The most certain way to handle a pc with an S&D is to assess for the type to give first.
With the pc on the meter, say,
Then take the one that read largest and put it in the question
When you have listed the question and found the item and given it to the pc, you can take the above list, with the one used omitted, and take the largest read now on the remaining words and put that in the question and get another item for it.
So long as you can get one of the buttons to read, you can get an item by doing an S&D with it.
Caution: Do not continue to do S&Ds beyond a floating needle.
Caution: Do not list an S&D button if the question for the list does not read.
You can also do an S&D by assessing for a button to use in an S&D question.
This is done by asking the question:
"What are they trying to do to you?"
Get the pc to list it, find the item and then use it in an S&D question.
This works on any case but always works best on cases that haven't responded to S&Ds previously.
Fit the resulting item in the question "Who or what is trying to … you?"
A Purpose S&D By Assessment for Question can be done by first listing "What are you trying to do?" or "What have you tried to do?" You test these two questions for the largest read, then you list the one that reads best.
When you have the item of "What are you trying to do" or "What have you tried to do" you fit it into the S&D Question "Who or what have you failed to … (item found)?" or "Who or what have you tried to …?", the two questions tested for largest read and then listed for an item.
Caution: The question must make sense and be answerable. Don't change the wording of the item. Change the question into a sensible one.
This form of S&D can give an Effect question as the only possible question.
If the item found on the first list "…trying to do" won't word causative, word it by effect – "Who or what has tried to … you …?"
The whole attempt of this S&D is to find the person or thing that has blunted the purpose of the pc.
All these S&Ds do not set aside the standard S&D Types W, S and U. "Type U" is the basic S&D. They are for use mainly when the pc has had a long Review history or a bad Ethics history, or is insane or suppressive. But using them does not evaluate the pc as down tone. They give rather magical effects on anyone.
The Purpose S&D is from earlier research and is very magical on Artists. It has the liability of having to be done sensibly, being a sort of goals assessment plus an S&D. Sometimes the goals assessment ("What are you trying to do") is magical enough to produce a floating needle. If so, don't ever go past it to the second question that uses the goal.
[For further data on F/N during listing see C/S Series 43, Volume VII, page 278.]