About – What to expect on your session
All Sessions are around roughly 2-hrs long, the first or initial session is slightly longer & follow-up sessions are slightly shorter.
YOU ARRIVE
When you arrive for an in-person session, I greet you and check in on how they’re feeling. The environment is designed to be therapeutic and comfortable. My office is in a larger space with other practitioners, but I have a very private office. Sound machines run in the hallways to ensure complete privacy. I play low, calming music in the background to help with relaxation and the induction process.
The office is equipped with a comfy couch, pillows, a blanket, and a footstool for lounging. My first priority is helping clients feel comfortable, especially during a first session. I am a new person, they are in a new environment, so it’s expected that they’ll have some nerves. I want to ensure they feel no judgment, safe and it is easy for them to be open.
*If you are doing virtual you receive a link in your email and we connect via zoom.
Phase 1 : INITIAL TALK (30 MINUTES)
We begin by talking for roughly 30-40 minutes. During this time, we discuss your goals and objectives. I also educate you about how hypnosis works, using examples from your own life and current situation.
This is like taking a peek behind the curtain. You don’t need to know how to do it yourself, but I want you to gain confidence that I can help and understand how we’ll work together. I always explain the next steps to ensure your comfort.
I also clarify misconceptions or false ideas about hypnosis. There are many out there, and some clients aren’t even aware they have them or don’t want to admit them.
PHASE 2 : PRE-INDUCTION EXERCISES (5 minutes)
After the initial consultation, we begin the induction phase. If it’s the first session, I start with exercises that show how the process works. These include imagery exercises and teaching you to distinguish between the conscious and subconscious mind.
For example, I have you close your eyes and imagine a lemon. I ask you to visualize, sense, or perceive it in all ways, giving suggestions and observing how you respond. These exercises tell me how your mind works and prepares you on how I work.
It’s comparable to waking up from a bad dream with sweaty hands. Even though the dream wasn’t real, it felt real. When we imagine a lemon, we may produce saliva in our mouth because the subconscious mind doesn’t know the difference between real and imagined. This is the language of the subconscious, and I want you to see that firsthand, it builds belief and also prepares you for the next steps.
This also shows you that you are the one in full control during hypnosis, not me. Many people fear being out of control, but at the end of the day, you are always in control.
The next exercise involves physical suggestions. For example, I suggest you feel like a balloon is tied to your wrist and that your arm gets lighter. Based on your reactions, I can tell how to move forward and gauge how strong your conscious mind is.
Sometimes those that come to me really want the work to succeed, so they go straight to raising their arm without allowing the feeling to come naturally. By the end of these exercises, you will have a better idea about the process and also any resistances that could get in way.
PHASE 3: TRADITIONAL INDUCTION (15 MINUTES)
Next, we move to the traditional induction. This includes you relaxing, lounging back or lying down, and listening as I give suggestions similar to a guided meditation. This part usually takes about 15 minutes.
There are clear cues that both you and I can observe. You will feel relaxed and enter – what I like to call a “more inward state.” You are fully aware and can hear my voice. You still know what’s going on, yet you feel slightly different – maybe tingly, light, or even heavy and usually you don’t want to move although you can if you choose to.
It’s usually a very enjoyable sensation. For people new to this, the feeling can be so enjoyable that they forget or even resist the suggestions for the next step not wanting to change the feeling.
PHASE 4: WORKING ON THE ISSUE (70 MINUTES)
The next step is reminding you of what we initially discuss and redirecting your attention now that you are the ideal state of what we orginially discussed or the goals. Let’s say you are working on confidence and have a fear of failure. We bring this up.
I usually start with the body and emotions. I like to go into “parts work”. We find a part that feels something, for example a part that feels fear of failure. You might feel this fear in your chest or shoulders. It might feel like heaviness or pressure. I then guide you to as we work on processing or re-progarmming that part but while you are in a trance.
Typically this is a starting point to either work on that part or move into a regression. If regression happens, we go back to past events, memories, and feelings that relate to the original emotion.
At this point, if we access a memory, it may be one the client wasn’t fully conscious of. They may not realize consciously that it’s related to their issue. The subconscious holds memories, so when we look at the emotions, it takes us there.