Respite

Today is a little more leisurely oriented. I had early morning task to attended to but here I am, actually taking a water break, rather than the caffeinated breaks I favor.

So, I guess this post will be about the leisure time of a hypnotist. I was discussing busy days with another hypnotist and he mentioned that he tends to schedule in four meditation breaks per day during office hours. It is how he rejuvenates.

I tend to try to put an hour between all sessions. It gives me time in case I run over a bit on a client, and time to clear my mind and start fresh for the next. This means my client load is less, but I feel much saner and effective than I would cranking people through. Though I know this is not necessarily the favored method of those trying to make high figure incomes.

When I first started out, I would find myself drained after doing a session, but as time has progressed, I find I often have more energy after working with certain clients. There are still some clients that can be a little tiring, usually the ones where rapport does not come naturally and I have to really work at creating a comfortable and trusting environment. These are the clients where the hour in between really pays off. I can take a short walk (to a coffee shop) and I do self-hypnosis on the way, clearing my head and just being an observer of my surroundings. I guess you could call this a walking meditation. By the time I have my coffee (or cafe au lait for the very difficult times) and am back at the office, unlocking the door, it feels like I am starting fresh.

How about you? Do you have ways in which you regroup between sessions or work?

Ethics and Doctors

Ethics. What an interesting concept. As I sit with my faithful British Breakfast tea today I am thinking about ethics. Perhaps it is not really ethics but a question of them.

The concept is doctors and our relationship to or with them. I am fairly doctor friendly for the most part - respect what I do and I shall offer the same courtesy. I work with a couple who send me referrals and generally, I consider what I do complimentary to traditional medicine. It is not a substitute.

On my intake form, I ask about current illnesses and if the new client is seeing a counselor, psychologist, etc.

Here is the dilemma. I have several clients who come to me for various needs from addiction elimination to sexual issues. When I ask them about following up with their doctors, counselors, or psychologist, they often (more than not) ask me not to contact them. I always respect the wishes of my clients or I do not take them on in the case of certain mental conditions.

Now, I suspect the doctors and such would still want me to contact them, but as a patient, I have had things in the past that I felt were not any of my GP's business, so I respect my client's desires to do the same.

Any thoughts? And yes, this question is open to anyone at all - clients, doctors, quick browsers...

I am a Sinner - a story of lost rapport

When I had my not-so-great Tuesday, I wrote several things down after my client left and thought I would share some of it with you, granted it has been spruced up.

I am a sinner, I must confess. No, I do not mean in the biblical sense, but in professionalism. And I even had the perfect excuse. I over slept.

Yep, and so it happened, the one day I let my hair down, I got caught in my sin. And that was my sin –letting my hair down. I ran late the other morning. Rather than doing full make-up, putting in the contacts, ironing my dress, putting on stockings and fishing the heels out from under the bed (from kicking them off the night before), I merely brushed my hair, powdered my face, found my glasses in the blur of the world, and dressed in capris and a turtleneck. Now I did not quite go for flip-flops, but did go for comfortable slip ons. Okay, and I admit, I have waited too long between manicures.

Well, I thought it was professional enough, at least it was not the ripped jeans I wore the night before or the t-shirt (featuring Marlyn Mansion). And I did brush my hair. I was wrong. I think it all made me look much too casual. Though I tell perspective clients to come to the appointment in their most comfortable clothes, I guess it does not apply to me.

And, I think I was judged by this new client. I think I lost rapport and the session did not go as well as it could have. Perhaps this is more about me than the poor client, though. It may have been my own self-image that caused the barrier. I had over slept and my allergies were going to town, so did not feel my best going into it

Moral to the story – there is no excuse for relaxing on the professionalism. A wise person once said, “it is at the times you do not feel like throwing a party, that you need to clean yourself up, put on a smile, and throw a party.” I think that is exactly right.