So the title of today’s blog entry here really needed some punctuation as I think will become evident.

I speak to a lot of members of the public about their experiences with hypnotherapists, and a lot of students who attend my classes feedback to me about the hypnosis experiences they have had prior to training to be a hypnotherapist. Likewise, I speak to a great many people who simply attend my one day classes for personal development who talk to me about their experiences in hypnotherapy sessions with hypnotherapists. So many people describe the hypnotherapy sessions they had as “nice” or “pleasant” or “relaxing.”

Many hypnotherapists are missing a trick in my opinion. When someone comes to see a hypnotherapist, they are highly receptive, have expectancy, and are primed and ready to be astonished. That is what I think develops your business impressively – astonishment. You want to make it your intention to “WOW” those who come into contact with you as a hypnotherapist.

Every time you engage with someone in relation to your hypnotherapy business, serve them in such a way that they are astonished. Help them and support them in ways that they are unlikely to be experiencing with the masses, set yourself apart from the other hypnotherapists that your clients and potential clients are contacting or having experiences with.

In your hypnotherapy sessions, when they leave you, what do you think they are going to tell their spouse about their session with you? What will they tell colleagues, friends, confidants or others who have similar issues that you could help with? The better sales people for your business are clients who had success with you, right? Yet the best sales people for your business are clients who had success and who you served so well that they had astonishing experiences with you in your hypnotherapy rooms.

There are many ways to astonish your hypnotherapy clients. Here are a handful of the simplest ways:

1. Humour: When I talk about using humour in hypnotherapy sessions, I do not mean that you need to tell gags…..

“Hello Mrs Smith, nice to meet you, I am Adam, anyway, Knock, knock…..” or “Hello Mr Smith, I hope you are well, your Momma so fat…..” Are probably not the most appropriate opening gambits for developing an effective or professional working alliance with your client.

Being able to find joy, humour and laughter in some of the seemingly dark places that exist in a hypnotherapy session can be illuminating. Like shining a torch in. It can break down barriers, it can ease pain, it can build relationships and it can heal.

When people laugh and have fun, sessions with a hypnotherapist start to become memorable for all the good reasons. Anecdotes, stories and metaphors can be heavily punctuated with good humour. A hypnotherapist effectively using self-deprecating humour can also help develop rapport and the working alliance.

It is rare for people to associate therapy sessions with fun, laughter and joy because we are so often working with very serious issues. Of course, we do not belittle issues and we do not attempt anything inappropriate or unprofessional. Yet striking the right notes with humour gives clients a wonderful experience that they will speak fondly of.

2. Language: As talk-therapists, as hypnotherapists, language is pivotal. Use language in a way that enlivens the session, that makes it enjoyable, exciting and fun. That does not mean that we use jargon or great big long multi-syllabic words that baffle. It means that we want to bring the session to life.

Be emotive with the voice and with language, while also remaining congruent with who you are. Let your language motivate, inspire and help the client feel safe, secure and in good hands.

3. Hypnotic Phenomena: The main tool for astonishment that we have as hypnotherapists over and beyond that which other talk therapies can, is the very use of hypnosis.

I recall working with a man who had seen another hypnotherapist and at his first session with me described the session he had experienced “it was very nice, he was very nice, I was very relaxed, but I am still not sure I was hypnotised.”

If you are a hypnotherapist, surely part of your ‘raison d’être’ is to ensure people know they have been hypnotised and have experienced it convincingly.

Unwavering arm catalepsy, hand stuck to the table, incredible arm levitation, amnesia, anaesthesia or plain and simply getting a pen stuck to the hand – and testing it, urging them to test it and not attempt to comply or just try and please me (the hypnotherapist).

Hypnotic phenomena will also become hypnotic skills for the client to practice and develop, it becomes a great way for you to effectively conceptualise how hypnosis works and give evidence of how to best develop responsiveness, but importantly, they’ll KNOW they have been hypnotised….

“How did the session go with the hypnotherapist darling?”… Compare…..

