Think of Shades of Grey in Drug Rehab!
Author: admin
Many times clients in a drug rehab center make problems tougher than they are. Actually we are all probably guilty of this. It involves how we phrase and look at both problems and their solutions. When we see problems as black and white, or all or nothing we create barriers and hurdles which make things difficult.
Here is what I mean. A lot of clients that arrive in a drug rehab center have some issues or problems with the relationships in their family. A typical statement may be something like this. “Every time I talk with my dad, we have a fight. It is hopeless, we just can’t communicate!” If we look at this statement, (which all of us have said something similar to in our lives) it has two all or nothing qualifiers in it. The first is “every time” and the second is “hopeless”.
The first way to help solve a problem is to clearly state what reality is. What is the real percentage of times you talk to your father that ends in a fight? Even in the most damaged relationship it may be 80 or 90%. You could even argue 95%, but it is never 100%. To find solutions, many times it is useful to think of a gradient, instead of perfection. A question to get you on this road might be, “What thinks could you try or learn that would take the times you have a disagreement with your father from 90% to 80%?” Anyone can think of some ideas for this. When you get to 80%, what can you do to get to 70%. This is a simple technique to get moving in a situation that you may seem like you are stuck.
The second comment of “hopeless” is another that can be dealt with in this fashion. Even if you are extremely unlikely to be successful in a situation you could say, “I have about a 2% chance of success with this.” By stating it this way you at least are acknowledging there is a remote chance at a solution. Plus then you allow yourself to ask the question, “want could I try or do that would increase my odds of success to 10%”?
In addiction many clients are often locked into patterns that do not serve them and keep them stuck. Many times it can be changed by simply asking questions in a different way. Grey can be the color that leads you out of the dark!
Originally Syndicated via RSS from US Drug Rehab Centers