!
My research has established that any compulsive activity is not a physical or bodily problem and I have numerous case histories and testimonials to prove it. The resolution of compulsions is in the spiritual/mental field, rather than the physical field. It has been proven by results that all compulsive behavior is eliminated by a combination of Upset and Identity handling. (see the book, How to turn Upsets into Energy or the articles, Upsets. The source of Stress and Depression and Alter- Egos)
To understand how the condition is eliminated one needs to know the difference between a chronic condition and an Acute condition: A Chronic condition is one that is always there, or has been there for a long time, whereas an Acute condition is temporary. The common cold can be considered Acute but Asthma can be considered Chronic. Any compulsive behavior is obviously chronic.
Nothing happens without a cause and as there are no exceptions to this rule, it must apply to compulsive behavior. What makes a condition chronic is that it has more than one cause, whereas an acute condition has probably only got one. . A single cigarette or a single glass of wine does not create an addiction. There has to be an initial reason why the first cigarette was smoked, the first glass of wine was drunk or the first experiment with drugs occurred. If the reason was emotional pain or an inner want and the initial intake successfully alleviated the condition, every time the emotional pain gets triggered or the want re-surfaces, the answer is to resort to the original solution.
Unfortunately, the solution becomes the problem, for as a rolling ball of snow gathers more snow as it rolls, so does the roller coaster of emotion/solution assume greater proportions as life rolls on, gathering more triggers until the roller coaster is in perpetual motion and out of control. The desire is now chronic instead of being a passing condition, in other words an addiction or a compulsion.
Therein lies the key to eliminating Addictions/Compulsions; you must locate and handle each reason, which we call a Trigger. The discovery of Identities (Alter-Egos) as separate entities from the Being and the technique to eliminate the unwanted ones is a quantum leap in the handling of Addictions/Compulsions, no matter what the compulsion.
The method employed by Mace Method puts the person concerned in control of the activity, so that in the case of a ‘drinker’ the person is able to have a drink if they wish it, but they do not necessarily become a total abstainer; they are in total control of their alcoholic intake and that is how it should be.
A common after-effect of giving up smoking by will power (or is it won't power) is overeating and the associated increased body weight. This increased body weight is used as a justification by many smokers as to why they do not wish to be a non-smoker. It is rather obvious that the overeating is an emotional substitute for smoking.
The ‘hunger’ for tobacco is replaced with ‘hunger’ for food one compulsion to replace another the lesser of two evils. With the methods used by Mace Method, there are no after reactions of any kind. We eliminate the ‘hunger’. This indicates to me that our methods are probably the ultimate approach. Pertinent to this lack of after-effects is an occurrence, which still puzzles me a little and is worth mentioning. A man with alcohol problems arrived with a ‘hangover’, which was physically visible. The consultancy took about an hour, but at the end he volunteered, "My hangover has gone!" I can offer no specific explanation as to what caused this bodily phenomena, as I only followed the standard approach which is to handle Unwanted Identities and Upsets. That was well over two years ago and as a matter of interest he had not relapsed, nor do I expect him to, because the aspects of his persona that were addicted have been eliminated.
I recently watched a TV program in which a woman heroin addict stated, although I must paraphrase, "Heroin is the only thing which has ever relieved my emotional pain." This statement points straight at the crux of addictions, straight at their underlying cause, for any compulsive behavior of any kind is the result of emotional pain, which only the habit can temporarily alleviate. The habit with its related effects and consequences are preferable to the emotional pain, but as the emotional pain is constant, so too is the need for an opiate. The methods developed for Mace Method, eliminate the emotional pain with the Upset technique.
As discussed in the theory of Identities (Alter-Egos), every activity that an individual engages in has an identity behind that activity and that identity is a separate entity. What is different when the activity is compulsive, is that the identity in question has become bigger and stronger than the individual concerned and thus overrides the individual’s wishes. This is all an addiction is; the identity is in control and not the Being - the Being has unknowingly vested the identity with too much energy.
The elimination of addictions is basically straightforward. It does not involve drugs or hypnosis and is achieved by helping the person to fully eliminate the emotional pain and then the identities, which have got out of hand. In handling addictive behavior it has to be understood that the person concerned must genuinely want to be rid of the addiction/compulsive behavior. An example of this is a client who says, "I need to give up smoking, because my wife does not like it."
NEEDING to give up smoking is poles apart from WANTING to give up smoking and that particular client would have to make up his mind as to what he genuinely wants. The bottom line is that you cannot work against what the person really wants and the only people who can be helped are those who genuinely want to be rid of their addiction. This will apply to any aspect of life and is why compulsory treatment for any emotional condition, such as often forced upon an individual by a court of law does not succeed.
Most clients eliminate their addiction in one session of 60 90 minutes, but the odd client has to have a follow up session because another trigger has emerged. This usually occurs within a day or two if it is going to happen at all. One final but very important point about the emotional precursor to an addiction. The emotional problem is the CAUSE of the addiction and a classic if trite saying; Drowning his sorrows, says it all. The unresolved emotional problem is always the reason as to why a person resorts to drugs or alcohol etc in the first place, and the reasons are not necessarily horrific and devastating experiences like sexual abuse, not that these events can be disregarded; the reasons may be the more prosaic ones of loneliness, boredom, lack of purpose in life, a failure, or emotional abuse. Whatever the reasons, they have to be addressed and eliminated to obviate the return of the addiction.
If you wish to know more about Mace Method or want to handle any aspect of yourself that you do not like, contact me using the information below.
Kallie Miller, RN, Certified Mace Method Practitioner and Trainer
Telephone 1-519-471-6234 in London, Ontario, Canada, Eastern Time Zone