When to Use This
Use this for alcohol, nicotine, food, gambling, phones, or any compulsion. The habit is treated as something with a voice, because that is how the subconscious mind holds it. Always confirm the client is under appropriate medical care when a physical dependency is involved.
The Script
1. "Take a deep breath and let it go. Nobody is here to shame you. We are simply going to look at this honestly, and then set it down."
2. "I want you to see the habit standing in front of you. Not you — the habit itself. It may take a form, a shape, a color, a figure. What does it look like?"
3. "Ask it: how long have you been with me? What are you hearing?"
4. "Now ask it: what were you protecting me from? Every habit thinks it is helping. Listen. What does it say?"
5. "Ask it one more question: what did I lose because of you? Take your time. Say it all out loud."
6. "Now tell it the truth. Tell it what it took from you — your time, your health, your relationships, your mornings, your self-respect. Say everything. I will wait."
7. (Wait until they are finished.) "Is there anything else you need to say to it?"
8. "Now look at the cords between you and this habit. Each one is a negative emotion or a reason you kept reaching for it. How many cords do you see?"
9. "What does the first cord represent?" (Common answers: comfort, numbness, loneliness, boredom, shame, reward, escape.) "Speak to that one. Tell it you understand why it came, and tell it you no longer need it."
10. Repeat step 9 for each cord, one at a time.
11. "Before we cut, I want you to ask yourself honestly: are you ready to release this? Say it out loud. 'I am ready.'"
12. "On the count of three, cut every cord that ties you to this habit. One. Two. Three. Cut, and hold the ends up into the light."
13. (Pause.) "Watch the fireworks. Every craving, every excuse, every reason releasing out of your body and into the light. Surrender all of it. What do you see?"
14. "As the show ends, the cords dissipate. Now watch the habit itself shrink down — smaller and smaller — until it is insignificant, and then let the light take it home. It is not yours anymore."
15. "Take a deep breath in, and blow it out of your mouth. Feel the space where it used to live. Fill that space with light. How does that feel?"