“It was nice…. The hypnotherapist really relaxed me, played pleasant whale music and I think I nodded off….” (Not sure if I was hypnotised)

With

“It was amazing, my hand was stuck to the table and I could not get it off…. There was no glue involved either!”  (Certain I was hypnotised)

When people go to see a hypnotherapist, they want hypnosis. Use hypnosis to astonish them and deliver upon their high expectations. Your sessions will stand out greatly from those of the majority of other local hypnotherapists and your clients will be talking about their experiences with you before they have even achieved the therapy results (which will of course also be wonderful for them to discuss and talk about).

4. Education: You can dazzle people by demonstrating a depth of knowledge about your subject and helping to educate them effectively with the right kind of knowledge. Evidence suggests that when people understand the underpinning rationale about hypnosis, they will become more responsive. When they are more responsive, have a better understanding and the subject is demystified, then it can be something they can do for themselves, and that they can share with others.

5. Serve People: Give people amazing experiences of you. Demonstrate your skills, be outstanding at what you do (get the best hypnotherapy training for starters) and then when you have one-to-one encounters, consultations, conversations, interactions, do whatever you possibly can to serve them, and serve them wonderfully well. Over deliver on what they expect too, give better service, give more resources, and go on to astonish people with the way you serve them and with the actions you take to help them and support them.

These five points are at the foundation of every hypnotherapy session I have with clients and are at the heart of much of what we teach at the college here. Setting out to astonish your clients is one of the best things you can do for your hypnotherapy business. That is what the title of this small blog entry is what it is.

If you do this one thing well, you’ll easily thrive as a hypnotherapist. You don’t need all the gimmicks and nonsense that is sold out there about how to develop your business.

Don’t give people “nice” experiences with you as the hypnotherapist. Serve them so well, make them laugh, educate them, use inspiring language, elicit hypnotic phenomena and you’ll astonish them. The more people you astonish when you encounter them, the better your hypnotherapy business will develop.

Recent update/addendum to this article:
Above, I mention the value of a wide and varied education in this field, if you are interested in studying the field of hypnotherapy online, or if you are already a qualified hypnotherapist, then we have a number of online training courses, accredited for CPD and that are incredibly comprehensive.

Would you like a satisfying and meaningful career as a hypnotherapist helping others? Are you a hypnotherapist looking for stimulating and career enhancing continued professional development and advanced studies? We offer an advanced diploma, training in cognitive behavioural hypnotherapy, hypnotic coaching and business development for hypotherapists, go have a read at my college website, all these courses are available in classroom format or online home study courses:
Adam Eason’s Anglo European training college.
Are you a hypnotherapist looking to fulfil your ambitions or advance your career?
Hypnotherapist Mentoring with Adam Eason.

Likewise, if you’d like to learn more about al of these subjects without taking the full qualifications, you can access all our hypnotherapy diploma courses, advanced seminars, lectures and more with our very affordable online monthly membership, and get 5 days free here, just scroll down the page to the membership options and get your free five days access, take that option and you can cancel anytime. Adam Eason Anglo European College of Therapeutic Hypnosis Online Members Area.

In the last two decades, times have changed. The perception of the field of hypnotherapy has changed, there are more hypnotherapists out there than ever before, there is more information available about hypnotherapy than ever before. Things continue to change, rapidly. Just as we all engage in continued professional development to keep our skills relevant, fresh and up-to-date, so we need to understand how to develop our business effectively and how to keep attracting clients.

Today, I encounter many, many hypnotherapists at lectures, conferences, CPD trainings and other events. So, so many of them struggle. So, so many of them ask me the best ways to get clients, but it is virtually impossible to offer up a soundbite in a tea break that will transform them from desperate, isolated, eager hypnotherapist into successful, commanding professional with a healthy waiting list of referred clients.

You want to see more clients. You want to excel as a busy hypnotherapist. You want kudos. You want to serve the world and help as many people as possible to be well and benefit from what you know hypnotherapy can do. You want these things and probably more besides; so what is the solution?    Join this hypnotherapist business development academy. Read more about it by following the link.

We have shiny new, coherent and comprehensive prospectus forms for each of these courses which give you fees and explanations regarding them that you can download and be reading in two minutes time. Go do that.

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