The reason a good hypnotherapist won’t work with you
Recently I met a lady who had asked her husband to go and see a hypnotherapist. He didn’t want to go, but she admitted to ‘nagging’ at him until he went along, because she had seen that hypnosis had worked for other people.
As it turns out He went to see this hypnotherapist, and came home saying it didn’t do anything for him. If this man had been a potential client of my own I would have chosen not to work with him, and recommended a different type of therapy.
Hypnotherapy by its nature is collaboration. Collaboration by definition means to work with one another, cooperation. This man did not want to see a hypnotherapist; he had myths and misconceptions in his mind and was not comfortable with the process. He has a right to feel that way, there is a lot of silliness about what hypnosis and hypnotherapy is and what it can do. Hypnotherapy brings amazing results for people, but those people actually want to try it, they want to be in the therapy session. Most importantly, they want to do the work.
If you are made to do something that you don’t actually want to do yourself, you don’t give it your full attention, or apply yourself in a way that provides the best results. Its a bit like being made to see that old relative when you are kid, you don’t want to go, and when you get there you are bored, you have already made up your mind it’s going to be bad, so you bite your tongue, sigh a bit and watch the clock until you are free again.
Hypnotherapy is not right for everyone. Not every hypnotherapist is a good fit for every potential client. Hypnotherapy is NOT magic. It certainly cannot make anyone do anything that they do not want to do. If I or anyone else had that sort of power I am most definitely certain it would be in use. I could make a billionaire give me all of their money….think of the wardrobe I could have! I could make Coca-Cola give me their secret recipe? Wouldn’t I or anyone who had this magic power be living it up in the White House ruling the world?
But is it anyone’s fault? The wife for making her husband do something he didn’t want to do?; The husband for not putting his foot down and saying no? The hypnotherapist for taking his money? I can’t fault the lady here, because she had his best interests at heart, and it’s lovely that this man put his wife’s request before his own desires. I do believe that the hypnotherapist should have explained the process, and how hypnotherapy works before committing to a session and accepting money. Perhaps the hypnotherapist in question did not know this. Unfortunately in the UK, the field of Hypnotherapy is not yet regulated. Some people out there, who call themselves hypnotherapists, do not actually have any good training or education. Unfortunately you can go online and certify yourself within days.
Of course there are respected and talented hypnotherapists and they have been well trained, and have met strict guidelines, and have demonstrable skills to achieve the respected qualifications that are available, Such as the HPD qualification. Meaning that once these qualifications are held, you can register with professional bodies such as the National Council for Hypnotherapy and the CNHC, and these have strict ethics and code of conduct. When seeking the help of a hypnotherapist ensure they are registered with a reputable body, and have good education.
My clients make my world go around. This is my job, but if I do not believe I can truly help you, I won’t take your money. I do not believe that would be ethical. I love this industry, I love the changes I have seen people make using hypnotherapy, and that I get to be a part of this with my clients, but I run my practice on my values: Empathy, Integrity, and honesty. I can empathise with this man’s situation of course, but I wouldn’t sleep well at night, if I had not actually educated the man correctly and taken his hard earned money when he was never going to apply the commitment that successful hypnotherapy requires. As the saying goes you can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink.