Client Interviews   

 

Patient Interviews - Sandra, 42

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 on yourself?

I'm in the medical field, divorced and raising two teenagers. I love to sew, read, jog and bike. I was married for 10 years to an alcoholic who was abusive emotionally and physically.

What was your family history in terms of alcohol?

My mom was an alcoholic; my dad was not. He was a good upstanding person who tried very hard with my mom - he tried to be a good provider, a good husband. He never criticized her. Toward the end he stayed married to her for us - finally, when it became so clear to him that their earlier life was gone and there was no salvaging it, he divorced her. It was a terrible disease - my Mom was a creative person, intelligent, beautiful. Her family background caused her to drink. She didn't have emotional stability.

How long had you been drinking before you met Rhonda?

I'd been drinking since 1988 - I had been enduring an incredible amount of abuse from my ex-husband. We were at college when I first met him - he drank then but everyone drank, so I didn't know it was a problem until about six months after marrying him. He was abusive emotionally and physically, but he got slower when he drank so I could get away from him. The longer that the drinking went on, the meaner and meaner he became. We had one child before we divorced. He couldn't cut the connection between the two of us after our divorce. He would still come over to the house when he was drunk and harass me. Then he'd send his new wife to my place of employment. Both had incredible mood swings. He kept pulling me back into court and I was spending thousands and thousands of dollars on court costs. I was trying to keep going with my life - I was raising two children, first as toddlers, then through elementary school and then as teenagers - and this man would not let go. When I wouldn't get paid back child support and alimony and would ask for that, he'd get even with me. The sheriff was coming twice a week to my door to serve me a subpoena. I was under terrible stress.

How addicted were you to alcohol?

It got so bad that I had a drink in the morning and continued all day. I had about 8 screwdrivers during the day and maybe 3 or more glasses of wine starting at dinner. I was almost completely dependent upon it to function. It was a way to reward, motivate and calm myself.

Had you tried other programs to stop drinking?

I tried AA three or four times and also saw a therapist.

Did those programs allow you to stop drinking?

I stopped one time with AA, but I still had psychological and physical cravings. It was like giving up smoking. Can I make it another hour? Can I make it another two hours? It becomes a tortuous game of how long you can last. I went to AA twice a week, then three times - but I could only stay off alcohol for a week. When I went to a therapist, I wasn't entirely honest so she didn't understand exactly what was going on. When you're like that your whole life is controlled by alcohol, you tend to be so secretive. You're embarrassed, feel guilt - you don't even want to tell your therapist. You are very fatalistic about it - you feel there's nothing you can do.

How did you learn about the Lenair Technique?

I was working on a computer and there was a TV in the background. I heard the Lenair Technique mentioned and I scribbled down the name and number - I wasn't sure I had it right. They were talking about it on some educational channel.

Were you at first skeptical about this type of treatment?

I thought it was too good to be true - and I'm sure that has to be everyone's reaction. Anyone that goes to her has tried a lot of different things and realizes how difficult it is to stop.

How strong was your desire to stop drinking?

It was very strong. I was desperate. I was worried about my physical well being, that I would die if I didn't get help. Because of what I had done to my body, I knew there were probably various organs that were going to fail if I didn't do something.

Once your appointment was scheduled, were you apprehensive about the process?

I was curious and had some trepidation.

Can you describe your experience at the first treatment? Did you stop drinking after that? What about withdrawal symptoms?

One of the things that strikes you as you drive up to the house is that it is such a beautiful plot of land. You walk down a little path that leads to a sunroom overlooking this lovely vista. It is very relaxing, very serene. It is almost like sitting in a garden. I looked through this album where people had written to Rhonda out of gratitude. You got a sense that people had gone through epiphanies. My session with her took about 45 minutes. She started by telling me what she was going to do. She lightly held my head in her hands and just talked in a stream of consciousness, telling me about significant times in my life and about physical and emotional problems. When I went to the session, my hands shook as I filled out the application. When I walked out of the session, the need to drink was gone. I went back to the hotel room and just sat there in awe. I can't explain it any other way. I didn't want - or need - a drink. My shakes were gone that night. I didn't have to have a drink to make things right. I felt like I did before I was drinking. All of a sudden I was o.k. This tremendous weight was lifted off my shoulders and it has been that way every since.

You received a medical intuitive consultation as part of your first treatment. What information did you get, and how helpful was it?

Rhonda evaluated my body. She determined what kinds of minerals or herbs I was missing. I started on the regime she recommended. It has eliminated the depression I have fought for 15 to 20 years - and I'm not taking St. John's Wort -- just everyday herbs and vitamins in the proper mix that is needed by my body and brain to be a happy and healthy person.

What was your experience at your second and third treatments?

At my second treatment she asked me how I felt. Did I think about alcohol? I said I thought about it about once an hour. She wanted to know what things would trigger it when I was not there at a treatment. I told her about one important trigger that she dealt with, and when I thought about it later it didn't have the same grip on me. It's almost as if I was re-thinking how it made me feel. I had the strong belief that I was empowered and could handle it. On the third treatment, we looked at other stresses, things Rhonda sensed or already knew about. She just truly knew physically and emotionally what had happened to me. It was so curious. I wondered, 'Now why did she say those things?' My subconscious was free to think about what happened when I was 13, 29 or another age she mentioned.

Did you feel that stopping drinking through this process was easy compared to anything else you tried?

Yes. It also is the only one that worked for me.

Did Rhonda provide you with useful information beyond stopping the cravings of alcohol? Did she help you with all aspects of your physical and emotional well-being?

She gave me information in all areas. I experienced a psychological, physiological, emotional and spiritual healing. She helps you open the gate to your subconscious mind and gain access to a higher self that is the best part of you. It is the most trustworthy, the part that cares most about you and other people.

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

It has been about four months since my last treatment. I intellectualize drinking once in a while when I am in a stressful situation. The old me would have gone to the cupboard and poured myself a glass of wine, but I don't have to do that now. I can look at a situation and deal with it differently. I don't have to drown my problems. I can deal with them and go forward.

How has your life - and the lives of those around you - changed since you've been through this program.

Before I went, I was having all these difficulties, wondering why other people wouldn't change. Now I think about a quote from Nelson Mandala that basically says, ' before other people will change, you have to change first.' My feelings about myself are different now. I am more confident, not ashamed. I am the person I was before. I respond differently to people. People notice this change in me - they see I am so much happier and healthier. I have dropped 23 pounds, from size 12 to size 8. I have spring in my step and whole new outlook in life because of Rhonda.

Would you recommend the Lenair Technique to others who are struggling with alcohol addiction? What would you say to them?

Unbelievable as it sounds, the Lenair program is the best thing you could ever do for yourself. It heals you so completely, and is something you are forever grateful for. You are thankful to yourself to put any skepticism aside to try it. It really does work. It makes you want to be the very best you can be. Rhonda is an angel. She is incredibly kind and gifted, goodness personified. She genuinely cares about everyone that walks through the door. If you don't go through the program with her, your life will be a constant battle. You will never be truly happy.