Your biggest failure in hypnosis. Try to draw some conclusions

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Permalink Reply by Kelley Woods on September 30, 2011 at 5:32pm

Hello Ian,

My biggest mistake in hypnotherapy was how I dealt with an anxious client. She presented with unexplained pain in her foot and a high degree of depression (which was being managed pharmaceutically by a psychiatrist). Our first session was wonderful: she was able to experience the deepest sense of relaxation and comfort that she had ever remembered.

Our second session had her arriving highly agitated. I calmed her down and after some conversation, proceeded with hypnosis. Her agitation continued, despite my creative efforts and then her foot pain became intense, causing cessation of our trancework.

Now, you may be aware that I am pretty good at what I do, so this was quite disconcerting to me. I felt terrible as she left my office not feeling better than when she arrived. This is totally contrary to my work ethic.

This client subsequently did not show for another appointment. She did not respond to phone calls or emails.

I suspect that I should have declined to work with this client. Although I procured a doctor's referral, I did not speak with her psychiatrist. Delayed details from her doctor revealed that she had mental issues beyond my scope of practice.

I take full responsibility for the fail. Lesson learned, big time.

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Permalink Reply by Graham Old on September 30, 2011 at 5:38pm

Haven't got an answer yet, Ian. But I just wanted to say, great topic!

Now, I need to go away and wade through my volumes of failures, to choose the biggest!

(Some NLP folk will chastise you for your choice of words, but I commend you for your humility.)

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Permalink Reply by Christina Cole on September 30, 2011 at 8:44pm

Last month I completed my hypnotherapy workshop.  I was very excited with all my new skills and eager to use them.  THE night I completed the course, I went to my friends house.  Her mom asked me if I could hypnotize her, and of course I said yes, lets give it a try.  What a buzz kill!  Sadly, my first subject happened to be someone so wound up I couldn't even get her to relax her arm so I could drop it on her lap.  When I let go, it just stayed up in the air, and as I suggested that it felt heavy like a lead weight, she forcefully slammed her hand down.  I threw everything at her.  EFT, progressive relaxation, a deepening story, etc. 

Now this is a woman who has a history of pill popping and drinking to calm herself down.  She has difficulty falling asleep at night and staying asleep, has an odd work schedule where she works night shifts.  She drinks sodas all day, poor diet, etc.

 

Now, if anyone has some insight on how to help my friend's mom, please, I am open ears.

 

I suggested massage, exercise, meditation CD's, diet change, etc.  She came up with excuses.  I can't help anyone who can't help them selves.

 

Meanwhile, I have had some extraordinary sessions since then.  Very successful.  I really am loving this.

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Permalink Reply by Ricky Strode on September 30, 2011 at 9:21pm

If her arm was cataleptic, then I would have used it as an induction. Always use what is already there. People do not have to relax, it is just much more fun to relax first, then even more. However, it does not require it. That is the problems with techniques, they fail, but knowing how to vary your behavior and what you do does not until you stop, but if you always persevere, then failure really is not an option.

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Permalink Reply by Christina Cole on October 1, 2011 at 7:51am

I wish her arm was cataleptic.  I didn't suggest that, I wanted her arm to drop as I let it go. 

She looked relaxed in her chair, but then when she quickly popped her head up, and said "this isn't working, is it?" and then threw her head back down, I really knew she was still wound up.  Doesn't her mind have to relax?  She surely wasn't letting go.

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Permalink Reply by Ricky Strode on October 1, 2011 at 9:30am

Not really, there is nothing she has to do. In fact, you can use everything someone is doing to induce trance or as an induction if you will. You do not really have to let go of anything. It all starts with subjective experience. For someone who is so uptight. I would give them tests where they will always win no matter what their response i.e suggestibility test or franctionated confusion inductions or so on, but I would not put it off as that and so on. For instance, magnetic fingers, magnetic hands, or a combination induction (i.e go through part of one, then into another, then into another without finishing any of them, then complete them all in inverse order). That is one way to get around things. I am just trying to spark your imagination. There are an infinite amount of ways to reach the same goal. However, I would use whatever she doing or how she responds as a way to help achieve hypnosis. Have you tried to use transderivational search as an induction or interrupting a behavior as an induction (i.e. the handshake interrupt) or pacing and leading? they are an infinite amount of ways to even just use those very powerful methods.

