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Case 2
Crohn's Disease.
Resolution duration: 2 weeks
(Almost complete recovery after 1st consultation. Refinement in 2nd consultation. 3rd session spent on career choices.)
Consultation time for condition: 4 hours
Consultations for condition: 2
From my observations of working with clients, I believe that Crohn's disease exists as a spectrum between two extremes: At one extreme is a hereditory condition. At the other extreme is a nervous condition. Most of the cases exist as a combination of the two, which, in my book, means, at the worst, that it can be improved, and at the best, it can be eliminated.
To follow is the story of Ian's case. Ian's condition had been diagnosed by his G.P as Crohn's disease. He was referred to a consultant who considered that it was not yet severe enough to require surgery. The symptoms were extreme diahorrea up to six times a day, accompanied by severe sporadic abdominal cramp. This was clearly life restricting.
Ian came to see me about advice concerning new career choice, not about Crohn's at all. He was 40 years old and wanted a change. It was only durung the analysis, exploring the criteria for a new role that the subject of Crohn's, and its restrictive effect on his life, emerged: Anything that required travelling for any length of time was eliminated, as was pretty much any work or environment which restricted his access, at very short notice, to a loo.
My immediate response was that we needed to address the Crohn's disease and see what could be done to alleviate the symptoms. thereby improving the selection criteria for new roles and lifestyle.
During the painstakingly detailed analysis that followed, we identified the conditions which were often likely to coincide with a diarrohea episode. As in all the intial analysis that I carry out, I look for generic issues that give rise to different types of symptoms. This is to ensure that we are dealing with the issue at its highest level, not merely at the symptom level. Using this approach means that the GROUP of symptoms, for which this issue is responsible, disappear when the issue is resolved, (including some which may not yet have been identified), rather than the specific symptoms individually.
These conditions which invarably led to an episode fell into the following types of situation:
1. Shopping.
2. Eating after too long a gap.
3. Extreme cold.
4. Long meetings
5. Being asked to run errands
On further exploration of 1,4 and 5, "Shopping" referred specifically to going shopping with someone who was buying clothes, (long, boring protracted periods of unstructured uncertainty as to time). "Long meetings" referred to those where there was no possibility of generating a resolution, and it needed to be reconvened after further information had been received. "Being asked to run errands" referred only to being asked when the person asking was taking advantage.
It was pretty clear that the generic for these three elements were situations where Ian felt out of control, oppressed and taken advatage of. This resonated well with Ian, who looked surprized like a light had turned on at his realisation. We also checked the diagnosis physiologically with his body, and yes, this was correct. For the other two - 2, and 3, the common link was physical stress - a different kind of oppression.
Resolution.
During the remainder of the first consultation I taught Ian how to take control of his life and his body.
He was given very specific homework relating to physical and emotional behaviour, which he carried out pretty well.
At the beginning of the second consultation - 2 weeks after the first, he had had one day of episodes. We revisited what had happened, which enabled him to understand how he needed to have dealt with the situation. At the next consultation he proudly related that he had mastered control over his emotions and his body and was now exercising his new control by applying for roles which would have been unthinkable previously. His relationship with his peers and family have improved immeasurably now he is more relaxed and in control.
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