People will ring you up about all kinds of issues. And not everything will fall within your scope of practice. So, you need to qualify your clients before booking them in for the first session.
Once I have qualified that a person is the right client for me, I answer their questions. Then, I tell them what’s going to happen in their first session.
Even though they haven’t booked the appointment yet, I treat them as if they have already made the commitment. And educating the client about what to expect will often help them to make that commitment because you’re helping put their mind at ease.
What’s going to happen in the first session?
- Talk
- Teach
- Relax
First – we’re going to talk. We’re going to spend a little time getting to know each other. I’m going to take a history of the problem. I want to learn more about their past.
Second - I’m going to teach them what they need to know to be successful working with me.
Third – I’m going to guide them through a short relaxation hypnosis session. Now, the purpose of this first hypnosis session is for assessment. And the reason I do this is because everybody’s different. The first session will give me the information I need to create a program that’s right for them.
So what have I just told them?
First, I’m going to listen. I’m not just going to throw them into a process, and I’m not going to “technique” them. I’m going to listen to what they have to say.
This is especially important for a person who has been through the medical mill. They know what it’s like to be treated merely as a symptom. It’s traumatizing.
These clients will tell you how frustrated they are with not being heard. They’ve been diagnosed, given a label, and it’s the label that is treated, not the person.
Healing isn’t about treating a condition.
It’s about developing a relationship. And that means dealing with the whole person – not just the problem.
Something that took me far too long to get is the understanding that the client is responsible for the results. You can’t make a person heal. You can’t make them do anything without their consent.
You need the client’s participation. So, the second thing I tell them is that I’m going to teach them what they need to know. This takes care of any performance anxiety or fear of failure.
You’re going to teach them what they need to know to be successful because hypnotherapy is an interactive process. It requires the client’s participation. So, this tells the client that you’re going to be working together to achieve their success and they don’t have to do it alone.
It also lets them know that you’re also not going to do it for them. So, this is a way of letting them know that they have some control because to participate in their own healing they can’t be unconscious.
This can remove a tremendous amount of fear.
The third thing I tell them is that I’m going to guide them through a short relaxation hypnosis session. So, now they know you’re not going to dump them into any uncomfortable stuff. All they’re going to do is relax.
Most people are afraid of facing their feelings. They’re afraid of having their shameful truths exposed. They know they’re going to have to "go there." But it makes them feel vulnerable.
You can remove that fear by telling the client, “You’re just going to learn how to relax into hypnosis and enjoy it.” Very few people have resistance to relaxing. So this helps to remove the anxiety about the hypnosis.
When it comes to regression hypnosis, there’s a reason for everything we do. Informing your clients about these three things can help to create positive (and reasonable) expectations toward the healing process.
This will give you better clients to work with.
A person is much more likely to show up for their first session if they’re feeling positive anticipation about working with you. And telling a new client what to expect can help prepare them for their first session before they even arrive.
It can even get them feeling excited about coming to see you – which is a whole lot better than fear and trepidation, isn’t it?
So when a person calls to inquire about your services, qualify them. Then, tell them what’s going to happen in their first session.
Demystify the whole process so that your new clients are showing up feeling excited about working with you.
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