Where do you sit? R or L?

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Permalink Reply by Mark Tyrrell on June 12, 2009 at 1:52am

Hi Bruce

Interesting post. If I'm working with depressed clients I might sit slightly to the (their) right. Negative emotionality seems to be processed more through the right pre-frontal lobe (depressed people have less activated prefrontal lobes on the left). Left hemispheric function has more to do with planning, sequential thought, social confidence, enjoyment and so forth. All experiences that, typically, become harder for a depressed person to experience.

If someone has a stroke which affects their right side they may actually exhibit changes improvements in mood-(because now the left side gets to have free reign) but if the left pre-frontal lobes are hit they may become more miserable as a result.

So if negative emotion is generated and maintained more in the right side of the brain and sensations like contentment, hope and calm reasoning more on the left side then sitting to the right of someone (remembering that vision and hearing criss cross so the right eye connects to the left hemisphere and vice versa) may stimulate activation of their left hemisphere subtly making them feel better.

Cheers

Mark

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Permalink Reply by Sean Michael Andrews on June 12, 2009 at 3:08am

Hi Bruce!
I have two offices. In one office my chair is on the left and in the other office my chair is on the right. I tend to use a lot of NLP, and anchor resources on my clients' shoulders. Most of the time a client will visit one office or the other, but it can get confusing if the client switches offices.

I have not noticed any difference in sitting on the right or the left.

Sean Michael Andrews
www.WorldsFastestHypnotist.com

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Permalink Reply by Bruce Taylor C.Ht on June 12, 2009 at 11:13am

I thought I was the only one who had a preference so I never brought it up. I prefer the right side of the client and feel very uncomfortable if I am on the left side so I do not move from one side to the other. Very interesting.

Bruce Taylor

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Permalink Reply by Fable Goodman on June 12, 2009 at 2:56pm

A lot depends on the type of suggestion you are giving the client.

Direct, logical suggestions appeal to the left side of the brain, and therefore (in theory ) work best if directed to the right ear.

Indirect, metaphorical suggestions and imagery appeal to the right side of the brain, and therefore should be directed to the left ear.

Now having said that... there is not much real evidence to prove that it has any greater effect than just speaking normally to both ears. But particularly when doing double inductions, I think it can make things that much more effective if the type of messge is earmarked appropriately.

Other than that, it is mainly a matter of comfort and practicalities of where the chairs are in the room.


I think the key thing, as usual is the clients openness, and readyness to accept the suggestions, and the artfull way the suggestions are offered to the client.. the rest is fine tuning, and may or may not amke any difference.

Love and hugs,

Fable. (typing with left hand, and drinking tea with the right one)

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Permalink Reply by Hypno Hick on June 12, 2009 at 4:13pm

I just moved my office and I used to sit on the left side, that way I could see the "expressive" side of them better, I have moved to the right, I don't like it as well, I am going to move back to the clients left.
Shaun

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Permalink Reply by bruce on June 12, 2009 at 9:54pm

I was just checking out the auditory system on wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auditory_system. It seems as though auditory information/signals are not processed completely by one side of the brain or the other; it's a bilateral system. I think this is different from other senses. I have to do a bit more research though.

I'll say this: I certainly have a very strong preference for my right ear when I'm talking on the phone. The way I hear 'feels' different in each ear.

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Permalink Reply by Pattie Freeman CH.t, MST on June 12, 2009 at 10:44pm

I sit on the right the way ,my recliner and chair is set up..and I am right handed.my chair faces the recliner to the right of the client...

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Permalink Reply by Scott Sandland on June 13, 2009 at 10:29am

I actually stand so I can move during the hypnotic process. I spatially anchor different locations in the room to different states of mind. It aids in confusion, conditioning, and keeps me from getting relaxed and fading away if I have more than 5 clients in a day.

closer to the client and on the right side I go with more direct suggestion.

the further away I am or more to the center/left of them is for drifting off and metaphor based work.

I fractionate between the two to facilitate deepening.

You get the idea.

talk to you soon,
Scott

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Permalink Reply by Hugh Cole on June 13, 2009 at 12:15pm

If I sit, I sit either directly in front of,or to the right of, my client. I tend to be more like Scott. I tend to use spatial anchoring and timelines during my pretalk and session work Standing allows me to "walk the time line" and anchor states to the past or future, depending on the need. I like to take "stuff" back to the past where I can sweep it off the timeline. Similarly. once a client has envisioned future changes in his future self, It is easier to walk the changes back to the present to accelerate acceptance of the change.

Hugh Cole
The pretty goodest hypnotist on the planet

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Permalink Reply by Richard Nongard - NLPBoard.com on June 13, 2009 at 1:59pm

I sit accross form them, slghtly to the right. I use a rolling chair, so perhaps I am like Scott in that I move, but I am too lazy to walk... Also I use headphones and a mic so I am tethered, but can still roll...

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Permalink Reply by Hugh Cole on June 13, 2009 at 2:36pm

Hi Richard,
Are you using the headphones or is the client using them? I thought you had a wireless countrymen mic so you didn't need the tether. If not, let me recommend that you try that

Hugh

Richard Nongard - HypnosisGurus.com said:

I sit accross form them, slghtly to the right. I use a rolling chair, so perhaps I am like Scott in that I move, but I am too lazy to walk... Also I use headphones and a mic so I am tethered, but can still roll...

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Permalink Reply by Shirley R. Patterson on June 14, 2009 at 12:59pm

I,also, sit or stand in front of the client. I tend to move from side to side also.


Shirley

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