DRAMATICALLY INCREASE CLIENT RAPPORT

Learn the “Soft Skills” Used by Successful Professionals

to Cement a Positive Client Relationship

How to Encourage Your Clients to See You For “Tune Ups”

As Often As They See Their Chiropractor

Presented by Rev. Timothy Jones

B.Min. MA PhD(c)

NGH CI FNGH OB

Board Certified Consulting Hypnotherapist

Ontario, Canada

PRESENTATION SUMMARY

• 10 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Answer the Phone in Your Pyjamas

• 12 Ways to Act Professionally

• How to Dress Professionally

• Your All-Important 30-Second Elevator Speech

• Cementing Your Relationship

• Carl Rogers

SCRIPTS

• Professional Hypnotist Script

• Hand-to-Face Script

SHOULD YOU ANSWER THE PHONE IN YOUR PYJAMAS?

It’s important to differentiate your day between being “at work” and “at home.” If your working and resting times become confused, it can feel as if you’re always on duty; and when you do take a break, you can feel guilty that you aren’t finishing a project.

Although the idea of wandering into your office pajama-clad or in your track suit may appeal, get up and get dressed as if you were going into the office. Obviously you don’t have to wear a suit or very smart clothes, but getting changed is another “signal” that you’re starting your working day.

1. CHOOSE REALISTIC HOURS

Often times people working from home subconsciously fall into the mindset that they must work 9-5. However, you can make slight adjustments to your work schedule and still complete all the work you need to do. For example, work from 10-6 instead.

2. HAVE BREAKFAST

It really is the most important meal of your day as it gives you just the right boost of energy to get you going with your day. Every health food diet or maintenance programme in the world includes breakfast.

3. DEFINE A WORK AND A PLAY TIME

When you live where you work and work where you live, you need to have a separation between the two lives. For example, if you specify your work time to be between 9 and 5, then the minute the clock hits 5, you must force yourself to get away from the computer. If you don’t, you’ll just keep working and forget about the other aspects of life – like living it.

4. TREAT YOURSELF TO WORKING AT STARBUCKS ONCE IN A WHILE

Tired of working at home? Then work somewhere else! Freshen up your mind by working in a public place like a local coffee shop. Interesting people and overpriced caffeinated drinks can do wonders for you and in our digitally connected environment, no one will know you’re not “stuck” in the office.

5. TEACH YOURSELF SOMETHING NEW

It’s not very often that people get the opportunity to continue building their palette of skills on a daily basis. But because you are your own boss, you get to set how your time is allocated. So take a hour or two out of your day, break out of your regular work, and learn something new and exciting.

As you grow your competencies, your business will grow as well. Plus, it adds that bit of novelty to your day.

6. GIVE YOUR “OFFICE” A FACELIFT

If your home office has grown stale, give it a face lift. Whether that means painting your walls a fresh new colour, getting some new furniture, indulging in some new toys, or all of the above, changing your surrounding means you’re less likely to get tired of it. A happier work attitude will surely follow.

7. RUN YOUR HOME OFFICE LIKE A REAL OFFICE

You can fall prey to the added household responsibilities that come with working at home (washing, vacuuming, etc.). Solution? Put your foot down and run your home office like a real office.

Close your door and make it clear that while it’s closed, you shouldn’t be disturbed. This requires some self-control on your part as well - don’t catch yourself playing guitar in your office while you should be working.

8. TAKE BREAKS AWAY FROM YOUR COMPUTER AND PHONE

Breaks are important to avoid burnout. If you’re taking a break away from work but haven’t even moved from your computer which you do work on, you’re far more likely to cheat your break time and continue working.

Do yourself a favour and take your breaks elsewhere – take a walk or go into another room and do some self-hypnosis.

9. ARRANGE FOR AFTER-WORK ACTIVITIES

Probably the best way to put a limit on your work time is to arrange for some after-work activities. Make one night a week a movie night, or a date night with your significant other. Anything that helps you further separate your work and social life is going to keep you fresh.

10. SET DAILY GOALS

Aside from setting ambitious short-term and long-term goals for yourself and your clinic, it’s important to set daily goals as well. With an infinite amount of things that you have on your to-do list, it’s impossible to get it all done in a single day. But we try any way … and that’s the problem.

You’ll never stop working because you’ll never stop having things to get done. Manage your work more wisely by breaking your long list of to-do’s into daily tasks. This will give you a better sense of when you know you’ve done a sufficient amount of work for the day, so that you can switch off and enjoy other aspects of life.

This will leave you less mentally and physically exhausted, which will naturally keep your spirits high for the next day.

* * *

12 WAYS TO SHOW RESPECT FOR YOUR CLIENT

1. BE ON TIME FOR YOUR APPOINTMENT

Therapists will usually charge a client for an appointment if they fail to cancel it with less than 24 hours notice. While the occasional lateness may be excused, some therapists seem to be living in another time zone altogether and consistently show up late for their appointments with their clients. Chronic lateness is often symptomatic of poor time management skills, and is disrespectful to your client.

2. AVOID EATING IN FRONT OF THE CLIENT

Eating while in session, either by the client or the therapist, is never appropriate. It’s therapy, not lunchtime. Even asking, “Do you mind if I finish my lunch while we get started?” is inappropriate. Clients don’t always feel comfortable expressing their true feelings on a first appointment in any case, and your perceived lack of attention to them will only inhibit their responses. However, if you’re going to drink/sip coffee or water during the session, that’s acceptable as long as you ensure you offer your client the same.

3. BE RESTED FOR YOUR BUSINESS DAY

While an occasional yawn is a normal component of our daily functioning, it’s usually only interpreted one way by a client – that you’re bored with them. Therapists need to get a good night’s sleep before a day’s sessions, which requires constant and consistent attention and concentration.

4. AVOID INAPPROPRIATE DISCLOSURES

Inappropriate disclosures refer to the therapist sharing a bit too much about their own personal difficulties or life. Therapists should keep personal disclosures limited - even when the client asks.

5. RETURN YOUR PHONE CALLS AND E-MAILS PROMPTLY

In our connected world, a therapist who doesn’t return phone calls or an email stands out like a sore thumb. While no client expects 24/7 connectivity, they do expect timely return calls or emails. Waiting a week for a return phone call is simply unprofessional and unacceptable in virtually any profession, including hypnotherapy.

6. TURN OFF YOUR PHONE OR COMPUTER DURING A SESSION

As we ask clients to silence their cell phone before starting the session, why would we leave our own on? The policy has to go both ways or it shows disrespect to the client and their time in session. Therapists should virtually never accept any phone calls while in session and should turn away from other distractions, such as a computer screen. The client is paying for your time and should get 100% of your attention.

7. EXPRESSING RACIAL, LIFESTYLE OR RELIGIOUS PREFERENCES

The session is all about the client, not the therapist. Unless the therapy is specifically targeting one of these areas, these types of disclosures are usually best left alone. While it might be fine to mention something in passing empathetically, it’s the client’s version of the world we’re concerned with, not our own.

8. BRINGING YOUR PET TO THE SESSION?

While sometimes therapists see clients in a home office, pets should stay out of the office while they are in session. To the client, a session is a refuge and a place of peace and healing — pets can disturb that peacefulness and calm, even if your client says, “Don’t worry. It’s ok. I love cats”

9. AVOID HUGGING AND PHYSICAL CONTACT

Physical contact between client and therapist should be restricted to a handshake. In professional therapeutic institutions, hugging is expressly forbidden as it could further client misconceptions and inadvertently encourage emotional transference.  At no time is a sexual relationship or sexual touching appropriate in the counselling  relationship.

10. AVOID INAPPROPRIATE DISPLAYS OF WEALTH OR DRESS

Any displays of wealth and style should be discarded in exchange for dressing in an appropriate and modest professional style. A therapist dripping in expensive jewelry is a put-off to most clients,  as are blouses or dresses that are too revealing, whereas too casual of dress can suggest too casual of an approach to a professional service.

11. AVOID CLOCK WATCHING

Most experienced therapists have a good sense of how long a session has gone without having to look at a clock until late in the session. Constantly checking the time tells the client they what they’re saying isn’t really important. Seasoned therapists mount a clock on the wall or on a table behind or beside the client so they can pace their session without looking at their watch – which some think is tantamount to yawning in front of the client.

12. EXCESSIVE NOTE-TAKING

Progress notes are a standard part of therapy. Many therapists don’t take notes during a session but rely on their memory after the session has ended. Constant note-taking is a distraction for most clients, and some may find that the therapist uses the behaviour to keep an emotional distance from the client. If note-taking is done during session, it should be done sparingly and discreetly.

SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO DRESS PROFESSIONALLY

MEN

Depending on your client group, men should wear business suits if possible, or blazers with dress pants. Depending on your client group, wearing a tie is anything from an option to a requirement. Sweaters worn with a shirt and tie are an option as well.

Weekend appointments can be met more casually but avoid the TV image of the therapist wearing corduroy with patched elbows.

