Reflective Journal Entries: Past Life

From Paula Gair, with thanks

I've never appreciated a Saturday morning quite as much as this one smile emoticon
Thought I would share something really interesting with you. 

Do you know how you sometimes get the feeling that you know somebody better than you should do when you first meet them? Well using Lucy's experience I did a past life regression. After 2 lives I asked the s/c to take us to a door where we knew each other - and it did. Twice in fact! How about that then 

1850's I was "Betty" and he was "Andrew" - a lawyer in his 50s who offered me advice when I was in my 20s and later in life I was dressed nicely with pearl earrings and a sorted life. Then mid wars. I was Sue, and he was Mark and he had been evacuated to the village I lived in Kent; in the 1930's we went for a trip "up town" (London?) and went to a Lyons tea rooms and ate cake (I was smart and he was a bit of a waster) and then later In my 50s I had left the village, moved to the seaside and he was in his 30s, had stayed in the village and was building a fence smile emoticon I asked the s/c to make note of where those doors were so we could go back.

And - something interesting - his door numbers didn't correspond to a year. His numbers were 8, 46, 23 and 156 and didn't seem to have any chronological time link (the first two doors lit up like normal rather than asking to be taken to a shared past life). His significant event in the first life was the death of his grandfather when he was 16. I was quite chuffed with my decision to send his current self to go to his past life self and be there for him and say anything that the 16 year old needed. 

Definitely a good grief counselling technique to use for the future.

EXAMPLE ANSWER: Client Cases VERTIGO and EXERCISE

Client Case Study

Client A 

2 case studies. Client A booked in to see me regarding an onset of vertigo. The vertigo had been brought on from experiencing a severe panic attack whilst driving on the motorway, and she was deeply concerned as she had just received a huge promotion for work which required her to drive long distances daily. She had mentioned that her husband was not working at present and that they had 3 children to support. She experienced vertigo both in her home and also on the road and was mostly concerned with the chance of an episode occurring whilst behind the wheel. She also suffered from insomnia resulting from the stress she was currently experiencing. I chose to use a new behaviour generator intervention for this client in order to create new supportive behaviours that would replace the panic, vertigo and stop the insomnia. In asking the subconscious mind to create new and healthy coping mechanisms, My hope was to eradicate the vertigo through bypassing all triggers, especially regarding her driving.

After the intervention, in interviewing my client she said that she felt a change had happened and she was confident to drive home, feeling relaxed, aware and positive. 8 days passed and she contacted me, she stated that she had been fine all week, however on day 8 she had experienced another episode, when I asked for details, she mentioned that she had driven past the layby on the motorway where she had experienced her attack and in remembering it, she had experienced another worryingly severe episode. She came to see me the next day and in that session, I used a control panel intervention. I increased her ability to feel present in times of stress, decreased her levels of attachment to the past episodes, I increased her confidence in handling her self in stressful situations and decreased her "worst case scenario" fear, by future pacing we managed to cement a firm, stable version of her, managing herself. 2 weeks later she had emailed me to say that she had not experienced a repeat episode, that if she felt panic coming forward, she stopped what she was doing to practice on the breathing exercises that I had taught her. She was much happier, enjoying her new job.

Client B 

Client B came to me in order to deal with increasing her self care routine, specifically motivation for exercise. She had mentioned that she had no routine in place at present and even with a swimming pool in the building, she was still finding that she was constantly finding excuses to not use the pool. In meta q apparent that she was struggling to manage her time, with work and personal issues and she was feeling a sense of anxiety in general. I decided to use a control panel intervention in order to increase motivation and I also used a new behaviour generator in order to eliminate negative beliefs regarding her past, which related as she was stuck in that space. through future pacing and seeing the final result as a healthy balanced work/private life balance she managed to remove the block of motivation that had been stopping her. by creating a new behaviour. She had mentioned that she was always tired to swim after work so by suggesting the time she uses to swim in the day was changed she started to swim in the morning before she had to be at work.

In the following session she informed me that she had began to swim again, visualising herself in a healthy and slim state, energised and relaxed. Her breathing had also become much more stable and relaxed through the swimming which had helped her in general when dealing with her anxiety.

Jennie Kitching: This is a great account of two extremely successful sessions and a pleasure to read that you are applying your learnings and skills so effectively. This client has obviously benefitted enormously by seeing you and it is important to take stock occasionally and realise the value of what you are doing. Well done. I hope you continue to make notes of such successful sessions

EXAMPLE ANSWER: Implementing new techniques

(LO 3.7 An ability to implement new techniques without direct supervision and critically reflect on this, e.g. assessing the suitability of the technique, outcome, and personal performance) of delivering that technique

Student answer 

from Anna Taylor, with thanks

As every client is unique there may be occasions in which a therapist has to ‘think on their feet’ and adapt based on the information gained within the pre-talk and/or metaquestioning.

