The 7 Hats of the 21st. Century Hypnotherapist.

     A successful hypnotherapist today has much responsibility. Due to the heightened intelligence and awareness of the average person in this age of information, your clients seems to expect more out of hypnotherapy than in the past. Knowledge can be powerful if understood and used properly. It is important that you have an in depth understanding of your field as well as the workings of the mind of your client. You must understand their fears and apprehensions and have the knowledge of how to create expectancy in them, eliminate their fears, educate them in how to help themselves, motivate them and give them the proper guidance and instructions in hypnosis.

          A hypnotherapist must be a:

Detective of forensics - In any session with a client one of the major purposes of a Hypnotherapist is to identify what the dis-order is and to investigate as much as possible as to what caused it, how it affects your client, and what can be done to rectify it.

     It is as if you are a detective operating within his mind attempting to find as many clues as possible. Just as in actual detective work, keep in mind that in many cases what you are seeing on the surface is not what you are actually looking for. It often takes some digging through various techniques to uncover the true sources of the dis-order.

Counselor - Counseling is simply about problems and solutions based on the information given from your clients past and present situation. As a counselor you’ll be able to notice many obvious solutions that can be taken to help your client along their way. It is important to not cross the line however into therapy unless you are a licensed therapist of some sort. You must keep within your realm of practice.

Reference point - You are the source of knowledge. Your client, being in the middle of the actual situation is usually the last one that can see what is going on. To put it simply, you are outside of the fire looking in. As an observer many times the solution is more obvious. Through experience, ongoing study and practice you will be able to use your knowledge as a source of reference to help your clients to progress.

Motivator - Human beings are creatures of habit. The nature of the conscious mind is one that resist change and inconvenience. Even though your clients will tell you they want to change and you realize that change requires doing something different. They do not want to be inconvenienced. In most cases they will not follow the instructions or suggestions given to them unless motivated by an outside source. You are that outside source.

Reckoning tool - Once your client is motivated and working through this process of change it is important to have some kind of reporting process to assess the results of change made. When a task is given, there is always a higher rate of success when the client realizes they will have to report to someone on their progress in a certain time period. Without a reporting, or reckoning to an outside source (which is you), there seems to be a lack of motivation to complete or finish a task.

Hypnotherapist - As a hypnotherapist you have a unique ability to be able to bypass the conscious or rebellious mind that resists change and to be able to place those same suggestions of change in the subconscious mind where major changes are made. This is a very strong tool to aid your client in accomplishing their goals.

Life coach - Life coaching tends to be future oriented, goal focused and encourages accountability. With the assistance of coaching, your clients will be able to attain their goals much quicker and easier. It is similar to being a personal trainer for bodybuilders. You are there as a guide and to render assistance as needed.

3 Reasons Why Traditional Hypnotherapy is Lacking.

Reason #1.  Single hypnosis sessions have extremely low success ratios and the gap between multiple sessions is too long.

     Single Sessions

     It is amazing that anyone is still even conducting single hypnotherapy sessions with all the information that we have at hand today.

     In addition to conducting single session hypnosis, especially in the area of smoking cessation, there are many organizations who go one step further and even guarantee their single session will produce anywhere from 90 to 100% success.

     Where do these statistics for success ratios coming from?

     You will find that any statistics of this magnitude for individual sessions are either…
          1.   Over inflated.
          2.   Unsubstantiated.
          3.   Nonexistent or
          4.   Slanted towards making the sale only.

     Let’s face it most people that use hypnosis to quit smoking in my experience have been smoking anywhere is from 20 to 35 years already. They have tried every other “physical” or conscious means to quit smoking before hand such as patches, gums, lasers and whatever else there is out there. In most cases, only after they have exhausted all other physical means will they then attempt hypnosis. Maybe because of the fear, stigma or mystery associated with it. So to think that someone who has failed in all other areas and who has an embedded habit of 25 to 35 years would be able to eliminate smoking in a one-hour session, you would have to be pretty naïve. Some can do it but they are a rare breed. A smoking habit that lasted that long has become an ingrained habit, part of your self-image. In order for them to become non-smokers, a new habit of being a non-smoker will have to be developed to replace the old one.