WOMEN

Women are encouraged to wear business suits or skirt-and-blouse combinations. Women adhering to the business professional dress code can wear slacks, shirts and other formal combinations. Women dressing for a business professional dress code should try to be conservative.

Revealing clothing should be avoided, and body art should be covered and jewellery should be conservative and tasteful.

COLOURS & FOOTWEAR

When choosing colour schemes for your business professional wardrobe, it's advisable to stay conservative. Wear "power" colours such as black, navy, dark grey and earth tones if working with more professional clients. Avoid bright colours that attract attention.

GOOD HYGIENE

Always practice good hygiene. For men adhering to a business professional dress code, this means good grooming habits. Facial hair should be groomed (the Hollywood grundge look is out) and clothing should be neat and  pressed. Women should avoid makeup that stands out in a distracting manner and hair should be well-maintained and out of your eyes.

NAILS

For women, if you’re wearing nail polish, wear it properly. Chips or gaps in polish are unprofessional. If you’re wearing open-toed shoes, ensure that your pedicure is up to date, not a week old.

For men, dirty, stained or long fingernails indicate a lack of professionalism and personal cleanliness.

WHAT NOT TO WEAR

Never wear jeans, athletic apparel or athletic footwear, even for weekend or evening appointments. Offensive T-shirts, distracting jewellery, tongue/facial piercings, tattoos and “fashionable” rips in clothing are not appropriate in a business professional dress code - unless that’s the world in which you operate.

YOUR 30-SECOND ELEVATOR SPEECH

How important is your 30-second “elevator” speech? It can be the difference between working or not working! So how do you construct one?

First, don't talk about you. In as short a statement as possible, draw a situation from real life that we all experience (nerves before a speech/test/exam, dental/medical anxiety, weight loss/self-confidence, etc.) and then tell people what measurable results you deliver, and who you deliver them to. Then shut up.

Don't try to tell them EVERYTHING in one breath. Tell them something that is so powerfully grabbing that they just have to ask you for more, and even then when you respond - keep it short - keep them asking for more.

HOW DO YOU DO THAT?

Try this exercise that can change not only how you present yourself, but often it goes so deep that it will even change your vision of who and what your are.

Take out a sheet of paper and create 3 columns. Consider this activity as a work in progress that will continually change not only as you work your way through it, but it should get you thinking so that you will continually come back to the worksheet to make the answers better and better throughout your career.

At first, don't worry about getting "the perfect" speech as much as just getting something down on paper to start the thinking process. You can re-visit it as many times as you want to make it better and better.

Remember, this isn’t about you … it’s about helping your potential clients meet their goals in life. Avoid going on and on about your training, or telling client stories ad nauseam. Be realistic. If you sound too good to be true, you’ll just sound like another person flogging another “can’t lose deal.”

1st COLUMN - Far left. SERVICES

• List your products, services and/or features down this column. For most people this has been what you have been telling the world that you do or sell. List each and every social and physical issue you work with.

2ND COLUMN - To the right. BENEFITS

1. For every item in the column to the left, directly across from each one write what the benefit of that service, or technique. After you’ve written down why someone should invest in your services, ask yourself why someone would even want whatever it was you wrote down there. Keep asking yourself why, why, why until you've gotten down to the real bottom-line of why someone should use your services.

3RD COLUMN – MEASURABLE RESULTS

• This is the most powerful statement for your marketing. Consider the measurements and how you will present them. You can state a fact that a client typically gets ___, or, you guarantee a minimum result of ______, etc.

• I tell people that AT A MINIMUM, I GUARANTEE they’ll walk out of my office feeling measurably better than they did when they came in, naturally, without drugs, PLUS I show them how to do it for themselves.

• Making your results immediately measurable gives a very visual perceived value for what you do for your clients. People buy your services based on the value they perceive you will deliver, so vividly show them that value, and make it so visual that they don't have to guess.

It helps to go back to "Why buy the service?" and revise it. Once you start to revise the benefits of self-hypnosis, you’ll come up with more measurable results. So feel free to review, change, and go through it again. And get out there and use it! Over the next few weeks keep looking for the ideal measurement, and come back to revise over and over. It'll keep getting better.

When I give my 30-second introduction at an event, or a social gathering, I always but always have people approach me afterwards and ask, “Can you really help someone (insert issue) that easily?"

