Sustainable hypnotherapy results
As someone considering hypnotherapy as a solution, you may have a single issue you would like to address or you may have a long list of issues you’d like to work on.​ This is my approach:
Single Issue Clients
If you are someone who has a single issue that needs healing, we will get to work with the goal of bringing full resolution in your first three sessions. Single issues can include nail biting, losing weight, anxiety, insomnia, etc. I will start by talking with you to identify underlying causes for the thoughts, feelings, or behaviours you are looking to resolve. Most issues we are addressing in hypnotherapy are a result of an old coping or protective mechanism, which at one time made sense, but is now outdated and unhelpful. It is often only through hypnosis that we come to an understanding of our experiences and challenges.
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While classic hypnosis approaches often go to work immediately at overriding these mechanisms through just giving the subconscious positive programming (known as giving "direct suggestions"), this is akin to mowing the lawn to eliminate weeds — its only a matter of time before the energy stored in the root will push up new shoots and soon re-establish the presence of the offending pattern.
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Identifying and healing the root emotional cause is the more holistic and sustainable approach. This is like pulling up the weed by its roots, eliminating any chance for revival. Once a root has been identified, we move forward to heal that root, explaining to the subconscious that there is no more reason to continue the now-meaningless pattern. We always wrap up each session with visualizations of success or health in that area of your life, extending in to the future.
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Sessions should be spaced approximately 1 to 2 weeks apart.
Sessions are 90 minutes i.e. longer than the average
45 - 50 min session typically offered by
hypnotherapists.
Multiple Issue Clients
If you are someone who has a list of issues that need healing, my first goals with you are to:
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Assess your goals and any possible limitations.
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Determine the framework within which we can work and develop a recommended therapeutic approach.
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Identify any limiting beliefs around your ability to heal and respond by teaching you about how we can transform with hypnotherapy.
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Get you relief by working on the deepest core issue that you are willing to work on. This is typically done by bringing healing to major painful themes and painful events from your past. Often multiple issues are interrelated and by working at the core issues, other issues disappear.
It’s always interesting to see where the movement occurs after an initial package of three sessions. Some issues are easily healed or shifted, while others can require more focused time and attention in follow-on sessions. This can be discussed at the end of session three. The requirement for and timing of any additional sessions is ultimately up to you, with content we would focus on each time determined through discussion and agreement.
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Outline of steps that I generally take with multiple-issue clients:
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Examine the list of symptoms in want of healing and tie them to core themes/issues.
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Conduct the three session package, addressing all core issues we are aware of at this time.
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Evaluate efficacy of sessions at the end of the package, through (a) your feedback to me of your subjective experience, and (b) you observing yourself over the days following the sessions and then sharing with me what symptoms were alleviated and which symptoms remain.
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Discuss and decide whether additional session work is wanted (up to you based on your urgency in addressing remaining issues) and likely to be helpful (based on the success in changing symptoms as a result of the three session package).
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Either conduct additional focused sessions, or end course of treatment.
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After any additional sessions, we would return to Step 3, evaluating success, and then Step 4, determining if further work is wanted and likely to be helpful.