     Through positive self talk, affirmations and even hypnotherapy will be rejected by 83% of the public within three to seven days.

     That means that only 17% of the public would be successful after just one session. However those 17% of the public are the ones that can do anything easily after just one suggestion, so they would have quite even before deciding to attend a hypnosis session. Therefore most everyone attending a hypnotherapy session would be in the other 83%.

     That being the case, how can anyone offer a guarantee or a high success rate after just one session?

     I must admit that in my early days of hypnotherapy, for several years I conducted most of my sessions as single sessions or occasionally repeated sessions, one week apart. However even back then I had realized that many of my clients, especially the ones who attended to quit smoking were calling within that three to seven day time-frame following their session stating that they had done great initially but now were either having a difficult time or had started smoking again. Even with my weekly clients, they would tell me that they did great at the beginning of the week but in the last couple days before returning to their follow-up sessions had great difficulty. Many of them had started smoking again a day or two before coming to see me.

     Now we can see why this happens as all of the data becomes clear. 83% of the public will fight any positive suggestions and go back to their original way of thinking within three to seven days of receiving the suggestions.

Reason #2.  Suggestions alone are not effective - The mind operates according to pictures and emotions - At the core of everything is thought. Our thoughts are initially displayed through these pictures and emotions.

     Students find this especially true in school when they are trying to read something and retain it. They can read something over and over without retaining the information. However when they read something and imagine it happening as they read it, it begins to stay with them. If they can imagine it with feeling or emotion, it will remain with them much longer. If you’ve ever read a Fairytale you will notice this as you are reading the story you are able to picture what is going on and even feel the events of the story.

     Words alone are just garbled information waiting to be acted upon. without visualization or emotion, they are useless. That is also why positive self talk alone is not effective.

Reason #3.  It does not address the core issues. Self image - Extensive studies have been conducted through New York City hospitals that at the core of every issue is self-image. Self-image is the way that you identify yourself and is derived from the many thoughts, memories and experiences from your past throughout your life.

     The important thing to realize is that you can never exceed your self-image for very long. You will ultimately always “snap back” to who you perceive yourself to be. For example and unsuccessful, self sabotaging individual can be given millions of dollars however within a relatively short time will lose all of his or her money through various events and return to who he or she truly is which is the unsuccessful, self sabotaging person. You can see this on a daily basis looking on television or the tabloids pertaining to the overnight success stories of may actors or actresses who with all their riches and success, who seem outwardly to “have it all”, shortly lose it all or are on drugs, alcoholics, in prison or have committed suicide.

     I’m sure you have seen these other examples many times … You decide to become healthier as a New Year’s resolution by purchasing a gym membership. You attend the gym anywhere from three days to a week and soon realize how inconvenient the whole process is and decide to quit.

     Or you decide to begin a diet to lose weight by eating only certain foods and following certain instructions. You follow what religiously for a couple days, then you begin to cut corners here and there and before you know it have gone back to your original way of eating, and even worse. We call this routine the yo-yo syndrome.

     You can see this same process over and over in many areas of improvement whether it be health related, procrastination, success motivation, public speaking, improving relationships, work ethics or eliminating bad habits.

     You must change your self-image in order to create permanent change. There are no shortcuts.
 

3 Steps Process to Permanent Success in Hypnotherapy

     Here are the three major categories broken down that are required to obtaining permanent change.

1. Knowledge - Knowledge is the first of the three steps that must be obtained in order for a change to be achieved. Not only must your clients be knowledgeable about the process that they will be going through, it is also important for the hypnotherapist to be knowledgeable of what he or she will be conducting.

     I have found through my years of teaching doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists as well as numerous lay people to be hypnotherapist that the majority of them have no clue what hypnosis really is when they first arrive to training. If these professionals are not aware of what hypnosis really is, then how could we expect our clients to realize it. They must be informed as well as the hypnotherapist.

