Reflective Journal: Can I do this???!!

From Jim Skinner, with thanks

My reflections on the course in general are somewhat random and will not be in date order as like the course itself I found that I was using distraction techniques (my grass has never been cut so often, my car never so clean, etc. etc.) to avoid actually concentrating on the course work because I am not by nature the type of person that can sit and apply focus when left to my own devices. I clearly lack the discipline to study alone but sharing work space with others even though it was still my own work being done in my own way, works for me, and from conversations with other delegates I am not alone in this.

Many times I sat down to ‘just do one question’ which I would start and despite the fact that I have the knowledge within me, my mind would go blank or I would start writing and then find that I was deleting my work and starting again because I am hyper-critical and think I should do better work.

This was a recurring theme throughout the first months and as each week passed my avoidance was becoming tinged with cross-ness and a profound disappointment in myself for not just doing it !

I know I can actually do the work, and I have the knowledge, so why not do the work was the question I was beating myself up with.

The email I received from the course tutor Jennie Kitching suggesting that if enough people were interested she would arrange an intensive session to assist the completion of the course was to me an absolute relief, and I didn’t have to think twice. The response was not a surprise to me, there was rapid ‘yes please’ from many of the students wishing to get together and having a joint focus on completing the course.

Changes throughout my career so far that I wish to share here really focus on my levels of confidence and competence.

My confidence in my abilities as a Hypnotherapist have grown exponentially with each client and each issue that I have dealt with, I was definitely nervous and uncertain in the beginning and felt concern that the client would not enter trance, but because of my training and the advice to display confidence even if I wasn’t feeling it, has paid dividends for me. I now enter each session knowing that I have the ability to do the job and do it well and that I can and do help my clients.

My belief in my competence has grown as I get more and more positive feedback from my clients.

I have recently been doing group relaxation sessions for the staff at the local Hospice where I volunteer, one day a week. I had done very little group work prior and the little I had done was for 2/3 people, I had 12 people for my first session here and I soon realised that ensuring that my induction and deepener fitted so many people was somewhat more challenging than I had thought, as with that many people and the shortage of time available I couldn’t check individually if anyone was claustrophobic or suffered with hayfever etc. etc. and that what I was saying would work for them all. I changed the approach on my second session making it more generic, however on reflection I still haven’t got it quite right yet. 

The feedback has been positive and I may be making it more difficult for myself than is necessary.

Thinking about my reflective practice I now finally understand the true value particularly in relation to my own performances.

This is a pleasure to read Jim and we are so grateful that we are all a collective Unity presence that can affect each other and get things done! We all help each other and so long as we keep communicating I am sure we will achieve great things together. It is s delight to hear of your progressions and I will only reiterate that I think many of us would be wise to share our thoughts more often and get the support we know would be forthcoming rather than trying to go it alone. It is a common ‘side effect’ of the profession of being a hypnotherapist that we do wonders for folks every day and neglect ourselves and can give each other the very experience we all need to be brilliant therapists!