Dr Tracie O’ Keefe DCH  Stop Drug and Alcohol Addiction: A Guide for Clinical Hypnotherapists.   A 6-Step program on how to help clients overcome drug addiction and alcoholism – fast- through hypnotherapy.
Dr O’ Keefe, is a clinical hypnotherapist, psychotherapist, counsellor and naturopath; in the prologue she describes her whole life as being surrounded by addiction.  She writes in an easy conversational style and with this common sense, down to earth writing style, she delivers the 6 Steps of Clean and Sober.

Chapters 1 – 3 begin with a Chapter on ‘Drugs in a Global Society’ followed by ‘The drugs you may meet in your practice and their effects’ and ‘Prescription drug abuse and alcohol’.  In these chapters she explores the uses of a variety of drugs through the perspective of different time periods, cultures and religions. This leads well into the  next Chapter listing a number of drugs found in use today, their administration, intended uses and effects.  Dr O’Keefe urges the reader not to use this section as an up to date and complete reference list, rather she urges the reader themselves to stay up to date with new drugs coming regularly onto the market. Personally, I found the information within this section extremely insightful, as I have not had the experience of using illegal substances. Though I have attended numerous drug awareness courses this book opened a window into the addict’s world through which I could explore a little closer the addict’s experience. This I found particularly valuable; it has enabled me to work with my current addict clients with more insight to their world than I have had before. The following chapters detail the Steps using case studies. Her case study scripts are clear, to the point and easily adaptable for the reader clinician’s own use in practice. 

Also included in this book are three additional scripts to help the recovering addict, focusing on the effects of their chosen drug ‘The Buzz’ for stimulant addicts, ‘Space Cadet’ for an altered state of euphoria ie heroin, opioid addicts and ‘Smashed’ to stimulate dopamine and serotonin production for cannabis addicts.  I have adapted the ‘Smashed’ script for a current client with excellent feedback, she loves the effects she can achieve using this self-help tool. I haven’t had an opportunity to try the others at this time. These drug state scripts offer the clinician reader an added tool in their therapy tool box and a self-help hypnotherapy tool for the client, to use as needed in their day to day life. 

Throughout the book there are a variety of other scripts recommended along the journey or optional, dependant on your own client’s needs.  I won’t list them all. I will leave something for you to discover for yourself, but for me, I find Dr O’Keefe very generous with her learning within this book.

At times I found myself flitting backwards and forwards through the book trying to locate a particular drug or Step script. This could be helped by the addition of an index for both the drugs she lists and also the different Scripts and Steps. There are only so many page tabs you can put in a book to mark the pages, then there comes a point of overwhelm when it’s all tabs on all pages, rendering the exercise useless. A little bit where I got to with it when I’d finished reading the book. However the references were clear at the end of each chapter, which made it very easy to look up any further reading on a point I had just read, that was helpful. 

There are downloadable resources listed both in the book and at the end of the book. Unfortunately, I was unable to locate them using the web address provided.  At the time of writing this review the query I have sent in regarding these resources has not been responded to, which is a shame I should have liked to have viewed them.

In short, I found this book to be an easy, informative and educational read – excellent CPD. I’ve gained valuable new tools for my therapy toolbox and I’ve enjoyed the read so much I’ve ordered another O’ Keefe book to carry around and dib in and out of, on the hoof. I can highly recommend this book to my fellow BSCAH members as trained Clinical Hypnotists to enrich their knowledge and practice.

Sara Llewellyn