One of my elevator speeches is:

• It’s estimated that one-third of all North Americans avoid going to their dentist due to anxiety. By using self-hypnosis, you can quickly, comfortably and easily drift off to your favourite holiday spot for an hour every time you relax in the dentist’s chair. You can probably hear the relaxing sound of that beach in the back of your mind right now, can’t you? So rather than avoiding the dentist, we show you how to easily summon up a holiday and bring it to life. Does that sound like something you’d like to do?

Don't hesitate to play with what you say at social events. Try it one way and watch the results. Practice, practice, practice. Do it in front of a mirror, repeat it emphasizing different words while driving, or tease your friends with it.

Measure the results of your elevator speech by

• The noise level of the room after you say it

• How many people approach you during the event

• How many approach you when they see you in the future.

Change the words just a little each time you deliver it, and keep track of the ones that work the best, and watch your business, and referrals, grow quickly.

The ease by which you verbalize the imagery of your 30-second elevator speech will also change your vision about who you are and who you can become!

HOW TO CEMENT YOUR RELATIONSHIP

ROGERIAN THERAPY

After 4 decades in practice, Carl Rogers (1902-1982), an American psychologist, summarized a philosophy of treatment for people that is grounded in three actions …

CONGURENCE - genuineness, honesty with the client. 

EMPATHY - the ability to feel what the client feels. 

RESPECT - acceptance, unconditional positive regard towards the client.

HOW DO YOU DO THAT?

CLEAR YOUR WORLD - Allow yourself to become completely absorbed in the session. The outside world doesn’t exist. It is only you, your client, and the importance of your time together.

AVOID the TEMPTATION TO TAKE COPIOUS NOTES - or any notes at all. Every time you re-direct your attention to writing, you lose 11 seconds of concentration and break eye & energy contact. It doesn’t make you look any more “official” and when you jot down notes when they’re talking but it does distract the client, and they think to themselves, “I wonder what they just wrote down?”

THE CLIENT NEVER LIES - Even if you think they’ve just outright lied to you, IT DOESN’T MATTER! What you perceive as a fib, or a gross exaggeration, is THEIR truth, THEIR belief. You’re not going to be dealing with their conscious mind anyway, so it doesn’t matter what you think of what they’re saying.

UNDERSTAND THAT YOUR CLIENT IS THE EXPERT ON THEMSELVES - They will tell everything you need to know to work with them … if you listen. The way they dress, talk or express themselves has absolutely nothing to do with what they’re trying to tell you.

LISTEN WITH A “BEGINNERS MIND” – The idea behind this strategy is that you take all of the things you know--all of your brilliant opinions, all of your reason and logic, even your cherished beliefs, and you put all this stuff on the shelf for awhile. (it’ll still be there when you get back!)

A “BEGINNERS MIND”

A “beginner's mind” is a practice rooted in Zen. It is the mind that is innocent of preconceptions and expectations, judgments and prejudices. The beginner's mind is just present to explore and observe and see "things as-it-is."

Once you develop the belief that you’ve heard all this before (and you probably have), you’ve closed your mind and are comparing what you’re hearing to what you already believe. You are prejudicially either agreeing or disagreeing in your mind to what is being said. Again, it’s not what YOU believe, it’s what the client believes. And who knows, maybe they are telling the truth.

If you listen with an open mind, you will learn something new about something already known from every session, and in realizing how much you don’t know, you become the insightful person who takes delight in each new client.

WHO WAS CARL ROGERS

(1902-1982)

Carl Rogers is best known for his contributions to therapy.  His therapy has gone through a couple of name changes along the way:  He originally called it non-directive, because he felt that the therapist should not lead the client, but rather be there for the client while the client directs the progress of the therapy. 

As he became more experienced, he realized that, as "non-directive" as he was, he still influenced his client by his very "non-directiveness!"  In other words, clients look to therapists for guidance, and will find it even when the therapist is trying not to guide - So he changed the name to client-centered.  He still felt that the client was the one who should say what is wrong, find ways of improving, and determine the conclusion of therapy -- his therapy was still very "client-centered" even while he acknowledged the impact of the therapist. 

Nowadays, though the terms non-directive and client-centered are still used, most people just call it Rogerian therapy.  One of the phrases that Rogers used to describe his therapy is "supportive, not reconstructive," and he uses the analogy of learning to ride a bicycle to explain:  When you help a child to learn to ride a bike, you can't just tell them how.  They have to try it for themselves.  And you can't hold them up the whole time either.  There comes a point when you have to let them go.  If they fall, they fall, but if you hang on, they never learn.

