Once the intake form is complete and the client has settled into the chair, I start the recording if they've requested it, then open the session with a warm welcome. I always let them know how glad I am to have them there, and then I ease into the opening questions — how they found me, whether they have ever experienced hypnosis before, and what brings them in today. None of this is small talk. Every answer is data. As they speak, I am already listening for the exact words, the pauses, and the phrases they reach for, because those small details are the breadcrumbs that will lead us straight to the heart of the issue.
This is a very important part of the session. Listening. People give clues when they speak and it is up to you as a therapist to listen for those clues as they will bring you right to the core of the issue. If someone says something in a strange way, then that is a clue.
Here is an example. I had a client whose job was a commercial airline pilot. He came to me because he developed a fear of flying. I know that sounds weird for a pilot to have a fear of flying but he wasn't always afraid to fly.
Something triggered his subconscious mind and as time went on, his anxiety grew and grew. Typical really. Anyway, when I asked him what his thoughts were when he felt this fear, he responded with "Well, if I' m flying over land, then I'm fine. But when I fly over water, I' m afraid the plane will fall out of the sky and I'll drown." Hmmm I thought.
Planes don't usually "fall" out of the sky and if they did, the last thing he'd have to worry about was drowning. Now this fear could be triggered by a past life experience or childhood. In this case, it was childhood. At the age of three, my client was on a pier with his father, who was fishing.
My client climbed up on the railing and fell into the water and almost drowned. His father jumped in and saved him. That was it. He fell into the water and almost drowned.
It was almost the exact phrase that my client said to me earlier. My client didn't remember the incident as it was so long ago, but once he saw that, he realized that it was a childhood memory of a traumatic experience. The fear was gone, and he was back to work. My point is, that you need to listen very carefully to the phraseology of your clients.
I have found that the pre-talk is a very important part of the process. It sets the stage for later, when I need them to understand why I am doing what I'm doing. It also gives me a glimpse into their ability to use their imagination. As I begin, I look for clues in the way they describe things and how quickly they absorb new information.
Practice
Record yourself delivering the pre-talk from memory. Listen back and mark anywhere your tone goes flat or rushed — those are the places the client will surface in trance.