Your In-Trance To Success,

Ricky Strode

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Permalink Reply by Marc Carlin on October 1, 2011 at 10:30am

Christina,

Ricky is right on in his assessment.  Everything that you learned in your workshop is probably correct, well most anyway, but what they probably failed to tell you was that all of that is just a framework from which to begin learning.  And you just learned that some people don't respond just the way you want them to at the beginning.  It doesn't necessarily mean that they aren't hypnotized or can't achieve trance.

In the case of your girlfriend's mother, she might have spontaneously achieved catalepsy without you suggesting it.  It doesn't matter.  Utilization as Ricky suggests will help her to go to a more profound level of trance.  Just accept that they are already in trance, supply the suggestions that you think will benefit them and let them enjoy where they are and bring them out of trance feeling better.

 

Christina Cole said:

Last month I completed my hypnotherapy workshop.  I was very excited with all my new skills and eager to use them.  THE night I completed the course, I went to my friends house.  Her mom asked me if I could hypnotize her, and of course I said yes, lets give it a try.  What a buzz kill!  Sadly, my first subject happened to be someone so wound up I couldn't even get her to relax her arm so I could drop it on her lap.  When I let go, it just stayed up in the air, and as I suggested that it felt heavy like a lead weight, she forcefully slammed her hand down.  I threw everything at her.  EFT, progressive relaxation, a deepening story, etc. 

Now this is a woman who has a history of pill popping and drinking to calm herself down.  She has difficulty falling asleep at night and staying asleep, has an odd work schedule where she works night shifts.  She drinks sodas all day, poor diet, etc.

 

Now, if anyone has some insight on how to help my friend's mom, please, I am open ears.

 

I suggested massage, exercise, meditation CD's, diet change, etc.  She came up with excuses.  I can't help anyone who can't help them selves.

 

Meanwhile, I have had some extraordinary sessions since then.  Very successful.  I really am loving this.

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Permalink Reply by Antoine Pruyssers on October 1, 2011 at 10:50am

Hypnotizing someone who has epilepsy.

He started having convulsions, and I ended up bringing him to the hospital.

Conclusion: I will never hypnotize anyone before I ask wether they have a medical history, or medication.

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Permalink Reply by Kelley Woods on October 1, 2011 at 11:27am

Oh man, Antoine. That must have been something!

Antoine Pruyssers said:

Hypnotizing someone who has epilepsy.

He started having convulsions, and I ended up bringing him to the hospital.

Conclusion: I will never hypnotize anyone before I ask wether they have a medical history, or medication.

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Permalink Reply by Ian Collins on October 1, 2011 at 12:56pm

Thanks guys for these great answers. Yes. I believe it is a great topic, because we touch the reality and we can learn from each other. I really hope to see more such answers. I did not expect so many answers:) Maybe not even one:)
But it turned, that it may be the best "course" in hypnosis:)))

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Permalink Reply by Ian Collins on October 1, 2011 at 12:59pm

Well... NLP and "wording" is good but life is something else:)

Not all the time NLP should be used:)) There is life behind that:))
Sometimes I choose words, sometimes not. Sometimes wisely, sometimes stupidly:)
As simple as that:)


Graham Old said:

Haven't got an answer yet, Ian. But I just wanted to say, great topic!

Now, I need to go away and wade through my volumes of failures, to choose the biggest!

(Some NLP folk will chastise you for your choice of words, but I commend you for your humility.)

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Permalink Reply by Ian Collins on October 1, 2011 at 1:02pm

This is what I believe. Technique is one thing. But human being is another thing. First- human being then technique.
Te technique should be always adjusted to the human being... it means- always unique and different.
Te technique is a start point to the whole "concert" and "hypnotic symphony"

Ricky Strode said:

If her arm was cataleptic, then I would have used it as an induction. Always use what is already there. People do not have to relax, it is just much more fun to relax first, then even more. However, it does not require it. That is the problems with techniques, they fail, but knowing how to vary your behavior and what you do does not until you stop, but if you always persevere, then failure really is not an option.

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