     For the client - Most clients when they first arrive to the Hypnotherapists office are scared. Due to what they may have heard from friends or the media they often times have a distorted image of what is going to take place. Many expect that immediately upon entering the office they will be met by a sinister looking hypnotherapist staring at them with mesmerizing spiraling eyeballs that has this unnatural control over them. Others expect that they will be made to act like chickens or other barnyard animals against their will and yet still others are afraid that the hypnotherapist will uncover some deep dark hidden secrets about their past. These misconceptions are very important to eliminate before expecting the client to relax and be open to hypnosis.

     Upon setting their mind at ease you must explain to the client what hypnosis is and how it works. You must work with them to find out more about them and their situation and then only once prepared and having informed them are you ready to begin the session.

     For the hypnotherapist - There are many misconceptions as to what hypnosis is ranging from an altered state of consciousness and mind control, to blind obedience and trances.

     You must be properly educated in exactly what hypnosis is and how to use it. Learning clinical hypnotherapy only covers half of the spectrum of hypnosis. It is important to also learn the many metaphysical aspects.

     Metaphysics is defined as a branch of philosophy dealing with the ultimate nature of reality. That covers the entire subconscious mind and then some doesn’t it! Therefore the majority of hypnotherapy would come under the category of metaphysics as it is something that can’t be seen or described clinically. The more you can understand what is going on within the subconscious mind the more effectively you can use it to affect positive changes.

     Areas that must be completely delved into are the areas of…

What is a disorder?
Where do they come from? … and most importantly
How to deal with them?
What is the application of faith in hypnosis? … and
How faith can easily be built so as to help your client to achieve success. What is the application of Brainwave States relating to hypnosis?

     By understanding the various brainwave states and how to attain each through hypnosis you will have a much better understanding of how to deal with and exactly which level to take your clients to for stress reduction, repressed memories, and accelerated healing.

2. Action - Is the next most important step to success.

    While knowledge is important, knowledge alone is not enough.

     Knowledge by itself is only a reserve of information. Unless acted upon it is the same as books sitting on a shelf, they are of no use unused.
Once given knowledge of what to do or how to proceed to attain a goal, that knowledge must be put into action. Your client must be inconvenienced, shaken up, guided to do what he has not done before.

     Change or progress is inconvenient. It requires doing something that you haven’t done before.. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be called “change”, it would be “same”. In other words if you do the exact same thing for the next six months as you have for the last six months, six months from today you will be at the same place you are now. Change requires doing something else, being inconvenienced or shaken up.

     It’s funny how most clients will come to your office expecting a miracle of hypnosis. They are expecting you to make a major change in their life for them without them having to be inconvenienced whatsoever. They expect you to “make” them change. So you can see where you have your job well cut out for you.

     Life coaching is a great addition to hypnotherapy where you can challenge, motivate and guide your client through actively changing this situation by having them report their progress to you through follow-up sessions or even telephone calls if required.

3. Repetition - Is vital to creating “permanent” change.

     Knowledge requires action, and action requires repetition to be successful

     Just as your past repetition of actions and behaviors have become your present habits which are your self-image the same must be done in order to change your self-image. You must create new habits. In order to create new habits you must do so through creating new memories. The subconscious mind does not understand the difference between imagined and real memories therefore through using your imagination and visualizing yourself as the person you wish to become, being sure to include as many emotions as possible you are creating new memories.

     Through repetition of these imagined memories for the proper amount of days you are creating new habits. This repetition process is literally changing the neuro-pathways within your mind creating engrams of your new habit. This new habit will in turn replace the old habit.

     That is your formula for permanent change.

In this field hypnotherapy there are constantly new discoveries and techniques of how to attain goals eliminate negative habits or disorders and progress in virtually any area of life. It is important that the Hypnotherapist keeps himself aware of all these important changes so as to know when to use the proper, most effective ones.

     I hope you enjoyed this report. To find out more detailed information on how you can learn these and so many more techniques in hypnotherapy, metaphysics and life coaching be sure order our FREE CATALOG, or sign up for our newsletter “The Success Corner” and attend one of our upcoming hypnotherapy certification trainings.
Best of success and keep well,

     Rene A, Bastarache, CI, CHT
     Director, The American School of Hypnosis