What Happens During Hypnotherapy?
I can only tell you how I conduct my client sessions. Over the last 30 years, that has changed a lot. At this point in my career, I have a system that works very well for me and my clients.
There are a few ways that I work with clients. Let’s start with in-person sessions.
In-Person Sessions
When someone schedules an initial session with me, I provide them with a worksheet to complete and then return to me at least 24 hours before we meet for the first time. This worksheet is designed to help clients begin to think in a different way, give me insight into how they process information, and discover what has been stopping them from making a change before now. It lays the foundation for our time together. New clients also fill out an Information and History questionnaire.
During the first session, we begin by discussing what hypnosis is and what it isn’t. I already know from the Information and History questionnaire if they have had any experience with hypnosis. If they have, I want to know what sort of experience they had. If they haven’t had any experience, I asked them to tell me what they think hypnosis is. If necessary, I clear up any misconceptions they may have about hypnosis.
We then discuss what they can expect during our sessions, and I explain how the hypnotic process is structured when they work with me.
I typically spend the first 30 to 45 minutes asking questions. The more details that I can get from a client the more efficient and effective the hypnosis session will be.
Depending on what challenge I am helping the client with, it may be a single session or a series of sessions. We lay out a plan during our first session so they know what to expect. For example, if I am working with someone who wants to overcome a fear, we usually have one session. Weight loss, on the other hand, is a minimum of 4 sessions over a period of 2 months.
Typically, I give my clients hypnosis audio programs to reinforce what we work on during each session.
Video-Conference Sessions
I work with clients from around the world, and video-conferencing has been my go-to method for remote sessions for the last decade. It allows me to see the expressions and body language that humans display as I am speaking with them. Many times, this tells me much more than the words that are coming out of their mouth.
I follow a similar format for a video-conference session as I do for an in-person session… EXCEPT we do not conduct a formal hypnotic induction.
I know that some hypnotists do conduct hypnotic inductions remotely, but I don’t recommend it; and if I were the client, I certainly wouldn’t allow someone to perform hypnosis on me remotely.
The reason… I can’t control the hypnotic session if anything unexpected comes up.
For example, abreaction. Abreaction is the expression and consequent release of a previously repressed emotion, achieved through reliving the experience that caused it.
When this happens, it may or may not have anything to do with the focus of our session.
When you know how to handle abreaction, it is fairly easy to help the client work through it. There is a chance, however, that abreaction uncovers a major trauma in the client’s life. If that happens, I prefer to physically be with the client.
Over the last 3 decades, this has only happened twice. Both times, the client and I were sitting in the same room and I supported the client through the process. This is not something that I want to have happen during a remote session.
In lieu of performing a live hypnotic process, I write, record, and produce a hypnosis audio program (sometimes more than one) based on the client’s initial worksheet and our discussion.
Via Email or Telephone Sessions
Working with clients via email or telephone is similar to a video-conference session with one difference. We never get to see each other.
Clients still fill out the worksheets, and then we either have a phone call to discuss their challenge or we correspond via email. After I have enough information, I put together a personalized hypnosis audio program for the client.
The Hypnotic Intervention
The actual hypnotic intervention… rather it be in-person or audio program… begins with an induction.
A hypnotic induction is the process undertaken by a hypnotist to establish the state or conditions required for change to occur. There are countless methods that can be used to guide the client to the appropriate state… the most popular is progressive relaxation.
When the client is in the desired state and is able to follow the suggestions given to them, then the therapy part of hypnotherapy begins. This is where the hypnotist helps the client to change their thought patterns so they can overcome their challenge and achieve what they want.
The hypnotist then reorients the client to a normal waking state.
If there are no additional sessions, I follow up with my clients via telephone or email on a weekly basis to ensure that everything continues to move in the desired direction.
