What is an assist?

The third thing you need to know in order to get through the withdrawal painlessly as possible are certain body exercises which are called assist.

An "assist" is an action undertaken to help a person confront physial difficulties. Assists are a vital part of the Narconon "First Step" Program, as they help an individual handle the physical discomforts and pains that can accompany withdrawal from drugs.

What the following assist techniques ARE designed to do is address the specific physical and mental discomforts that commonly accompany the process of coming off toxic drugs and alcohol. (They can of course be used under other circumstances, too.)

They DO relieve these symptoms of discomfort, bit by bit. Sometimes rather remarkably well and remarkably swiftly. Don’t be surprised at how well they might work. And they can be done again and again.

One of the more important assist is A NERVE ASSIST. As drugs affect the nervous system and can cause pain to the individual comming off drugs, this assist is very useful in easing withdrawal symptoms.

The Nerve Assist consists of gently releasing the standing waves in the nerve channels of the body, improving communication with the body and bringing individual relief.

With the person on his back, follow the nerve channels around to the front of the body b (three times) and then reverse direction again. (Note: In following the nerve channels around to the front of the body, stroke only as far as the points of the arrows in the bottom illustration on the following page. The nerve channels being handled do not extend across the chest or abdomen, so stroking is not done across those areas.)

Stroke down the arms and legs (three times). Then turn the person face down and start over, stroking down the spine.

By releasing standing waves, a Nerve Assist can restore communication between the individual an dthe body, relax muscles and straighten out the spine and joints.

The third component of the program consists of light "objective" procedures designed to help the person look outward and get in communication with the environment around him. Objective procedures are exercises done to help bring a person into the present by getting him to locate things in his environment. They direct a person's attention from inward on himself, his past experiences or even his current physical or emotional pain, to outward to the environment where he is right now. By getting the person to look outward, these exercises ease withdrawal and make it possible for the person to successfully come off drugs.

"They direct a person's attention from inward on himself, his past experiences or even his current physical or emotional pain, to outward to the environment where he is right now."