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Generating Client Involvement

Elronn Ferguson Client results, in terms of cognitive, behavioral, and emotional shifts, can range from disappointing to spectacular. One of the contingencies for success, is the clients internal level of involvement in the process. Knowing how to engage and encourage this critical factor (pun intended) rests in the hands of the hypnotherapist. The clients internal thought process is out of our control, and being s illed in your approach isnt enough if the client remains dissociated from the process. !or those of you who use a directive approach, and integrate it with insight oriented techni"ues such as #ge $egression, the clients level of openness and participation will have %ust as much of an effect on their progress as their inherent level of insightfulness. Occasionally, a client go through the standard process and e&perience average results, only to admit to you later, that there is content they have been avoiding. 'ometimes you can see this situation coming a mile away, sometimes you cant. This is why rapport is so important, as it encourages your client to feel safe enough to reveal what bubbles up, and follow your lead. (ut tal ing about rapport is not the only ey to success when setting the stage for optimal client involvement. There are many ways that the client can be, shall we say, elusive) not following instructions, being overly guarded about their past, having a totally wrong set of e&pectations, being over analytical, or having a limited amount of insight into what you are trying to do. *ithout getting too case specific, the following points will help provide a general approach to integrate into practice, encouraging your client to give it that little bit e&tra.

Im a professional

This goes without saying and needs to be defined further. There

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are many articles written about how to dress and design your environment that should be thoroughly understood. !or me, professionalism comes into play when interacting with the client before and after each session. One should not tal about irrelevant sub%ect matter, or engage in too much sociali+ation once inside the office. ,o ing should be ept to a minimum, and used only for direct purposes of therapy. Create the mindset that everything you do is for the client, never for you. -ou mean business, in a nice way of course. #fter all, they are laying down a good chun of change for your undivided attention, and having relevant communication is your responsibility to the client. /imit self disclosure to the point where the relationship ends at the door of your office. 0ual relationships and transference can hurt your client and your confidence1 setting an intention to avoid these mista es will create a healthy therapeutic relationship.

/et them now in little ways that you e&pect great things. One of the best ways to do that is to ma e promises. *hats e&pected tends to be reali+ed. 2o matter how negative their language is, dont get rattled, ever, even if they come bac in for the 3rd time without many tangible benefits. 4f negative emotions are emerging after #ge $egression, and they call you up with concerns, let them now that its part of the natural cycle of returning to a more balanced state, and is to be e&pected. Tal about the outcome and their role in the process. This is a good time to convey that following instructions and focusing are the most important part of the process and lead to great results. 0oing insight oriented wor in hypnosis is a cooperative dance we do with our clients, and the more that they understand this, the better. # little statement li e, 5-oure going to be on the other side of this issue, we do it all the time6, can ma e all the difference.

Lets do great things together

'ometimes we will have clients who are over analytical in all the wrong ways. 7ost of the time, this can be bypassed by having an airtight pre8tal that removes any false e&pectancies about hypnosis, such as the myth of 5feeling hypnoti+ed6. 'ome people are very literal in their thought process and are concerned with
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Anything can happen

accuracy and reality when in the middle of a hypnotic process. This ind of thin ing usually stems from a combination of inherent personality, and a set of entrenched beliefs. 4f you are able to catch wind of this before the hypnosis, casually mention that being accurate is not as important as following instructions, and giving you whatever ideas, thoughts or images that come to mind as you as for them. (egin planting suggestions in their mindset regarding what happens in hypnosis to be less concrete and factual, and more about letting things happen. Tal to them about being able to en%oy the benefits without having to now e&actly how or why it wor s. 4f its not in your pre8tal , ma e sure they understand that hypnosis is not a 5truth serum6, and that being literal or truthful isnt as important as thin ing in terms of 5as ifs6. They are about to embar on a %ourney that will have them doing nothing but essentially sitting in the chair with their eyes closed. Thin conceptually about creating a 5surprise space6 within your clients mind for everything that happens in the chair. 'ome clients will want to play therapist right away because of a preconceived set of thoughts about the cause of the problem. 4 li e to tell my clients to have the attitude of the 5spectator6 and to %ust sit bac and ta e my lead in whatever 4 decide to do, which leaves them with an understanding that anything is to be e&pected. 9sing language to convey 5/ets see what happens6, can cultivate an element of un nown that leaves their mind open to a realm of greater possibility.

0o they want to have good results or great results: 'ome people have the e&perience of putting in less effort and having mediocre success. #s described in The 'ecret /anguage of !eelings, emotions provide you with the drive to do the sometimes 04!!4C9/T things necessary to fulfill your needs, wants and desires. 4f a client wants you to %ust wave a magic wand, you need to find a way to create space around this idea. One of the stories 4 li e to tell is about the client who left the office and lit up a cigarette right away, only to call me to complain that he could still smo e, at which point 4 told him that the hypnosis does not ma e it impossible to smo e, but easy to quit. This type of reframe (borrowed from
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A little more effort please

Terance *atts) reminds the client of their part of the accountability. The conveyance of 54ts me and you against the problem6 can stimulate their involvement. 'ometimes, pointing out how long they have had this problem can cause the appropriate amount of pain, enlisting them to give a little more honest effort. 0oing insight oriented techni"ues such as !orgiveness therapies are not easy, and being able to encourage the client to give it their all, ta es determination and goal oriented thin ing. 'trive for the correct balance of your effort vs. the clients. #s you wor together, they will understand that you cant do it for them. $emember the old saying) 2ever wor harder than your client.

;hrases li e 5we do it all the time6 help the client to feel li e they are part of something greater , and ta e their attention off of what they may have come to believe is their problem alone. <&periencing emotional pain or having difficulty understanding instructions might cause the client to feel slightly negative about their e&perience from time to time. The phrase, 5<verybody does6 or something li e it can help alleviate concerns that their e&perience of abreaction was somehow uni"ue. 4n fact, they are a part of a successful whole within your client base, and they need to now that what is happening is standard operating procedure, and necessary. The truth is, most people dont li e opening up. /etting the client now that they are not alone creates an environment that allows them to be more open with their feelings and fosters compliance. #lways have the end in mind.

You are just one more success story

#fter you have seen a si+able stream of clients, ta e stoc of your different e&periences. Ta e out their files and arrange them into different categories, drawing correlations between different 5types6. ;ersonality psychology definitely plays a role in the chemistry between client and hypnotherapist. # nowledge of personality or temperament types can aid in your ability to profile your clients. =aving a communication strategy in your bac poc et ads to your capacity to wor with your clients natural disposition, and encourages further participation, both directly and indirectly.
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What type of client is this

Knowing that your client has their own level of arbitrary compliance, insight, and commitment, among other things, is something to always be aware of. #ppropriate application of the above strategies will support the hypnotherapist to guide the client toward ma&imal participation with greater fre"uency. *ithout our clients, we couldnt do what we do, and having their fullest possible cooperation, openness and involvement can ma e all the difference in the world when shooting for the results that will elevate being a hypnotherapist to higher level of respect in the professional mar et.

Conclusion