It's the same in therapy.  If independence (autonomy, freedom with responsibility) is what you are helping a client to achieve, then they will not achieve it if they remain dependent on you, the therapist.  They need to try their insights on their own, in real life beyond the therapist's office!  An authoritarian approach to therapy may seem to work marvellously at first, but ultimately it only creates a dependent person.

There is only one technique that Rogerians are known for:  reflection.  Reflection is the mirroring of emotional communication:  If the client says "I feel like shit!" the therapist may reflect this back to the client by saying something like "So, life's getting you down, hey?"  By doing this, the therapist is communicating to the client that he is indeed listening and cares enough to understand.

Reflection must be used carefully, however.  Many beginning therapists use it without thinking (or feeling), and just repeat every other phrase that comes out of the client's mouth.  They sound like parrots with psychology degrees!  Then they think that the client doesn't notice, when in fact it has become a stereotype of Rogerian therapy the same way as sex and mom have become stereotypes of Freudian therapy.  Reflection must come from the heart -- it must be genuine, congruent.

Which brings us to Rogers' famous requirements of the therapist.  Rogers felt that a therapist, in order to be effective, must have three very special qualities:

1. Congruence -- genuineness, honesty with the client.

2.  Empathy -- the ability to feel what the client feels. 

3.  Respect -- acceptance, unconditional positive regard towards the client.

He said these qualities are "necessary and sufficient:" If the therapist shows these three qualities, the client will improve, even if no other special "techniques" are used.  If the therapist does not show these three qualities, the client's improvement will be minimal, no matter how many "techniques" are used. 

Now this is a lot to ask of a therapist!  They're just human, and often enough a bit more "human" than most.  Rogers does give in a little, and he adds that the therapist must show these things in the therapy relationship.  In other words, when the therapist leaves the office, he can be as "human" as anybody.

SCRIPTS

PROFESSIONAL HYPNOTIST SCRIPT

For the Hypnotist’s Improvement

Induction of Choice …

Life is good and the present moment commands your focused attention. You are relaxed and interested as you begin the intake interview. You ask about previous experiences with hypnosis and search out your clients’ attitudes, beliefs and questions about hypnosis.

From deep within your own center, your confident voice calmly resonates. Your eyes radiate strength, courage, and compassion. Your appearance, your voice, and your methods of communication all express confidence in yourself, in your skills, and in your ability to help others.

Your manner is relaxed and assured. You easily express the right word, the right phrase, the right gesture, and the appropriate feeling when communicating with your client.

You readily enter into the world of your client. You listen openly and with focused attention to what your client has to say. And, because you are competent, skilled and knowledgeable, you speak easily and with authority.

Your clients are eager to be hypnotized by you. They appreciate your poise, your skill and your caring. Your clients expectations make you feel good.

Your clients are relaxed and trusting of you for they sense your deep interest in them. You are positive, persuasive and a force for good. Your highest desire is to bring joy and happiness into the lives of others.

You stimulate wonderful, positive and exciting thoughts and feelings in the people you counsel and your clients respond strongly to you. You are an exceptional hypnotist and your past experiences and your present studies serve you well.

You are fully alert to your client's responses. With rapid and sharp perception, you observe changes in their posture, their voice quality, their breathing, and emotional tone. You listen and carefully observe your client's verbal responses and body language.

During an induction, you speak fluently and melodiously, creating an atmosphere of safety and comfort. You trust yourself as you confidently allow your own unique style to surface and flourish. Because you are relaxed and poised, you speak clearly and easily.

You now realize that you are a talented and highly creative person. You use what you have chosen from all that you have learned wisely, appropriately, and sincerely.

Each time you hypnotize a client you feel an exhilarating surge of confidence and enthusiasm. You easily remember your many successful and rewarding experiences in helping other clients and everything you've read, studied and heard in courses easily comes to you. You are highly skilled at understanding and guiding others, and you easily accept the praise and approval that others give to you.

Hypnosis brings to you emotional, intellectual, social and financial eminence among your peers, and you are rapidly moving towards the satisfaction of your deepest needs and the realization of your highest goals.

And so it is.

Now each of these ideas continue making a permanent, deep, vivid impression on your subconscious mind. Each day in your daily life, you will become more and more aware of the full, powerful, positive creative expression of these ideas.

From this time forward, with each passing day, you become more and more aware of a personal feeling of well-being and confidence. Confidence that each day brings you one step closer to each of your goals.

You plan and arrange your daily schedule with care. You allow yourself time for personal recreation and relaxation. It is easy for you to keep to your schedule because you plan it so well.

From deep within your own centre, your confident voice calmly resonates. Your eyes radiate strength, courage, and compassion. Your appearance, your voice, and your methods of communication all express confidence in yourself, in your skills and in your ability to help others. Your manner is relaxed and assured.

