“It’s Not What I Expected…”

     Most people have preconceived ideas about what something will or should be like. These expectations are based on the mental scripts or subconscious associations (knowns) that guide their beliefs and behaviors. For example, when I ordered a plate of fish and chips at lunch today, I was stunned to receive a plate of potato chips, not French fries, with my fried fish. Don’t get me wrong: the chips I received were home-made and very tasty. However, I had been looking forward to eating a serving of the British version of chips—steaming, thick wedges of fried potato—with salt and malt vinegar. I was initially disappointed that the restaurant didn’t seem to “get” the fact that when “chips” are served with fried fish, they should and traditionally are French fried potatoes. But once I got over being shocked about this apparent misunderstanding, I also had to laugh. The menu listed fish and chips, and in the United States, “chips” means potato chips. I expected to receive fries because I incorrectly inferred that they were on the menu based on my known, personal experience of what it means to eat fish and chips. The meal was not what I expected to be served, but it was still very enjoyable.

     I think people have similar expectations and a similar kind of experience the first time they come in for hypnotherapy. They have so many ideas about what will happen when they are hypnotized that it sometimes takes a little while for them to relax and appreciate all of the nuances of what they are experiencing. If they ever watched or participated in a stage-hypnosis performance, they might expect that they may also “have” to behave in an uncharacteristic and possibly embarrassing way during a hypnotherapy session. Similar to the description of the food I ordered at lunch today, many people have preconceived ideas about what hypnosis and hypnotherapy are, and what will happen when they are hypnotized.  Therefore, it is very important that I can reassure my clients how and why this will not be the case. I explain how I use hypnosis and therapeutic guided-imagery techniques to help them person relax and emphasize why I include their specific words and motivations in their hypnotic scripts to change undesired behaviors.

     In the years that I have been working as a certified hypnotherapist, people have expressed feeling the most surprise at how completely relaxed and comfortable they felt during the session. Many have even confessed that hypnotherapy wasn’t what they expected in the same sentence they tell me that they didn’t know what to expect. Once out of hypnosis, when they really start to notice (feel) the subtle changes of physical energy that I observed during the session they express surprise at feeling so relaxed, so focused, so good. This positive experience will create a new known in their subconscious mind: hypnotherapy facilitates changing unwanted behaviors so they can strive for and achieve their vocational and avocational self-improvement goals.

Sara R. Fogan, C.Ht. is a certified hypnotherapist based in Southern California. She graduated with honors from the Hypnosis Motivation Institute in 2005. For more information about Calminsense Hypnotherapy®, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/.

© 2015