An example of this was a session I planned which involved an induction based on visual imagery (a garden with bright colours and steps down to a lower section).

However during the metaquestioning I identified that the client was using audio based feedback – “I hear what you are saying but”… “she never listens to me”, “its as clear as a bell.” On further questioning the client revealed that they struggle to visualise and cannot get clear images within their head. I rapidly re-thought my initial plan. 

I established that the client had an affinity with the sea and changed the induction to being on a beach – feeling the sand and listening to the waves. I used the waves on the beach as the deepener and watched the client carefully to see if this was working. His physical responses indicated that it was and I continued the session. Throughout it I ensured that I continued using audio style descriptors. I had also had an initial plan of using a control panel – which I then also changed to a new behaviour generator with future facing where he could hear himself being assertive and confident.

At the end of the session the client reflected that he felt the session had gone well – he was able to ‘hear’ the difference. In a follow up session I used a similar technique but changed to him being on a boat which added the physical sensation of rocking with the waves and he also responded well on that occasion. I followed up that session a week later and he reported that he was still experiencing positive outcomes.

After this first session I reflected on the intervention and wrote it up in his client notes and my reflective journal. My concern was that this had gone well on this occasion but I wanted to ensure that I would be ready to think on the spot in future- I was concerned that I might ‘freeze’. I made some brief notes on the different sense perceptions and how I could adapt these with a range of combinations on a set of cue cards so that I can have these nearby in a session. I have never needed them – probably because the action of writing them meant that I had reflected and avoided this happening. I am sure as I develop as a practitioner I will develop more and more ideas for inductions which will enable me to adapt freely. Reflecting after a session, using peer support and the reflective journal are an essential part of the feedback loop for continuous development.

The ADVANCED: Student Experiences and Comments on the Advanced

JIM SKINNER

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!

CHERYL MURIEL

I found attending my first Group Peer session so helpful. Being able to discuss experiences with others is very reassuring. Learning tips and receiving advice has also been empowering and inspiring. I have also enjoyed the social aspect of being with a group and being amongst like-minded individuals. It makes working for myself and setting up my own business less daunting. Good to hear this.

ENTRY 5 – 17 May 2015

Working on the intensive Advanced Hypnotherapy course has confirmed what I know about my own learning techniques. This course has been so useful in motivating me to achieve my goals and prevented me from procrastinating and wasting time in terms of my career development. Being surrounded by my peers and allocating specific time to study, I have achieved more over the last two days than I have over the last year. Fabulous Cheryl, well done, great news.

LUCY WATERHOUSE

I have unleashed a huge burning desire to write and research and will be making more time to do this as I progress in my career. I have loved this course, though I started off slowly, it has been something that has triggered such an enormous interest and ignited such a passion- actually the passion to help people and to bring about healing has always been there, I am a reiki master too, though that didn’t feel like it was enough. Hypnosis has bridged that gap for me and I am in love with it. I truly hope that this is the start of a lifelong relationship of learning and growth or me and that I am able to facilitate the same in others.

PHILIP AYRES

Firstly, my flying client, I used a Milton example of how he told stories to help his clients with their personal problems. One of these was a lady who saw him and forgot to put her sunglasses on and how he spoke of forgetfulness to her. Throughout my learning’s on this course I looked again more deeply into this and put this into practice with my client. The reason I used this method was that he relies on dextrose tablets as his positive support, to help him in bad, difficult and anxious moments. I spoke to him about forgetting and how we do this naturally everyday without thinking. I could see his mind starting to process the thoughts of forgetting. He has since told me that he is about to put his therapy work into action and take a flight. I was also more aware of his secondary gain towards his issues,  I reframed this to him using an example of another person and how they kept relying on the secondary gain of dependency. This also got him to think about dropping his secondary gain and to move towards his prime goal of being able to fly and go abroad.  

On reflection, I don’t think I would have come to this conclusion quite so quickly if it hadn’t  been for this course, which has prompted me to do some more therapy in adding this to my therapy session, depending on the individual need of my client.  

 It is so good to know how useful the course has been for you Philip, thank you for using the information presented in such a beneficial way for all. I would love it if you put this sort of thing on the Forum to encourage others to contribute as well, thank you.

My work stressed client.  

This client portrayed classic non-commitment language, even though he was the boss. He wanted his work force to do things in a certain way, he couldn’t get them on his side, so to speak. I was aware of his own internal thoughts and classic non-commitment language. I addressed the fact that he wasn’t setting a good example at work. For instance he wanted everything tidy, but his desk was piled high in paperwork and his desk was broken. I also reflected back to him how he wanted things to change around him, but he wasn’t willing to change himself. Once he saw his own lack of commitment with his own thoughts, language and actions, he could see himself as the third person in this relationship. He decided to see how he had been with himself and then realized what he could do to change the situation. With the realization he reflected back to me, he had a very strong committed language of how he will now implement the change and his first job on Monday morning was to get his desk fixed and tidied up. 

This client was very distressed when he came to see me, but soon into our session his demeanor had changed and he was fired up to get on with the change that he wanted. I feel that the course highlighted aspects of my therapy that I need to revisit and probably get back to basics and part of the course learning’s has made that happen.  

 Again, an excellent application of the learnings of this course and interesting to see how it is inspiring you and helping others, thank you.

I realised that I know more than I thought; this of course would reflect that you do not know what you know until you are asked the question.  I will be able to add more to this when I am on the course or on completion of that. But at the moment I’m pleased to say that I have completed the tasks and will continue learning.  I will be in a much better position to refine and hone my skills more effectively 

Using the learning’s in a therapy environment has helped me think more positively with my clients and the acronym of the word KISS, meaning keep it simple stupid will be more appropriate. I believe that I will see things a little more objectively, on reading new material and studies on therapeutic therapy whether from science or the holistic side of treatment.       

In all it has added a new dimension to the way I will treat my clients in the future, and also in my continual personal development.  

I feel right now that to up my game in my development I need to engage more with my potential client audience, using videos and mp3 downloads. Knowing that I came through this course with a higher standard than when I entered into it will go a long way to being more specialized in therapy. JennieKitching has been a silent inspiration to me as I have known her for some time now. Although learning hasn’t been easy for me, I can recognise that I did the best I could have done and being lead by Jennie has motivated me as I find her a great inspiration.  So all of it will go a long way to changing my direction of being a recognized therapist.     

EXAMPLE ANSWER: Smoking

(LO 4.1 Advanced thinking around difficult ethical issues, particularly those outside of codes of ethics and where an unambiguous and universally agreed upon solution is unavailable)

Smoking
from Anna Taylor, with thanks

Student answer This is a difficult situation and in which the response will need to include the following considerations It is not appropriate to conduct a smoking cessation session with someone who does not want to participate. Unless the wife agrees to participate I would offer a refund as this is a compromising situation. Given the assumption that I am able to get some level of agreement to participate, I would progress with the focus on the wife as the client (not the husband who paid for it). I would then use meta-questioning to ascertain why she is reluctant to stop smoking and what perceived benefits she feels she gets from it At this stage I may reference research and public health information campaigns which are widely available but it is important to note that many people have developed selective perception around these – as an ex-smoker myself I know that I actively avoided or minimised ‘hard hitting’ adverts. I knew all of the reasons not to smoke but these did not apply to me! The occasion on which I stopped smoking (this time) was when I found the key arguments that worked for me – that I ran for a bus and couldn’t breathe. I was unable to balance that with my view of being relatively fit and started the non smoking process. Whilst I would not share this with the client I would see if a similar approach worked- has she seen the adverts and does she identify with them? What are the reasons for her continued use- how does smoking fit with her view of herself? Does she see herself as a smoker? Does she see this as a permanent state? How does this fit with her perception of herself as a mother? How would she feel in future if her child starts smoking? What were her own reasons for starting?.... It is important that there is a balance of perspective here rather than being accusatory or blaming. An open and empathic approach of curiosity is more likely to be effective. If there is a genuine and open acceptance to change at this point I would continue, but if there was not I would be declining the rest of the session and offering support in the future if she changes her mind. One possibility is that this might actually shock her into being open to change – there is nothing more irresistible than something which is not available. By declining to continue the hypnotherapy the idea of non smoking may actually become more desirable.

EXAMPLE ANSWER: Weight Control

(LO 1.5 An ability to determine an ethically and therapeutically appropriate approach for more complex cases where specific training may not be available)

Weight control

from Anna Taylor, with thanks

Student answer If I was approached by a client who was using laxatives in order to control their weight I would seek to establish more background information. I would find out whether this is an established pattern and if they have or are being treated by a medical professional. If there is no medical intervention I would consider referral or advise them to seek medical advice. It may be that I also direct them to information such as https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/laxative-abuse-some-basic-facts and ensure that they are aware of some of the dangers e.g. electrolyte or mineral imbalance which impacts on colon and heart functioning; severe dehydration and resultant symptoms; prevention of the usual function of the colon and internal organ damage or death. I would ensure that they are equipped with the knowledge that laxatives are not effective for weight loss as they work on the large intestine- by the time food gets there most of the calories have already been absorbed. Laxative abuse causes water loss which will return as the client drinks fluids. I would only consider therapy if I felt I had adequate competence and if this would not be in place of or contraindicate medical treatment. I would make sure that the client agrees to a follow up session as I would not feel that his should be a one off. If I did decide to progress I would use metaquestioning to establish detail and function. A surface observation of the individual’s body shape may influence a line of question – is the person under, average or overweight? What is their desired outcome of taking the laxatives? Is the underlying focus an issue about body confidence? What have they tried previously? What are the changes they would like to create – healthy eating, exercise- and how would they know that these have been achieved e.g. a certain item of clothing fitting in a certain way. From the responses I would select an intervention. As many issues of body image have an element of control within them and I might use a type of control panel. I would make sure that I was clear as to which way the scale needs to go e.g. your level of confidence is at a 3 and you wish to increase this to a 7. I would then commence with an induction with ideomotor responses combined with a deepener and convincer to ensure that the client is in the therapeutic state. A relaxing place would be established and then I would ask them to imagine themselves on a screen looking and feeling confident and in control. I would ask them to imagine a remote control which has a volume control on it. This volume control can be seen on the screen as they turn it up and down – just like it is on your television. But this volume control is labelled confidence and note where it is at this point (3). I would then ask them to decrease the scale slightly- to level 2 so that they experience the dip and then turn the volume up finding that it moves easily and with little effort. With each press it moves the confidence and they can see the changes that it makes upon the ‘them’ on the screen. Noticing the way in which they show confidence – what it looks like, what it feels like…. This would continue until they are at the point where they are at or as close as 7 as they can be. I would then ask them to remove the batteries on the remote control – making sure that the volume will stay at the level it has been set –a level they have chosen and one which is comfortable to experience. Then I would use future pace to visualise and experience the ‘them’ in the screen in scenarios in which they are confident and happy with their body and the control they have over it –in a positive way. I would then return to the client to full waking awareness and ask how they felt now that their sense of confidence and ease within their body had increased. I would ensure that they contact me with feedback and book the follow up session that has been agreed. (LO 1.5 An ability to determine an ethically and therapeutically appropriate approach for more complex cases where specific training may not be available)

EXAMPLE ANSWERS: Pain Control

(LO 1.2 An ability to devise an appropriate psychological intervention for a medical condition.

Pain Control Student answer 

from Anna Taylor, with thanks

When working with pain it is important to establish the current position in terms of treatment – is the client currently under medical supervision or investigation? If so it may be advisable to provide therapy only if they are in a stable situation or are being referred by a GP as therapies could conflict or counteract each other. If they have not seen their GP I would be likely to advise them to do this.

Within the pre-talk of an intervention for pain I would ensure that I explain that pain is the method by which the body provides feedback – a protection mechanism to reduce injury and it is important to explain that it would not be advisable to reduce pain to being totally absent as this may mask any other problems or injuries.

Using metaquestioning I as the therapist can establish what, if anything, makes the pain worse and what, if anything, provides relief. A desired outcome can then be established e.g. reduction in pain to a level where the individual is able to walk, and sleep without the use of pain medication. I would confirm with the client what the intervention was going to be and establish on a scale the where they are now and where they want to be. I would be very clear as to which way the scale needs to go e.g. your level of comfort and ease in relation to your back is at a 2 and you wish to increase this to an 8. I would be specific so that they understand that pain from other areas of injuries will still be experienced if this is necessary for their body to alert them to a need. I would also ask them if they have ever seen a music sound mixing board and assuming that they have I would progress with the hypnotherapy session.

I would then use an induction with ideomotor responses combined with a deepener and convincer to ensure that the client is in the therapeutic state. A relaxing place would be established and then I would ask them to imagine a control panel such as a music mixing board – with slides and toggles that turn volume, bass, treble etc up and down on a sliding scale. I would ask them to realise that each of the toggles is able to move and slide up and down within its track. I would ask them to identify the slide toggle marked ‘back comfort and ease’ and note where it is at this point (2). The client can then be directed to decrease the scale slightly- just a notch to level 1 to experience the change and then without lingering too long I would direct them to slide the slider up the scale, finding that it moves easily and with little effort. With each notch it moves the sense of ease and comfort increases until they are at the point where they are at or as close as 8 as they can be. I would then ask them to notice that the toggle itself can be removed – it can be pulled off so that the slider stays in place. They have control of the toggle and if they ever need to they can put it back on and adjust the scale, but unless they do, it will remain in place, fixed at that point. Next I would use future pace – imagining and experiencing scenarios in which pain was previously experienced and enjoying the comfort and ease they are now experiencing. After repeating several times with different scenarios I would return to the client to full waking awareness and ask how they felt now that their sense of comfort and ease had increased.

(LO 1.2 An ability to devise an appropriate psychological intervention for a medical condition.