You easily express the right word, the right phrase, the right gesture, and the appropriate feeling when communicating with your client.

Your clients are relaxed and trusting of you for they sense your deep interest in them. You are positive, persuasive and a force for good. Your highest desire is to bring joy and happiness into the lives of others. You stimulate wonderful, positive and exciting thoughts and feelings in the people you counsel.

You now realize that you are an exceptionally talented and highly creative person. You use what you have chosen from all that you have learned.

Each of these ideas continue making a permanent, deep, vivid impression on your subconscious mind. Each day in your daily life, you will become more and more aware of the full, powerful, positive creative expression of these ideas.

And so it is …

=============HAND-TO-FACE

(Courtesy of Chaplain Paul Durbin @ DurbinHypnosis.com. Used by permission)

Induction of choice …

In a moment I'm going to ask you to open your eyes and put your (right or left) hand up in front of your face with the palm of your hand toward you, and you will be able to look at your fingers and the palm of your hand. As I talk to you, you will continue experiencing a more soothing and peaceful relaxation coming over your whole body.

Open your eyes now and lift your hand up a little above eye level and press your fingers tightly together. You will become aware of all the feelings and sensations in your fingers and hand, and you will keep experiencing a more peaceful, soothing sensation coming over your whole body. It keeps becoming easier for you to respond to the suggestions I tell you.

You can listen to the sound of my voice as I guide you and not even notice that other sounds and noises keep fading away, and your unconscious mind is listening only to the words I'm saying to you.

You will notice the feelings and sensations in your fingers and your hand, and your fingers will feel like they want to start spreading apart. Don't try to make them spread apart deliberately, and don't try to keep them from spreading apart. They will spread apart all by themselves, easily and gently. And as your fingers are spreading apart, you will notice that your eyes start feeling heavy, and your eyes keep feeling heavier and heavier. And your eyes feel like they want to close as you drift into a calm, peaceful, hypnotic state of relaxation.

You'll be experiencing a soothing drowsiness coming over your entire body, and your eyes are closing gently ... Your eyes will soon close ... It’s becoming less and less important for your eyes to be open, and by the time your eyes close, you will be in a deep, calm, very peaceful hypnotic state ...

Notice that your fingers want to spread apart, and you are letting the natural feelings happen ... As your fingers are spreading apart you can notice that your eyes keep feeling heavier...

Being hypnotized is always a very pleasant ... calm, soothing, very enjoyable ... restful experience... (Pause).

(Note: After fingers have started spreading and eyes have started closing, continue as follows:)

In a moment, your (right-left) hand and arm will move toward your face, and you will keep drifting into an even deeper hypnotic state ... Your hand and arm move toward your face, but your subconscious mind will not permit your hand to touch your face until your mind has worked out a solution to that problem of (insert problem in the client’s words, i.e., dental fear, relationship issue, etc.)

You have been experiencing that problem/issue for some time now, and consciously you haven't been able to resolve it ... and I don't know what has been causing that problem, but the subconscious part of your mind does have the information ... so your subconscious mind can review, examine, and explore the information in your mind and find out what has been causing that problem ...

Your subconscious mind can review all the imprints, all the impressions, all the thoughts and ideas in your mind that have been causing that problem ... and your mind can assess, evaluate, and understand that information now from a more knowledgeable, more relaxed, more calm, more mature point of view ... and can work out a solution and resolve that problem rapidly and completely...

Your subconscious mind is reviewing that information thoroughly and understanding that it is okay to resolve that problem for now and forever ... and when your mind has resolved that problem, then your mind will cause your hand to touch your face ...

You are continuing to move into a deeper, more peaceful, more detached state ... It feels good to keep relaxing more ... Your mind is cooperating ... and is reviewing that information, and is working out a very pleasant solution to that problem ... and you are easily and gently moving into a more comfortable state of relaxation ...

Your subconscious mind is hearing every word I say and is working out a pleasant solution without any conscious effort by you ...

Your fingers have spread apart, and your subconscious mind is causing your hand to move toward your face, but your hand will not touch your face until your unconscious mind understands the causes and effects of what has been causing that problem and knows that it is okay for that problem to be resolved completely ...

When your mind knows it is okay for that problem to be resolved (i.e., your body to be healed … yYour body to reduce down to _______ pounds, etc.,) then your hand will touch your face as a signal that the problem has been resolved ... and you will really be pleased ...

