Q2.
Giving examples of classic non-commitment
language, identify a client lacking commitment to the behavioural
change they state they would like and discuss methods of increasing
motivation and inspiring desired change.
Learning outcomes: 2.2
Examples
of non-commitment language include ‘I might want to stop eating
sugary foods’; ‘I want to lose weight but I don’t want to
change my diet’; ‘I want to make changes some of the time,
like during the week, but would like to have weekends off’; ‘I
thought I might like to lose some weight’; ‘I can’t
understand why I have gained so much weight’; ‘I can’t seem
to be able to make lasting changes to my diet’; ‘I’m not
ready to make changes straight away but would like to learn how I
can be more ready in the future’; ‘I just have so many
problems and issues around this whole “weight loss thing” I
just don’t know where to start’.
Increasing
motivation can be achieved through actual post hypnotic
suggestion, and also through the line of questioning used. Using
suggestions within a hypnosis session could be achieved through
the ‘control panel’ method, asking the client to locate their
internal control panel then more specifically the
dial/lever/switch for ‘motivation to change [Specified
behaviour]’ turning the motivation down, looking for a physical
response to indicate that the process has been carried out- such
as a finger movement (ideomotor response/reflex, IMR), then
adjusting the dial/lever/switch to increase motivation and getting
another IMR to signify that the change has taken place, also
looking for facial expressions and/or physical reactions (such as
sighing or smiling or relaxation of facial muscles) to indicate
that the client has made those positive changes.
It
is also possible to inspire motivation to change an unwanted
behaviour through questioning alone. People who are finding it
hard to make change are generally ambivalent about change, they
are unsure whether they want to change or whether they want to
continue doing the same things- they feel two ways about it.
Resolving the ambivalence and therefore increasing motivation to
change can be achieved through questioning and listening and
building rapport in a very short space of time. Using a mixture of
open questions –‘when do you think your issues with food
started?’, ‘What do you think is the root cause of your issues
with food?’- and closed questions, ‘Do you want to make
changes to your behaviour?’, ‘when will you start?’- the
therapist can guide a client towards being more motivated and less
ambivalent about making permanent change. Leading and directing
the client can take shape using questions such as ‘if you make
no changes at all then how can you see your life in 5 years time?
How about if you made those changes now? How will you be, then, in
5 years? Encouraging the client to imagine their life without
addressing and making changes can help them to be more motivated
to change. It is very important to build good rapport with the
client in every situation as a hypnotherapist who does not have
good rapport with their client will yield poor results. The
therapist needs to instigate a number of different questioning
techniques in order to increase motivation and desire to change,
such as future pacing (as mentioned) and leading questions (“What
do you think about restrictive dieting? Many people tell me that
they consistently fail when dieting”); Loaded questions ‘Have
you already stopped overeating or do you want to stop that now?’.
I
had a client who had what she called ‘an addiction to sugar’.
She repeatedly chose foods that were high in sugar despite the
fact that they left her feeling tired and sick and made her gain
weight. She had had gastric surgery and lost a vast amount of
weight in a very short period of time and was in face now under
the weight that her surgeon had advised her to reach, though still
a healthy weight. She found that even though she knew the risks
involved with eating sugary foods- such as diabetes, she had had
chronically uncontrolled type 2 diabetes prior to surgery though
this was under control at the time of her session, her weight had
been fairly stable at her low end of the range for several months
though in the past few weeks she had gained a couple of pounds,
she felt physically unwell after having what she called ‘a
chocolate binge’. Despite all the alarm bells that were ringing
for her she reported feeling very demotivated when it came to
changing her behaviour and was finding that her own version of
‘trying’ to cut down or have will power just wasn’t working
any more.
I led her towards
feeling more motivated by asking her questions about how and where
the behaviour had originated, how she felt about her body, how she
had come to terms with being a significantly smaller weight and
size, how she felt her relationship with food and with herself and
others had changed as she had changed and delving into whether she
believed that she was worthy of making lasting and healthy changes
to her behaviour. It turned out that she was ambivalent about
changing her behaviour and lacking in motivation in part because
she still felt like ‘the fat woman’ and like she had no right
to look and feel good. Her self-esteem and self-worth were
severely low and I was able to steer her thinking and attitude in
the direction of the root issue- that she felt unworthy of being
slim and healthy, without even going into too much detail about
how that attitude had manifested- eg her experiences as a child-
she began to see for the first time how much she had allowed that
inappropriate view of herself control her behaviour and how
unnecessary it was to live up to that out-dated view of herself
and I could physically see her thinking change and her motivation
to change her behaviour increase without ever having to address
her original lack of motivation whilst she was in trance.
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From your first
section of this answer I would have advised you to be more
specific, in terms of taking each example you stated and then
addressing each one in turn, rather than generalising. However,
your very specific actual client experience addresses this and
tells me how you have not only understood the question but have
had real time experience of it. Additionally, the
generalisations are valid and true though and add much to
communicate your understanding of the question.
