(This
blog was originally posted on January 27, 2014)
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| Photo by Rick Hustead |
The duration of
hypnotherapy is comparatively shorter than traditional psychotherapy, such as
psychoanalysis. However, an issue is seldom resolved in just one, two, three or
even four sessions. “[Hypnotherapy] is not a miracle cure,” Hypnosis Motivation
Institute founder John Kappas, Ph.D.,
explained. “It can relieve initial trauma in a few sessions, but it may take
longer to deal with other issues.”
My goal as a
hypnotherapist is to help each of my clients effectively resolve his or her
specific vocational and avocational self-improvement goal(s) in a realistic
amount of time. For example, hypnotherapy
for weight loss usually lasts 28 sessions; hypnotherapy
for smoking cessation can typically be dealt with in six sessions. Simple
problems may take less time to resolve; but for general self-improvement or
lifestyle-change issues, hypnotherapy is an ongoing process that can last for
years.
I do not set
limits on the amount of time the therapy will take, because these perceived
deadlines can set the client up for frustration and disappointment if the
process takes longer than expected. I can typically identify the true causal
factor or issue that a client is dealing with during the first hypnotherapy
session, even when this is not the issue the person has originally come to
resolve. However, I will not try to draw out this issue and potentially cause
unnecessary stress for my client until he or she is ready to address it and let
it go.
For example,
weight is only symptomatic of an emotional issue in approximately 20 percent of
people who come in for weight-loss therapy, Kappas said. “If you don’t
eliminate the cause of a problem, it could come back.”
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®
and to set up an appointment, please
visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/.
© 2016