You are in a very deep, very calm, comfortable state now ... By permitting your mind and body to relax through your own ability to concentrate on the words I say, you will notice later, after you awaken form the hypnotic state, that you will feel much better mentally and physically ...

You're doing very well ... It feels good to continue relaxing ... and later, when you awaken from the hypnotic state your whole body will feel good from the top of your head all the way down to the bottom of your feet ... Your hands, arms, and shoulders will be relaxed and comfortable ... and you will be confident and happy ...

Your subconscious mind is very sensitive to everything I say, and is hearing and receiving the suggestion I'm telling you ... causing each suggestion to begin working immediately and continue working automatically as you go about your daily activities, and you experience many wonderful benefits from being in this comfortable, relaxed state of hypnosi s...

You are continuing to learn more and more that your own subconscious mind is working out the solution to that problem ... Your subconscious mind knows what to do ... and is doing it in just the right way to resolve the problem completely ...

Some of those experiences your mind is reviewing may not seem to make sense ... yet quite often those are the ones that have the most meaningful effect in solving the problem (Healing your body) (Reducing your body down to _____ pounds)...

Past experiences that have been misunderstood unconsciously can now be understood from a different point of view and your mind is able to work out the solution to that problem in ways you do not consciously understand ... So your subconscious mind is causing your hand and arm to continue moving toward your face to indicate that it is reviewing, examining and exploring the information that has been causing that problem and is working out the solution ...

You already have all the ingredients, all the capabilities, all the skills that you need, and all the knowledge that you need to be completely (cured - healed_ (slim and trim and slender)...

(… if hand is moving hesitatingly, you can continue with this … )

Right now it may seem like you are experiencing some kind of a dilemma... You may not be consciously aware of what needs to be done to work out the solution of that problem, but that's one of the amazingly wonderful things about your unconscious mind... because, even though you do not consciously know what to do, your unconscious mind has all the knowledge it needs to work out the solution in a very pleasant way... and you unconscious mind is bringing that important information forward now, and is resolving that problem for now and forever...

Consciously you have decided that you want (Your body to be healed) (Your body to be slender and trim)... and you had the right to make that decision...

In the past there was something keeping that problem from being resolved (Keeping your body from being healthy) (Keeping your body from being slender and trim)... What ever it was that had been causing that problem will soon be changed... Your unconscious mind is understanding it from a more knowledgeable, more mature point of view, and knows that it is okay for that problem to be resolved completely and permanently...

That decision has got to come form you... and from your own mind... There is no need for it to come from me... because it is only when your mind makes that decision that the problem will be resolved...

You know that your mind is the only part of you that can cause the changes that are needed to resolve that problem... and your mind can cause those changes as you go about the activities of your daily life...

Your subconscious mind keeps your heart pumping the blood through your circulatory system, keeps you breathing, enable you digestive system to continue functioning properly, enables you to talk when you decide to talk, walk when you decide to walk, and has been doing thousands of other things that you conscious mind has not been consciously aware of... The importance of all this is realizing that you can trust your own unconscious mind to take care of you... and you can be sure your own mind is causing you to experience pleasant changes that are needed to resolve that problem...

You can trust your own mind to do what is needed to overcome that problem and all other problems when given proper guidance... and that's what you are doing now... Your mind is receiving the proper guidance needed to work out the solution... and you will be noticing the pleasant changes taking place...

(Once their hand touches their face, “wash away” the remainder of the issue with a Waterfall …)

Imagine that you are taking a walk in the woods. You are walking along a beautiful path through the woods. As you walk, you maybe experiencing a number of things. Possibly you are aware of tall pine trees; some large, some small. It is a warm but comfortable summer day.

Perhaps you feel a comfortable breeze... Gently cooling your face and arms... Maybe you can hear the rustling of the leaves and the crunch of the leaves, twigs, and grass beneath your feet. As you look up through the leaves of the trees, you see a sparkling of sunlight, dwelling in time with the breeze.

You come to an open area with a small pond. At one end of the pond is a beautiful waterfall. At the other end is a stream which runs as far as the eye can see. You look up and see a beautiful blue sky, with a few white fluffy clouds lazily drifting by. you set down by the pond and enjoy the sounds of water... such as the birds singing, the frogs croaking and the water fall.

As you sit there, you sense that there is something special about the waterfall. It seems to be inviting you to come over to it and indeed you do...You reach out and touch the water and the temperature is just right so you walk under the falls... You feel its cleansing flow and you realize that it is not only cleansing your body, but it also is cleansing you. You feel that any anger, bitterness, feeling of rejection, grief, guilt, abuse and all other negative emotion are being cleansed out of your system.