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(Further
student work goes here if requested through feedback)
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Q2. Giving
examples of classic non-commitment language, identify a client
lacking commitment to the behavioural change they state they would
like and discuss methods of increasing motivation and inspiring
desired change.
Learning outcomes: 2.2
Student
answer
Classic
Non-commitment language is characterised by disassociation with
the action or event.
An
example of this when working with a person presenting as wanting
to lose weight is as follows:
“I
have tried everything but I can’t seem to be able to lose any
weight. Sometimes I do lose a tiny amount but I do try hard. I’d
like to do something about it – I thought I might try and go to
slimming world but its on a Tuesday and my husband sometimes has
to work late. I should have done something a long time ago but
there are so many nice things to eat”
Problems
–
In
order to address this I would discuss some of the options having
first developed rapport with the client. I would seek to achieve a
commitment to a specific action. I would need to look at the
barriers and seek to overcome these. Firstly I would explore the
reason the individual wants to change – is this real? Does the
individual actually want to commit to this path? I would explore
language used – for example going through the response and
changing ‘should’ for ‘could’ and ‘can’t’ for
‘choose not to.’ This is likely to change the dynamic from
passive to being present within the statement and therefore closer
to the solution.
I
would also redirect from might and try to more active measures –
“so what will you do…” This leads to more concrete and
realistic aims and goals – be this to lose a pound a week or the
impact that this will have; when I lose a pound I will feel more
confident. This leads to being able to explore what feeling more
confident would look and feel like which enables re-framing; so
when you have lost a pound a week, you will look and feel that
your clothes fit better and that you know you are on a path where
you feel attractive and confident. By using positive language and
assuming positive outcomes this increases the likelihood of these
becoming the reality.
I
would reflect back statements whilst framing them which enables
the client to agree or to adjust in a more committed way. For
example changing might – which is non-committal- to will;
prompting the client to commit to change. Alternatively the
emphasis on certain words can prompt a client into recognising the
non-commitment and reframe themselves: “you are going to try?”
I” ….”I mean I will….”
In
further sessions and having achieved the desired weight loss, I
re-emphasise and reinforce all of the positive changes that have
been made. Future pace could be used to allow her to imagine
herself in the future state – with clothes fitting in the way
that she would like them to.
(LO 2.2 A
demonstrable understanding of psychological theories of motivation
and behavioural change and an ability to apply this to clinical
practice.)
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Tutor
feedback (DO NOT delete/edit feedback. Write amendments,
additional information & thoughts underneath this table)
Correct.
A comprehensive and detailed answer to this question, giving
appropriate examples and clearly citing the language of non
commitment and your ability to respond to such and to motivate
accordingly. A pleasure to read, thank you.
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Further Student Answer Example:
Clients who respond to
Meta-questions with
“I’d like to try
and explore the reasons why”” or
“I
thought hypnosis might be able to help” or
“I’d
like to be able stop” are not committed to the change process.
By
working through the Meta-questioning you can establish what the
client really wants and where possible what is stopping the achieving
of it.
By identifying the
blocks holding them back you can change their perspective on how big,
bad or difficult these thoughts are in making their lives better and
then explain how by making a few changes to their thought patterns
these blocks can be removed or overcome.
You can then encourage
them in or out of hypnosis to produce an image (complete with
attached emotion) of them successfully achieving their goal.
Q2
RESUMBIT PLEASE.
Your
answer is good as far as it goes, though is somewhat general. I
would like to see you please give a specific example of a client
seeking a specific change and follow through with advice on
increasing motivation and inspiring change.
Taking
your example of “I’d like to be able stop” spoken
to a smoker, what would your reply be to such a statement? How would
you uncover the blocks you speak of and encourage the change?
Exploring more as to
why they wish to stop smoking followed by the reason they were using
the non-committal wording “I’d like” rather than a more
empowering “I want”. I would ask what they think is preventing
them from actually quitting the habit? Going as far as what would
they need to change their answer into a more positive one, making
notes for future use in the session.
Drilling down into
their answers when asked what they actually get from smoking, such as
gathering with friends to smoke and gossip or a feeling of stress
release felt during smoking. I would also ask is there anything else
that might give them the same feelings of being part of the group or
releasing of stress?
Using a
representation of their own relevant aversion images I’d get them
to understand how smoking will hurt their future and that of the
people they love (family etc.), adding in any other additional
motivations discovered during the meta-questioning process, such as
living longer and being happier and healthier, allowing them to run
around and play with their future grand children rather than a doom
and gloom vision of lying in a hospital bed on oxygen with grey skin
fighting for breath with their family sat around crying etc.
Using the New
Behaviour Generator to provide more effective and healthier methods
of dealing with stress so they no longer needed cigarettes.
Utilising all the
information gained in the meta-questioning I would feedback to them
the positives they would gain and the negatives they fear could occur
if they do not change and re-enforcing the benefits of making the
changes along with suitable anchors to ensure they maintain their
motivation.
CORRECT.
Thank you for this resubmission which is exactly what I was
looking for. The example and how you would deal with the situation
is excellent.
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