You look down toward your feet and you notice that the water coming from your body in a murky brown and it is flowing across the pond and down the stream at the other end. The more negativity that you release the murkier the water appears to be. As you fell these negative emotions being cleansed from your system, the water around your feet began to clear, but you can see the murky brown water flowing further and further down the stream.

As the murky water flows down the stream, further and further away, you feel more and more comfortable, more at peace with yourself... Your feelings of calmness increases... You feel more at ease... It gives you a strange feeling of relaxation. You are feeling yourself being cleansed of all those negative feelings. The anger, bitterness, feeling of rejection, grief, guilt, abuse and all other negative emotions are being cleansed from your system... Notice the feeling of comfort and peace increase as the murky water flows down the stream further and further away. As the murky brown plots further and further away, you feel your problems dissolving. You feel a sense of release and relief.. You are getting rid of those problems.

The murky brown is following further and further away. It is now beyond your eye sight and you can breathe deeper and exhale slowly a few times and really enjoy the freedom, the relief and powerfulness of being free of those problems... The relief, the calmness, the peacefulness are flowing through you and have replaced the negative feelings. These feelings of comfort, serenity, and well-being remains with you even after you come out of this relaxed state. 

(If hand has not touched the client's face by the time it is time for the session to be over, or there’s little to no movement, continue with these suggestions … )

"Therapy Between Sessions."

You are responding properly... Your unconscious mind is doing what is needed to resolve that problem... and it doesn't need to be done in a way you would consciously expect it to be done...

You can be pleasantly surprised to find that your unconscious mind will cause it to happen in an easy, natural way...

It will give you a lot of satisfaction to know that your own mind is working out the solution to that problem and your goals can be accomplished satisfactorily...

 (Adapted from a great friend, Art Winkler): Said to the client while still in state … One of the amazing facts I have learned over the years hypnotizing many, people is that your subconscious mind can continue review, examining, and exploring the storehouse of your mind and work out solutions to problems even after you come out of the hypnotic state... As you proceed with your daily activities, your mind can be assessing information that is contained in the storehouse of your mind. And can understand that information from a completely different point of view than you had when the information went into your mind, and can work out the solution now from a more knowledgeable, more mature point of view.

So even after you come out from this hypnotic state, your subconscious mind can continue reviewing all imprints, impressions, thoughts, ideas and other information that has gone into your mind and had anything to do with causing that problem...And by the time you come back to be hypnotized again, your mind can have a pleasant solution all worked out in a way that easily enables you to overcome that problem... You mind is receiving these suggestions, the guidance and instructions I'm giving to you and is enabling you to continue improving rapidly...

In the past you may have had some doubts...but now those doubts are leaving, and all those doubts are soon gone completely...Those doubts are being replaced with a strong sense of confidence and sureness...You can be surprised at the way your confidence keeps improving more and more each day... As you are continuing to relax now, your subconscious mind can work out a way of revealing that you are in a deep hypnotic trance, and you will not need to consciously recognize it...Your subconscious mind can cause a response that is obvious to me, but not to you... One of your fingers may lift up, or your hand and arm may lift up...It can whatever your subconscious mind want to do to reveal that you are in a deep hypnotic trance without you being consciously aware of it...(Pause for a minute.)

(note: After about a minute, if there has been no noticeable response, continue as follows:)

You are really responding well to everything I tell you... You know and I know that we are having these sessions because you are determined to overcome that problem...It has controlled your way of life long enough, and you are determined that you relax that control and take control...Your subconscious mind understands that now, and realizes that you are serious about overcoming that problem... You have decided that you want your subconscious mind to understand that you are ready to get that problem resolved for now and forever...And you want the solution to be worked out in a way that is pleasing and acceptable to your conscious mind... So you are letting it be worked out by your subconscious mind, and you don't need to be thinking about it consciously anymore... From now on your conscious mind thinks about things that are pleasant and enjoyable to you, because your subconscious mind knows exactly what needs to be done to work out the solution to that problem in a very calm, peaceful way...

When you come back for your next session, you find that you quickly go into a deep hypnotic trance within a minute or two after you sit down in the chair here in my office... In the meantime, you notice some very pleasant changes taking place in your life as your subconscious mind works out the solution to your problem. And now you are ready to come out from the hypnotic state...In just a moment I count to three and you gradually come out a little with each number I say...When I reach the count of five, you open your eyes and feel wonderfully relaxed and refreshed, as though you have just awakened from a deep, sound, peaceful sleep.